110 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5dd33d942bc3d1f7df95187ce0551b30.pdf 6469c4b9883d4f359453cc9b19359a89 PDF Text Text �T . ■ '‘ ■ 1 f 1 / :U t c y t- tf ��SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 1865. RATES OF POSTAGE. . ^ ■-o C \ S X (J> 3 o ~ I.E T T E R S .T O ANY PART OF THE UNITED STATES, 3 , Cents for cacftli,2 punce or part thereof! ' ■ JiUAa*' A s f ~ C U n y . (Speeder M ’fo i.c fid d L D r o p L e t t e r s ^ 2 cents. .vAuvESXta'SC" L e t t e r s , 1 cent, in addition to" the regiilar rates. • V a l c a b m U’eT t e Rs may be registered oh hppWfition at the office of mailing,' and the payment of a registration ’, fai not ex<eeedfeg.20 c e t i t i e s 1' ' - "■ W ' ' -h-cvAy . V' T r a n s i e n t N e w s p a p e r s , Periodicals,. Pspnptilots, Blanks, Proof Sheets-, ,Book-Manuscripts,- and aft mSil^Blfr {irinted mafi“ " ter, (excepi circulars and books,) 2 cents for each and every 4 ounces. Double these rates are charged for Books. U n s e a l e d C i r c u l a r s , (to one address) not exceeding73 in num ber, 2 ■Cents, and’ - in the'-’sam e',proporfiO if’fo r a ’greater' num ber. h n d i, j " S e e d s , C u t t in g ' s , RO o t s , &c ., 2 cents for each 4 ounces or less quantity. ., , I I &/£jirylvc(xAj. MONDAY 2 h ^ a h v u JL h d jd - - vW a- lo A /V , fT d l- ~ th e . fd e t-j A l l P a c k a g e s of Mail Matter not charged with letter post- I age must be so arranged that the same can be conveniently examined by Postmasters; if not, letter postage will be charged. No P a c k a g e will be forwarded by m ail w hich -weighs over ^ 4 pounds. A l l P o s t a g e M a t t e r , fo: delivery within the United States, must be P r e p a i d by stamps (except duly certified letters of soldiers and sailors); otherwise, double the above rates will be charged on delivery. W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r s (one copy only) sent to actual Sub­ scribers within the County where printed and published, free. L e t t e r s to . C an a d a and other Byitisli N oi^Jr American Provinces,' when not over 30OO' miles, 10 cents for each 1-2 ounce, When over 3000 miles, 15 cents. Prepayment optional. -L e t t e r s to G r e a t B r i t a i n o r I r e l a n d , 24 cents. Prepayment optional. , t L e t t e r s to ment optional. F ra n c is , 15 cents for each 1-4 ounce. . , TUESD AY S I j j J j Prepay- j .1 L e t t e r s to o t h e r F o r e ig n C o u n t r i e s vary in fate ac-r j cording to the route by which they are sent, and, the proper in- 1 formation can be obtained of any Postmaster in the United States. J ' it Cu/jiu. fri-UvC fr^ (fr h o t CiA/jiljV t . t ' lju 3 •— cw l Lu /uef-iK SW C A U ) jo t y ? . i i C-{olAZ/-y ^ 7 jlvi. $ 7 . 5 0it 7 • \j[ZA/ I‘ nxrcrj'iA) O Jj. O z jiA - - IXfrlyiA^y IaD—fM AJj /d~ . h h /d e t o w l. jjx n - <?*- Tfrirt/L • �MONDAY, JA N U A R Y 16, 1865. THURSDAY, JA N U A R Y 1 9 , 1 8 6 5 . * i ■ TUESDAY 17 W EDNESDAY 18 ER ID A Y 20 SATURDAY 21 $~pt -l' f i( 1 �SUNDAY, JA N U A R Y 22, 1865. H*JL.tZn J & / £ 4 8 ****4 » _ v . 44W W ED N ESD AY, JA N U A R Y 25, 1865- /~S4lPUJJ- CCc^UPiAd^diCCC. CDK ? - vlfuM w */' Mt ,9 fC X M & & t .U U d u y ir & Ld v y^^d* a J tu u ~ & /d u /fJ a / 2 . J . J 4 Uf^ct r. (0-Jj£ £ ff 3.3 c J/. Cthl, /t(Ad. & / id*T3 D -- ^uMz&v — <^ 0 Tc - Q^fDCJ^coiv iU tT pli h x S JCtsisUC JM> (TKS IDlzAj L. — i k j ‘<ilk / U) i'O i/ / j l . ' . U f £ ll U> Cj* l.Z. ItH d D .U . W /fy S /( //j- 7 . /» MONDAY 23 n MaOnfru-h/'ff fii-'dJjA — %n*>u/ LaMj Cl Qf} j : - . ;>t.v f tJ%Qd.GtJLu~~i. u*~&4uj ». d - ■ J 4 ij /"* kS,'fliJtA -a A,^ ' 4— ' iU S I V / 3j+>0Sp\_„ f'J'l XrA1I ,>, J / /■ , •„. x.iv . ■* /n i % sD~A Z t t ifi. THURSDAY 26 ^ U £ J/y CD&u?C Y Iz d u / fa -/jC & y . *iY/c/. i ist J,,D&/ < / t-4 / 0/C/ // ihx^o/U- JfCp/fccn 'C(/i/$L ft-puzz, -C &J)eDcisi{ /f ~ ~Y 'Cc4 &A-&4L fy c e y . & (& -, 1, 3 D-j, TTu. tJz * jD rkaA X d J-- * 4 tr> u .-> ( TUESDAY 2 4 of 1' ' / —'-ZcdLc-iJC.. c'Jlsty n e p d ^ i/a jjL -to i w xkoC -. a .. ' Urpv>«~, Y S 'jp s. Y Qjx D£Y. . r /u n a ID AY 27 l/p f frf-L *4/fk Cc4 k ude_ h> Cz.CY DCGDj C G j; J . / i/ . i. ;. - Zz. C-ZZi-^ f -1. - to -/ //. jtfjU " y*&& o f 4 .T J t c / f .. Id cd p ix ld # , t fy f Ju ^ O L -./iZ £ £ i_ cd_oJ jjl __ j i^'C*'/zD ■ JazZ'44 idizLi-.- GGpl. $CtziJt/i4f ' CCajazt^--^ Cf U sU s- 4C3e.^ ' llU u J < y _ w y t. /L ,zia~ — y 4 ^ jL ^ lc 4 * U ^ JA t & COiZ OVy / £ /f, / g - g j l J fo L U . k jjtt* fd t d .0 -4 4 - 'jd 'd g c c . ticectJ^Q S U ^y^lUyO^P W J4sL. J - ^ A z * _ D vuDCDT,« IPpI?? d j (U y iPTO -ii^-.dflZ 't L- 2D d'//>; </ �f, SATURDAY, JA N U A R Y 2 8 , 1 8 6 5 / l ^ x fit- • “ £ t/Z ■ / t//f£ C cctJ / l y v/ l y CUc^eC t^-cy cieC I h /Z /d /u f y /. Z ta /u h n . / , ta d tA - m^ cd/L . y TU ESD A Y, JA N U A R Y 3 1 , 1865. /p e U u u ^ c m , ’tu & u fh ez A J t d - (C-\C i Is^ aZ Z iZ in *-, /ly - yj Ux j irn /L ^ Z Z / }/ten*-iZ-yy — c 2^n^/Z u^st /Am - ttA/J us- ’dJt/l' Cy i5&- A't./v, 4 / ?-^L. &- / LtJL ^ , ctmjfZAavis ' ^ 7 &<nrM<- A hut-d. tv , ^ • SUNDAY 29 JC ln y^, McCUri^jy CL tU tA . , ((T iC iw M ^ 2 0 M 2 o CtA> f4 -Z /Z i, O 'M - '^C Tfd , -Z n & tZ , td % u h i w yjju - J i , . , U m ^ d e d > W 4 j, cu t dfri*t/g-i,l m£t ZZiy o f Z& A yh y/ic o Z . h u / /( - //'/ / / itn ^ Ajy^ClCCCTyt^ecZt^y^--. (/ZcudhiM^yf |, / / l / &Jj[/ofrGL<sA. Zo Z&yiru-cu/t<A- jrtm * oJ l -/{ eA ,ty. d /lt d Z ty /iCL. ih a d iU t A . 3 / 8 1 / ~ ~ /x L y a . O v id d ( d s u J c /A jc y 0 AltlcZ fs ZhctZA-is- Acur~, /iTfL/rychuACce-t^ e!/■djZZJUlt- e/r Gt/t-LCiy-tA-—r /2 zf\ tl&ZuA~ eL (/*■<je/hA*uy u W ED N ESD AY, / / FEBRUARY 1 vVl&tttu/L /lu d cllC i,. U a/ ujU ZA‘LCi-yi<- C/uU /. U i£/LCutdc &/H'LCchj~- . d d 'C c d O hutsl/ZA A sh jyA y ic c Z duy J k c c ^ c d . fa /u A b o * -* y L r i^yOd /t/iA-CiA- Z/>/COOli/IAAAdZzCK. t I / / / 3? ®Zc/lC 0~lr^ Z/uAiZaiiLtf ’ly S l -&c A.eP'/ctZ, 1/iy, Ivefa/tX fi U lA^yC/-' c u d fkv-J O-poi, $//<■£%- -. 3 / c/ju, to Zlfedenc-, ^ (^AyJL’jyuArtd /. . '. ^ MONDAY 30 C ly oh oz< - V f t - /C l • ■TIL L l/T ic - h d H A -L IflA — /> THURSDAY 2 /■hitZiiAl jhtctCM -eZisixy cl Zo/th ^ ff-frt'T -O l - Lld/vOcCy » /) 0L trace e & u -y h . , C 1/111///^ C 'l vo.. _ .u c 4 {^■cci/yfhit^cx- (/yffpi^iretrirtg//c&i^.— , / / / / dm£td ddhcsA^cucrd i/jl . fy l^ lT /y bL %7/j__ Pp a . fit $ // / MMj C - d ' ■> r p J„ . tp it/k l f/c c t I �P ’ 7 y '••v'--N;. • '-'V ' 1 F R ID A Y , F E B R U A R Y 8, 1865. 1 ^ //tu (duxAtty 7 £& £ /^MONDAY, F E B R U A R Y 6, 1865. .u : A 4 W A <U V / Iu ')i£&u7 yztyyyitM1.&01 ’ C-s 4- a ^ ^.cl&vn l t d faius/..!. UiQsV y /tf a£&iy Zrfu/ </ W & Q&*, in i/. ^ A jo jy ^ Tjx.U jiI L J & k d - ,. « .* 7 irL * i . / A U fuuyy (i lJ.^Au^. sl c/(t'/ Ux<&( %-f t ../ uA . v /■•'■■/'(y 1 £ # & 1* / ^ ‘ * / , / , /% £? /-’- ;< <z 1 /> , :; '; " V..'. ,<■'£ , 'U'LJ"U j. / 3 J 4LuL/^t-fiuxu* • TUESDAY" 7 -IMjc£ .Piv. &4-4>{m!uJ!',JMJJ*. f/T/y£li\- ~~~ ■■<~r- ,£<?„** ">W ; L / tj , uZZ. a y , CiA /...../. , iULU• £ •.^,:V SATURDAY 4 .......~>r~- fo -; $& 1. < ., y ,', . . S .^ M /^ A -.o L y . iti-L aM /M l £u-> Itii- ■• .;:i. u. L-i72.7. r£i< ■ ’ .■-wf'i.. $ tt&uf1} u 4~{£- .% /<«-. / . ’.. SJ-£<yi{ 1 y ^oc i ■■.<- ‘ /i<^(k. *^?~<-/ j-* £.+. 1/ ^ / ‘iA&4oo\J1r , (<).. /lot_jc■- Cihifa*p*-i j j 74<l^ / '2£r/y- y f c '..;. / A . '"&VL-. '. TLzLI.,-; AA ,-. : /• 't Ate is £ .i-tJU.■'<.. Hzrcri'i/'-.- J z M U / y/A- / J. u ~ :d/:, /•.A /v / , '&tHv*UaS. W EDNESDAY 8 Jc'iXsu' t y t L A •7m/ £ , U auei''-..,.. . c \x.ljfc. ....X-It.-<*IX,.Msx. . iiuiij.ij’AjA ^'<-/ ^ >•■i :&s;>.< ' (/vCdM^i- y u < X / ^ 7»/. ~ ty lu u A a j/ fa y {X u tf [iJ-fr w f Q su.. k e v u u -.tn d &2<~<rz^-, -ft'fflu L ^ /c tL O v J y zjZ 4 j.~ ~ ^ du£/~ ^ za +c# - &> XhAA. fri/L (2 u .(tf v t iu / /$ /£ ku-fiA M z, , / ^ / lL"<• <~-~ ft , V 0 £ e rv u t- £l a . ifr u t fyi^ 4iyu L & £d~ .~ �O. W EDNESDAY, FE B R U A R Y 15, 1865. Z'01’ ^ ua$L j?~2 £ / Tfr rn ^SATURDAY. I (Ik u /id d ifr VfrZ ^ C c^ 7 [injure/ ou. c/ W M b j f M fr-^ -l£ C y f l / d 7 ‘ d d d o u )s C ftt $ 6 t Ct / Jd< yu > j h t A a fk . - ‘IjbtA *, i^<sCO~ THURSDAY 16 j* L Shut '0& 1- f f l M > h -U i ^ ^ n t /d a & f fr y '■ C is/ OL ' ~ lt / i/fr P l4 4 tJ(. / d ’a & > d p fc u * - v A u frt 7 S L C -/ c rt & fr z j ^ ,. (fr iu Z s i Lt £-U ^ ^ L fr L . . f r / /(? j ■lOv C fa fr/lslsl- u y /id r fr t j_ & & Z-U JL, ° s z t i t - f r l 2 f b OL- llA -d \ F R ID A Y 17 $ C r ® i* L f r m U n e f r t i.t r ^ '' 1A u f, t f r j f . f r w ^ ^ d lfr k t u ic J ji do d U o c& d fr l — U Jvu dcL Jku / ^ J fc fv u u C r ta fr ^ __ �V 55 / ” ■i865- F R ID A Y , F E B R U A R Y 2 4 , 1865. k / a . ' k /t T Z ^ L d* / - / / / Ttl244zd & / / / a / c / 6 .S / - , , JU h /eA . p W u l Qj^ ffo ~ / j i y a d p c - i vl. <r- g ' & W d^ / .fr o v / g o ^ /d /p , Il/KHdf A/Jur A d L L t/t/c / 0H /?l-\Jk~ . *P< C . Xf X L C l ti.-/~ d k y 6j t ( / /O n ./ 2. f a //_ T ^ d e d C f S u tp b td u d~ t d . / lp u a /j/ a/ 9 k t L / X u r i n A - HuU d cp u d a /d Heed .dtciJL- — ^ t< d u /^ / u t c / t h .. /$} 3 f d L l/ C g t c ^ C .— % d (Pio d e - ^ (C a y u /a i// i/ y rtf ' ’ SATURDAY 25 J p h / C / d t /,(? . 3 / (jd tb d /£ d ~ & / /J iflc H - t 6 / e £'( c / - ) ir o - X L ^ u d k — C ^ U J( ^ r& /-fc /n y ud -§jHyUJL_ C C&y / y L t r * i, /d & U A j ' /L u d t U .f L iu 4 A .(‘ fc ^ u d % :7 a- d a y ^ M to f ^ p y c / z t A .p & - t d l p t u p f lir e m ■ h y V d l/ //Jp z d i l i L , C L u C fy 6 d I dh a x Jk u ^ . $ / ( L i /i/id & h d /ld th ArvjC P l£ .t d L r ~&~teei /p b p je iy n ^-tisO L ,/ y y i/ie n y / t r c /~ t id p T t-p u + k p 9 i/u t/- /- 6 p d U d / <knfti/ u/y / 6 /, ^ 6 /m d T ~ L X d d /e ^ //^ . (6 interne/ 'X lfjt! (fagZdtnn-e//. d / ttr - f au* /l. ^ ^ 7 f r /c t L r L u * . / p ^ , - k t - { v f / t W k d d / f y 7 /U . d r . ? r t* d Ik L u .p z & c ,e / _ - h - d u d V 8 f c £ - lin n ^ r p , 5 W o / ^ ’ SUNDAY 26 / tU si-L T -A . ./c p y id L iU k k t^ i?&Zned— /J c x d d C /^ , g l/td l 'Tend 6 y -? H irv u d t. / *, / ' yze .* -< d .f i - O @ /te n . & /p 8% Jte<. Sg*4i^ipd p $ /~ /L g k ^ d C u i tM-i-ey , yC ct-o/dX & L iy P /cX L l- 9 / C l / y j i / ~ / t/L /d u < p 6k p ^ c / t l t C d k / k dClfr id djsO tn n n —f y P * A id p U A -' - /L /d ^ d y Q&t*— �V/ ONDAT, F E B R U A R Y 27, 1865, „ - J / r W a J I& u . £ THURSDAY, MARCH 2 , 1865. _ S ,d c. — cku r& u — f/u - /tsC tstsv cin .- /h /C ft-4 3 Ip U A sf PT^l/L ^ ftX -< /x —- — • /iX /t d c x / ///tt/T /L ' it ) /f/M*UJ / If./ft ^</veX<3f. .. ’ — "y^ /t y ^ ' Chu^Z f/ lJ / t d u / / y X l^ p A 2 ? Q sV ffic. y !'lZ c01A sLjrU < -£t - — lM-l //{X yu^ X U yL & JzX X .. F R ID A Y 3 UE^D-AY 28 h r t a jf c ^ id /X 7iL t^ tn /i/t/ //■ /■ u fy CcU*£$Lbu/J \3 ~yQ4 u /LdtXrj/ t d / d u f i C dt'd fefa-ti W trfyisu J& iA ^ f/tu ^ * 4 £ £ /- 3 c f ) k u . — /y tti/l.Jftju z sistjy C iA sO fri^ e& L U d /tj/////-- / /< )- hsU rvzM Z J c<a~ J lr u Z ^ & O U .& 3 ^ i/tB tt-O /f / £-CLocl^ ^ a t /3 c X ef 'M /€ h y tt ^ , ■ l< jl-# i/f ^ J a x f o f^ y r pj/LlA*o c ^ f *L& (lx /-/// c u < c / <2- J<UasL**cmX (/q &ucyO: 4 i L //k y /d < y jL / j (ft— CMjLsC-yt*-<.c/ Lo cC u /u Si * * " r a X u £ to Z n + J ^& d * - u f //t/x A ..'~ ~ .} 7 SATURDAY 4 W EDNESDAY, MARCH 1 -V SLej- >t/Z- (/) uA stc<*t4.. ( tc tyty/frit ///X iajLfjo( &u fikee/- a/ruu^_/. �SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 1865. 2DNESDAY, MARCH 8 , 1 8 6 5 . dL?. fty f c j L Itiv jT , / / I , ~~ C t - J l H o f ' I ' /l tru ' iJ t , , IA a 'k -Ju f ^ C ficfil :fa> y&~ yVTAOL tfi& /t it iL , Kj f ^ , , -7 f f ily ^ l C l/U tldL OK ftu t 3 @/l_ 6ct / i ItW tU j/ O s/ l/; . gC&a J z. '/ f a '/c ¥ixz~ ^ (J/uiA- la Cc-u- . <ki'L j -C ^'L'..- fia j f a o 'i ;* w ■filL u fiu . ’■kt M -iA . - H ~ U ^ .C L C tta -lj' / Ccf ^OCHuiai^TL-Lt^- , llio J— r L£L- y 4 Q to ^ ‘ ■ t.-c l / i MONDAY 6 f . K M iX n t f A & jd u .'A e t r ' r . e THURSDAY 9 W^ tja a /L uXr l~o\ f Itnai^ ,.k£t<~cl a C^raJuf zJjTy filooa loC :.J, c £ £& ■O’M A avanv'' •"■ z c . -T r v It i^ tA aC y d f i c i s / Su/lJU ^tn~~ dvy>aa*L " A a ^ ^ J c A e A //? ^ 0**-‘W * t-t& cJj v l" 2- ^ ^ f i Q & a -jfv u - “fc ^ Q j.fC L - O ou aT Z Z ^ t L u r L f* + -.u y fc r & L r 6 . It l,(Zatsr , TUESDAY 7 -te u d r :. __ F R ID A Y 10 ^ y ''.'iL L L U H L u P7n/1_ fifi^ w tbfrxyL h ^ ju ly d fid y t - 0 1 eu, fr u t f- Q /f- fifi^ y<-4M.0 l, a*<W Zsztol fiT fih a , fifitfifio T L jfo x • ir t* £ W Jtd . /1y y ’~ ' !U W U L. / p n * fiji£ # ^ d Ja u l a , - a ^ G 4 > ^ M **4 ccd S a ^ n a a . ifi^ J rL s- �^TURDAY, MARCH 11, 1865. h/7JS^^L 'tjyu tft -A . 1<s&Zl /h ^ iA y L /ttJ ”^ yli vZ -O suA fcjh.-iJ / 3 - 'P u ~ y'fi/~ / / t - iy ' / / y ^•zc $ TUESD AY, MARCH 14, 1865. I“ /L& sL'tsty i S s id u 3^u~ rW '*'x- '7'U -rtn^ - /< yA s3~ , y /& 4 _ J(< v in y Todiu~ /i y tL * ^ . £/XL<JZuM ^4 &gj(jhy>S~ k z ^ L u . m y ■ £ tf 3^ ’ tZ A f M a T v L G ^ lA y m l /l£ u & W EDNESDAY 15 *T 1 U & u ^ 4 f~ Ok ^Cu3i^, .< 3 'h.’^'tXy/ ^o/Zlyic tsuyftuY . 3 +& J fc f. ^ MONDAY 13 THURSDAY 16 r/*"~/(/In s Zy �- ^ A ^ K I D A T , MARCH 17, 18651 ^7 . / P lA + j ty n Z j (^ U w Qm ^ U -fz/i/Zo~. h A aM Z u Z ~ & J lM a ^ y ^ * vf'& rff-,£f~ ' ? //ItM '~ J^ .& . ^lU A^uAy - f it , fo d u jo c ~ /C$, /ifaf ^hiZ(. * <J}h,2.2.4, tfJ~ZiZ oteLtz/ ^_ J /U JU A I 2 -^ ~ ¥ i/'i/'i>^. e — , uA - & / ~. $L/<s- u // j f C lu ^ Y ^ Z z ^ U *H ^ f ie * m e v u u<. d u e Z&aA unfru >Y~ p U f a t* , Z z z ^ fc * w ^ y¥ , t fv ^^-/t/C-^~ c. a w i-l •/ V^i. eP ^ j a /f'/u t.JiA ,<. - cn^.2. Cj 0 t~ - jftM Us - - Utl Ijv il - <-<^Io/ iia *s<s-z * ^ A y^ ^ C tx. uSi / - ‘CCjUfrefa, t~ X u//2<^-Ast .. Cc^JLJ^c 7T77 '~ ~ / > C aJi^ c ^ W ED N ESD AY 22 ,---------------. « p h -^ fi-a .A -. ■ fa n o M jt, CUjz £ - Aix/r.-JL a XlAA/j $l/>ujjC y A-uX-z,( y :.x< i-h /L . tu f. S& X l.- •rU Y /i,n ( A ju , -^ ua/ b-4 « A fa^y j Z - (CCjfif. lie u / C o- x^pCCn ^ /X llZ k u ^ . CAj A ^A lA Ju, V t il a 'y ^ ^ (*►y^u4 t\ CZpHoajA, Z utf AZ*~ & 5 w * c ti. Is& U O f A u ia U ^ '%* Z f& icZ M # d s JA jA (Pu-^ X aM , T o, 2w P - '^xm ¥ \y'K Y 2 ? Qj 2Ujl . ‘ U u ^ /o Q T u ^ Z r~ A P .l£<AKs ■C o., £pjC oL. ^ k y U i/’t . . U S lJ^ c U /-¥ *% ma &$ & } It ,- 6 O y P as- ¥ i*A yP r-~ ^ /U aJ ak § _ u Jb SATURDAY 18 Y' *?,<£, ft i>3,9 3 u*- Qujvua^. <y 'V~. \Xl£^f~ 31^. i/P/i/i '^z/LaAMniA^J?^P ' y U A sfo J; fy n j~ Q &o£l £ J fo/~~ ^ Sh^M M 0N D A T» MARCH 2 0 , 1865. /'^A lA A jut.* // Uy<^ ZrfZ'Zsist*^-. . iJnujL —tee -eley iXuAt/L C JuaiM .. Jp - " -/’'C ' y- tA Z ee Zb �-------------- — T H U R S D A Y , MARCH 23, 1865 v te y & l tfa y . uJPjl/lA. M 7„ (3 & 4 ul ddPZ m U L , /S r <P>/i7p JZ , 4r a / t u / eft iiou ^ }/u ^ & L . • Z d y U tfy P P lA L , P d t_ L Jl/& /L PP lA JL. Z u zP P OL £ (- ^Q Ti^2/Ly^i^u^> tJ-C / * -t£ a/ . QuM • /fy.v-ykio, Q htojA, > '' tz< P7r[*_ '7<^//k ? ~ -A jlv i. ttu-&£ d-4A&C> V . Mi^Cf J% .. H S & A y , S&T^tX- 'Z dfudL^ -i, A C '. SUNDAY, M ARCII.. 2 6 . 1865. / < W f o * j~ / W { j { * d d ^ & Z ajA~ J k & t l v f i<As ^ T lt<.(yt^ [' — C U ud. dsz& P rp£A , z rc & L d L 3 d u a ^ w r / - r t u i ^ O hl/ O rv ffl!fcu to L .. y)-t-yU ^i d fr. id p p clA / pA - 3 x.<%u*u.%£. ^ < S -r. kzsle/t'-tsuM u<. s /o h b .- A im hz& p {M u,- d d v -d sfi< 4 U n -. M u u d A JA j Lia A h o - fa r Jr o e v i* — $U sla_. , M #L . P u a / 8 4 SATURDAY 25 dpU dP pJL/L, ?j-& 'tA . IdL Sl (sC&-<-f j fo u U ~ ~ ti O&y . Cocc#/ i'L ^ u jA ^ f 2^- w. (i^ U fZ c J -A / <t? & J ^ -t u * o U * f Pfa, C kxyuu^ y^Z bu^ - 'Z Z lu tf StsQ h e V z ^ / <_ i/J ( / t ^ '. 4 ? &£ IP ^ IT TU ESD A Yj28 Cr~c f ^ A Sj&u~,GMtist*2y J M , £uat<ur^i ^ T P k J^duOyL -L X.z, -2-4. - P-ervd &S/ hvf cZl^f- $jeyU*sL^ru<-- , ojTU^JlJif tAfLl^JjuJL d p Ji&iMjz, - /Z zajA CUud. (fr<4j2lZZaJp£f &<- F R ID A Y 24 r ( , j t & .a / u SIZO l to . £ i/ d S 2 ^ t^ c < .Js/>/£ c £ & t^ s? IT f/rcr £ a ~- �i^y~ /is ./ ..* / * ' y y ( oc.K SATURDAY, A P R IL 1 , 1865. sp ^ y 4^ 1^ -— THURSDAY.-?)/) & y t ■ Zsvu^y C tisiL ^ L-t& nJy U f 'iTTiu \ * T Z tr h I L aqsL $ £ £ $O U *S// A saa S ^ . / ^«uX ’ £ g id . tfU tA srusi f r ju j- z s M fflo u t+ i-. m/ u^ ias- — ^ iu z c z - ^ycsj/sLA^- ^ '2 /i& ■ J h a z < y~ t *—& /* (/ 'Z&i/VL-tA- . /y fc °fO~* &> y ^ u z /u i/ u r^ y p L . (iisv ^ - yfeiu, '&**■h & . ir u -s s ^ o L y&Aj.p y tf-A i*/~ .t& ccisZ — y ’2 ^ m j yy^cy^j Ldsfcct u A k ss. A S - > F R ID A Y 31 cu ^ £ ^ Ln y& t Zulu* wu. c<-- (k t& ^ (h t/L ®t£asJ Y / / y h zc f~ {fun * / fiv - @#£&f4( &&&£* & /v r ~ d t-S . AjCZu s s g/ ( fil.f Y ua .... $tr***+ t z la Z - M Y *> Q&-u/Jo. ^ fQ</A. <A/? ?<i-tt,.' i& Q 'fas- /k e z ist-- A i Ju<t y A '.'y Z y y • 4-cZ<US}/U-e c f X Osi^h H)-- A -sh /'. ' jy fJ& uA j 0 **u 4 (X J/S-. fo u A J ///(<■ h r? A ■>' ’ - ' - ' /-- �1865. /heiit - E R ID A Y , A P R IL 7, 1865. A //ffi/iAlf ^djs.,uv/ / z <^ rz >6dr~ ^ Ch-A A thin T A i$v-p /. y i 2vs&J i/ r // ^ // ^ f / A AziAjl. ^ a 'c^ fiAtA~ th & £ / A ch-k U - 6 ^ / f f a tPIL tL y ^ . ,4 ftU'-Cj O^uAoz^ f u /A t / , ^ d t fc U sK^f. '£'7' At* Ob-Jyt*1t t’ H t >\*' u^W fc/tt ? # i /A - S d f/ J d u ^ 7 f { ft l^./fJ WEDNESDAY SATURDAY 8 THURSDAY 6 SUNDAY 9 �A Y , A P R IL 16, 1865. Q j-iA ^ h- WA gU^. 'V . M . ^ W ED N ESD AY, A P R IL 19, 1865. ai-* U s lf fc /y > G U fr m A , / / Y. /J^^- . MONDAY 17 TUESDAY 18 O £j* . ^ ^ -y �if ; i ^ SATURDAY, A P R IL 22, 1865. \ j c6y GHsf~/ 6 4 /4 ClCk. I; — ft-. ’ Lrz■ (/O'C? , / / 7in£y L U ^ /h ^ y /^ > dSi J&t-OK /f t ft * 1\/Zns0- £t.y/~ U uJ~ f fi/c . U ju - % U soZ f f i z L fft - • f ^ . /ft A l4 ™ W A Y f ^ c u u u f - ft< ly - - I i-f $t£Lu. 4 f t ^ f Z tu j/o v^ c / ; / y , A ( ? 0' “ » ’‘ ftfl- f ta ^ . / . £ f c < v </-./. f t f t - f t l M f^ „ 4 iftyfft~ (y^ ft dft-y/Lf- /■fftftt.j J-rtru-. * / I . ' / / '\^4^aU ^c f t ^ c<aaz<^c£ c- ^ lfti:a^}/ Utcftf t i f , c l ftlai i gft ft (j Vy l/fft la y hx (iftftft ft ixft u*. hftcftx^- ■ / H W t f § >N X "LOirl-iz ( , / /tesz/u- & 4~ &**- tu ^ L 4 / 4 4 4 . f / ^ l y f C , SXJN D AY23 4~oL M (ftftft cftfty ^ 4 p t t i cc/ | 7 TUESD AY, A P R IR ? 2 5 . 1865, II THURSDAY 27 1 j 1 ft I f 1 �y ? -v { y y -u s i-. E R ID A Y , A P R IL 28, 1865. L a s^ y ^ vtreb— &t^~.a^o2 ix? y n A s O )- O s ^ >; w y y u — 21% y y y ^ & y&xssf oh^ - <l <_ 2yp i ^ y f y s*—ys(ssx__ i^ s s jy j y /? - J y y y , & L ' O s/ KM<s l s s ~ i / 2 J jJ k A ^ ' l £fc/i_ j LuA jl. J 2 tstt-L / y y y ^ ,n 'LjgM ) t_ y y ^ , §j£A/<yZM Quc^A^a a /f ' yh frA yf. y /~ ^ fr 4 y ) ^ O s ts ts s y ^ y 2 cU Xy / ( , SUNDAY 30 in M < ^ y p y y ^ i^ s ^ n f t <yi ix y^ -T ss/ ! 1.2a. ^ y o y TUESDAY 2 fi*s/~ Ayy?.u4uuiX:\ ^yX ^J^SL lA . y y St^sL-<S f/Pl tAsTsty , ’ "hp\ / 9 y i - £JLU si^ c*^ s {M'y, £c SATURDAY 29 2 ' yyi<_i^ & i/ih s/y^ r 0 2 2 , ^ 2s\ ^ 'v JU A sf /9~ e> C / y< N s< u-^ /& U41uaJXj2uis& /o T J 2 C\j~. O— 2 y y ^ .,; y y)u * 4 ^ MONDAY, MAY 1 , 1865 ^ & + / W EDNESDAY ^ y y y * ^ t s i * s / —~ y J i n / y /ts< T ~ ^ s L A ^ -S l *: y <yuy;t Ipjias- c y -u~ c y y Z n/ffl. <*y /P k ^ ^ y y y y z |WS^ - u I C sC W <_ * t* y y , O y <% l y /u u y ^ 2 u h-y h>' Ziv-& y <s2 " T b C y ^ T ^ , — fo i— , <^Le/: ~ �. y . o2 JF ~ £ / ffo y c J 2 L'. (f^ F lF -d L $ A -, '^^O O ^U aa/^ A ^ /- to — % uAs Ch<y$4j j / QOa^ M jL J I CL/f' d/4 " — h j —77 }d k u £ $ 5y •/. - c/fly 0 \ / 2- 'fo*-' &yi c 'y-*-- ^ V" y h i£ u b tu j/~ 2d :zWLf ^< 4> !- ')/^UMj.fyLtd J i ’ timI m ,,:| fiO (f& tA st' 2 S & zxA rf % /T 2 $ J j/ 'f t ;, . ^ < h ^ -j J z & im u J 'Y - h&fr'**-' I**- / 3vud_ct^df<2 : T^fBuA^d c u ^ cnZ&t t ftf ycJ /x Odd- /L- Cl ' Cl ftiJtitU i: A</ . f’ ttvylM yT Cbton—f . J ..-. to " ^ L ytsf~~ /# , /i/2 C cn ju __. J&Mtidst, • i^C ~ ^ZyMoJtjc/ £st~ ^ ly d y kJ ^ 2 t 0 v t f S & e ^ th u d J t —fltfV jja 2 oCwj? -& b u d 2 / / £L : J / — tthycAA-?— t U irt '^vd//( j , y (Ou^-CA&fc i $*?>■ . f ^ ' ^ ^ on^ a y T /s / fe c i. 3 y-lo^iA — j^Ur C^ivuu'iiA- (g rr i«M? 'tb-L ? La? ’ TUESDAY Ctrl J / . ^LCtLujyCk li @iL $ , % £ 4 u ’t y t d <M<ryi------ 6 Ow U as: Jrv). fyt(i/f j-tho ' ^ A A 4 1/L4a JCc( 'J fM n j 1 k I lC z* ’-&. *-.■C lt^iC Or&Jt- FLTw t4U: L M (ld L $£y/ s, g O ^ JM y S b ju d / -^ V ttJb ? c ^ 't^ V J S , a > £V Q C l -:: C .^ c sddusfo-F? jy b f f id - -r o Jd U ju /' &/£-&£- 'G ^ A z d Cts/^" Q y i^ t y j TRIDAY 5 / 2 _ y ; r^ cA . 'PIA— yf | A c / - ^ tu u F r L % . 7 ,V • 4 / 3 0 , to ' S,b^^-Q^- SUNDAY, MAY, 7, 1865. y l/Z a /j.-'!^ ' y i/iy . S zl/ ' / aU Z ^ c ju ^ . $UuZ2~ j2 -i ypt^tS-lA^£r- @o ^£*<- cd tu 2 * THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1865. Y a W - ■ •« * m , Jd/L(*-r t i c2n !t y K t z * ~ u f -- y ■ �,f k u ^ *10 SATURDAY, MAY 1 3 , 1885. 2 jy , y /Y ^ y y .h ^ . . . ; v t. Mruxffiusu (rvusj yalLGA'tuJ £ U ( Zs l ^ --.’-uj > rrA . <£ <~& £. 0 t< H 4 x jf Ofan>~*t_ a - flo u ts A t / — SUNDAY 14 MONDAY 15 ! '"#j C o $ 4 /h t ^ C dtst'^ vf— ^ LtA y U L ^ /it h — /& vtsu. / 4 /i^ x A -^ C/* m u u /C 2 Z o& - ■ m yij J& ffo-' iT fc -. '. / ^ c^ . ^- �-'0 a ' MEMORANDA. ■*ctf a & £' W V t n u Z /W LQ j> s^ tj } a.4-~ ‘7'if ? 3 ctiZ/jL^u (f3pp*yi(^4 5 " Z (?, y / % / , * . / j f / J’V �CASH ACCOUNT. JA N U A R Y . Date. | Rece ved. ! I CASH ACCOUNT. P elid. 1 | 1 .......... ■ wmm JA N U A R Y . �igr -------- i — CASH ACCOUNT. FEBR U A R Y. Date. CASH ACCOUNT. P;lid. Rece ved. u fa '~07n>t— ~ 3 l,"V? ,'ft Yc&u. fatfo i/PUsVfa/v^2 1 5t~n o~i /V TV /£ ? O^t^JPthyi ~ fa? JV / r f a t try * y; / / fti-M-yit, t8L.-g.fi T.-0 fafanPy ~ iD {T , T"/ 7 n | j - • " |K || a MfifaT . « L- /0 ■ il'fro J Y'ciisCl lL Y i/ sa. ®Ue £ 6 ^^ 'yf / i/i&L -•-~-4r<~+ —{yzc- „ fa? / fd <n> / fo ■J ft!) &T> / Ti ■ftlj , '±A^ex. LJV fa j / ir p ~?yp /fa s 9 0 fafa j}"~2 2-fa J/ ‘Y'( /l ’C T L ^ r fa T-Uifi '/hua /V/^. ft.Id ) / j~rz~ J / PS' T PS /tfiTYx Ts^u A / A A - sUvu<&C_ I t Tv f T>) ■0 y 1 | /? ill 1 (fO (ri> / ft / f 11 i £ Ci/ M tii/ Paid. Tft 1 ; Received. 2Z H |i 11 1 FEBR U A R Y. Date. V>ft Tft 6~ ~ �C ? K * .M cV '-£tr>. | -Jt <£ i 1 % ' *( * * ■ ' A *1 t* * | * -<4 • : %uj * 1 * ( f f r c ' O , C M <\) !; { % U-'-.-t-M i ,■• S /- . it le 4, t . f ■ 0 M i- X ; , , J r 7/ ' t « - ,r / l . I ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f6602f2d3ac6c7dc522c81e2abdec850.pdf f719f1e51d1c7c3fee5ced89ed3d36bc PDF Text Text Volume 3 Saturday, January 21 [Centreville, Michigan]1 Weather warm—sleighing being spoilt. Sunday, January 22 Weather mild. Snow melting. I talk to Sunday-school.— Spend afternoon at Mr. Smith’s Mrs. Goss.— Monday, January 23 Somewhat colder—snow falls 2 inches— Sleighing excellent. Mr. Todd’s—R. Barnard. C. D. Bennitts Perrin—Mr. Smith gave me knife took tea there. Tuesday, January 24 Cool still— Leave my home at 8½ AM cold ride to [White] Pigeon—R.R. at 11 AM. Toledo at 4 PM. Call at C. Bronson’s2 place of business, at have a little chat with him an[d] Mrs. B[ronson].— Seem quite friendly—urge me to stay with him— Take sleeping car on M. & Dayton R.R.3 $2.00 for Double berth. Wednesday, January 25 Galt House Cincinnati O.4 Weather very cold.— Went to bed at Toledo at 10. P.M. last night—train started at 2 A.M.—stopped at Dayton from 10 AM. till 3. P.M. Arr. here at 5.50—supper—go to Med Board room—but find no one there— A man is bled here at every pore. 5 Wrote a short letter to wife.6 Thursday, January 26 1 2 3 4 5 6 It is not certain what date Bennitt arrived in Centreville from New York City. Possibly the C. Bronson who was the Postmaster in Centreville in the 1840s. The Dayton & Michigan Railroad was the primary rail route between Toledo and Cincinnati. The name was later changed to the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. The Galt House, a hotel, was located at Sixth and Main Streets. I.e., prices in Cincinnati are very high. This letter is not found in the collection. �Very cold & raw to-day. Began the examination at 10½ A.M.— Had a chat with Surgn King. Am favorably impressed with him— Delay in getting started, so that I only wrote Med. Autobiography, & 4 questions on Hygiene. Seek for a new place to board. Have a fire built in my room, & sew, & write, & read. Wrote letter to Dr. Himes. Friday, January 27 Weather still cold— Examination in surgery after finishing Hygiene. Drs. Stanton & Loring7 are with me. I order a “circle”8 made for myself—find that I can get pay here. Think of buying an overcoat. Have a fire built in my room—am sleepy. Saturday, January 28 Galt House Cini Cold. Still. I finish examination chemistry and begin Pathology. Drs. Hudson9 & enter upon examination. “Inflammation” lies over till Monday— I walk up the hill in rear of the city, before supper, and have a fire in my room to read by. Sunday, January 29 Fair, thawing a little. Attended Episcopal service in AM. Did me good.— Wrote letter to wife 2. Attended Sunday school an[d] union meeting at Methodist church 9th St. did me good. Wrote letter to Daughters 2.10 Monday, January 30 Weather moderating a little. I have a bad cough. Continue Examination. Att lecture of Dr. Blackman—& Dr. Hewitt11 of the army. Possibly Edward Greely Loring (1837-1888), a recent graduate of Harvard who would specialize in ophthalmology. 8 I.e., circle cloak. These cloaks had a full 360° hem and contained at least ten yards of cloth. 9 Dr. Hudson is unidentified. 10 The letters Bennitt wrote to his wife and daughters on this date are not found in the collection. 11 George Curtis Blackman (1819-1871) was a physician active in Cincinnati. Hewitt is probably Henry S. Hewit (1825-1873), Surgeon of Volunteers and Medical Director of the Department of the Ohio. 7 �Tuesday, January 31 Weather still cold, ‘though a little softer. My cough quite bad—take a (little morphine after retiring.) Examination continues.— Get introduc[ed] to Paymaster from Dr. King & Get Pay for Dec. & Jan. [$]31812— Buy a circle cloak $3000. Write to Surgeon Gen. for extension of Leave of Absence.12— Att. lecture on Anatomy. Wednesday, February 1 Weather milder. Sun shines through this miserable smoke.— Feel dumpish from the Morph[ine] taken last night. Continue examination. Att lecture on Anatomy by Dr. Gobrecht.13 Pay board tip tonight $14.00— Write to Upson, 3 Concerning promotion &c & to wife. 14 Get a letter from wife—4. Thursday, February 2 Weather mild—snow disappearing. Streets miserably dirty here— I do not get along as well as I would wish with the examination. Still hope that I shall not fail. Friday, February 3 Weather cloudy and a little rain— I make slow progress with examination but think I shall get along well. Settle up pay my bill at hotel (300) and to Mrs. Bissel to board—Paid Porter 50cts. Am to pay a dollar a day and for fuel (and lights). Set for Photograph at Hoag & Quick’s fo and pay $1000 for 2 doz vignette Pictures to be done[?] th[ree?] days. Saturday, February 4 Weather cooler freeze a little to-night— Answered only 3 questions to-day. Went down to have a little sing to-night. Sunday, February 5, 1865 12 13 14 Bennitt’s leave of absence was extended another fifteen days on February 10. Probably William H. Gobrecht (1828-1901) who was commissioned Surgeon in the 49th Pennsylvania Infantry in September 1861 and resigned in January 1863. This letter is not found in the collection. �Weather fair thawing still to-night but it will freeze soon— I attended church at Prot. Method. next door both morn & eve with Dr. Lilly. 15 A good sermon each time. I wish I could be nearer to my God. Wrote letter to my wife. Monday, February 6 Cincinnati Ohio Weather colder, but not stormy. Go on with my work answering four questions on Mat[eria] med[ica]. Diaphoretics. Cinchona16 Morphia Mercury. Tuesday, February 7 Weather a little colder with snow enough to make the ground white.—got a Doz Pictures. Answered 4 Questions on Prac. Med.—Consumption Erysipelas, Dysentery—& Differentia Diag. between Pneumonia, Pleurisy and Bronchitis. Rec’d letter (2½) from wife of Feb 2nd. Shall probably close my examination to-morrow. Wednesday, February 8 Cincinnati Ohio Weather quite Cool.— Finished my examination before the board, written before noon and about an hour with the oral examination. I think I’ll pass.— Get transportation to N.Y. via Cleveland & Buffalo and start at 9.10 for home via Little Miami R.R. Left my Haversack. Wednesday, February 15 [Centreville, Michigan] Start for S[outh] C[arolina] with $221.20 and $1000 for Willi Tenbrook. Write letter to Hila. Thursday, February 16 At Cleaveland O. Dr. Himes gave me 100 for Dr. Hastings. Could get no map. Am offered informally a chair in Cleveland Med College. 15 16 Possibly Henry Martin Lilly (died 1870), Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Volunteers. The bark from a Peruvian tree containing certain alkaloids used for reducing fever. �Leave Cleaveland at 10.50 & arrive in Buffalo at 7½ PM. Addison Ranney 17 goes via Dunkirk. Friday, February 17 Remained in Buffalo all night leaving at 5 A.M. fell in with a man who knew Cousins at Nunda.18 So much behind time that we shall not arrive in New-York to-night. Two accidents on the road with other trains. Saturday, February 18 On Board the Arago. Arrived in N.Y. at 6 AM—Paid Boardman & Gray19 $12700 in full for Piano—found Addison Ranney, But could not get a Pass for him.— Come on Arago at 12 M.— Leave at 4 P.M.—Col Merril20 Rooms with me.— Paid 9. for subsistance. Sunday, February 19 Off New Jersey. Too sick to leave my room to-day; but could hear a sermon—character of Joseph in the Cabin— One of the attendants brought me some tea &c. Sung some to-night. Weather less rough to-night Monday, February 20 On the Arago. Off Carolina Coast Weather very fine. Nothing of special interest transpired to-day. 17 18 19 20 Albert Ranney’s brother. A small New York town about thirty-five miles south-southwest of Rochester. A piano manufacturing firm located in Albany. Samuel Merrill (1831-1924) of Indianapolis was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel in the 70th Indiana Infantry in March 1864. At this time the regiment was part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Army Corps. �ELEVEN “A GLORIOUS FUTURE AWAITS OUR COUNTRY” FEBRUARY - JUNE 1865 Tuesday, February 21, 1865 At Blairs Landing. Weather has been fair—arrived at H[ilton] Head at 2½ and left there on the Gen. Hooker21 for this Place 28 miles up the Broad River & Pocotaligo. Find Dr. Wood 22 who entertains me for the night— A desolate place—write letters. Shall not remain here if I can help it. Report to Surgeon Gen. Wednesday, February 22 Hilton Head—Weather fair— Came down from Blairs Landing hoping to find a way to get to the army but cannot get away till to-morrow. Get a small room & good bed. Register my name at Gen. Littlefield’s.23 Thursday, February 23 On screw Steamer Geo. C. Collins between H Head & Charleston. The General Hooker was a transport steamer. Probably Orlando S. Wood, Assistant Surgeon, 129th Illinois Infantry. This regiment was part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Army Corps. 23 Brevet Brigadier General Milton S. Littlefield (1830-1899) was General Superintendent of the volunteer recruiting service for the Department of the South. 21 22 �Found W. C. Bennett at H[ilton] H[ead]. He is out of Service trying to get his horse home.— We left H.H. at 5 PM. Very little accommodation on this boat. We have Capt’s state-room. Feel sick—vomit my supper. Friday, February 24 Charleston S.C.—Cloudy. Off Charleston at day light 10 or 12 miles. Passed Ft Sumpter at 8½ & landed at 9 AM— Walk over this desolate City, go back to Pier and dine—find this house—31 Charlotte St.—get order from Provost Marshall to occupy. 24 Get Rations—500. Saturday, February 25, 1865 Charleston S.C. 31 Charlotte St. Look about some to-day, get some chairs, sofa & Piano &c. Write Part of a letter to wife. No reliable news from Sherman’s army. No way to get to it at the present. We must wait with open eyes. Sunday, February 26, 1865 Fair weather— Found no church open. Stopped at the Orphan Asylum building. Finish a long letter to wife part of which may be published. Wrote also to Albert Ranney concerning his brother. Monday, February 27 31 Charlotte St. Charleston S.C. Very Foggy in morn— Pleasant afternoon— Enthusiasm, enlisting negros. Went over Ashley River to Sherman’s army detatchment.— mud.— 4 19th Mich men there. Gloomy prospect. Tuesday, February 28 Weather Rainy. Wednesday, March 1 Rainy. Thursday, March 2 24 The private residence Bennitt and his companions occupy at 31 Charlotte Street is situated on the east side of the city, about one quarter mile from the water. �Charleston, S.C. Rainy— Rumor of occupation of Wilmington. Visited a negro woman with Pneumonia— Intelligent people. Friday, March 3, 1865 Pleasant all day. Reported at St. Andrews Depot to the Adjutant—Col Hammerstein25 not present himself. Did not see the Drs.— Have permission to remain till to-morrow in Charleston. Occupation of Wilmington. Wrote letter to wife 3. Presentation of Flag to 21st U.S.C.T.26 Saturday, March 4 Cloudy & rainy nearly all day so that I did not return to West side of River.— Negro woman with Pneumonia better. Wrote and put into P.O. a report personal to Surgn Gen.27 asking to be assigned to duty North till way opened to army. Called on Med. Director. Six months from to-day to serve. Sunday, March 5, 1865 Charleston S.C. 31 Charlotte St. Weather fair.— Attended M.E. church in A.M.— Visited Magnolia Cemetery 2½ miles North on the Neck.— Dr Briggs28 in midst of cemetery— Returned at dark & took supper with Dr. Hawks.29 Fire in Charleston. Monday, March 6 Weather fair— Went across River— Met Col Hammerstein, who coming to town, said I could stay here till to-morrow. Tuesday, March 7 25 26 27 28 29 Herbert Hammerstein was commissioned Colonel in the 102nd New York Infantry in September 1863. The regiment was part of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 20th Army Corps. The newly-designated 21st U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment was formed from the consolidation of the 3rd and 4th South Carolina Infantry. The unit received their new regimental colors in a public ceremony. The U.S. Surgeon General at this time was Joseph K. Barnes (1817-1883). Probably Charles E. Briggs, Surgeon in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. Probably James M. Hawks, Surgeon in the 21st U.S. Colored Infantry. �Read “Queechy.”30 Very good. Went over the River but stopped at other side by the guard, and was obliged to return to Gen Hatch31 for a pass. Wednesday, March 8 Charleston S.C. Rains so hard all day that I did no[t] go over the River. I finished “Queechy”— Played & sung & felt somewhat “homesick.” Wrote part of a letter to Mrs. Smith. Thursday, March 9 St. Andrew’s Depot S.C. Weather better till no-night rainy again. Report to Col Hammerstein. Am assigned to duty as Chief Surgeon of 3 rd Brigade Coast Div. Dept of S[outh]. One Surgn & 3 Actg Asst Surgn to command & 1200 men to care for— Get a new tent up with a floor in it before night as it begins to rain. Friday, March 10 Rained hard nearly all night—Surgn Smith32 & I were well protected and had a good bed.— Rain continued some this forenoon. Look around to see what is here. Saturday, March 11 St. Andrew’s Depot Weather fairer—a little frosty last night beautiful to-night as I cross the river in a skiff by moonlight. After having taken dinner and supper with my old mess in the city. Mailed my letter to Mrs. Smith 4. Send two men to Hospital. Sunday, March 12, 1865 St. Andrew’s Depot S.C. Weather very fine—frosty a little last night— Cut buckshot from mans arm. 30 31 32 Warner, Susan. Queechy. (N.Y.: Putnam, 1852). This popular two-volume novel, written under the pseudonym “Elizabeth Wetherell,” concerned an adolescent orphan who supported herself by running a farm and was at the same time a shining example of moral and religious rectitude. General John P. Hatch (1822-1901) was commanding officer of the Northern District, Department of the South. Lionel J. Smith was Surgeon to the 33rd Ohio Infantry beginning in November 1864 when he had transferred from the 39th Ohio Infantry. �Att. Preaching at Cavalry camp. Spent afternoon in writing letters. Had oysters for supper. Wrote letter to C. C. Bennitt33 3 & to Wife 4. Tuesday, March 14 Rainy. Wednesday, March 15 Rainy. Thursday, March 16, 1865 Rainy & windy. Friday, March 17 St Andrews Depot Very pleasant Visit Forts Johnson, Putnam, Seymour, Chatfield, Strong, Sumter, & Pinkney—and the monitor Catskill34—lost our boat— Saw two ladies at Sumter &c. Saturday, March 18, 1865 Very pleasant and fair. Sent Small-Pox case to Hosp. P.M. went to City with application to Go to Hilton H’d—got my order & transportations, Called and found my old companions fled—and Mrs. Morse in their stead— Write letter to wife 4—describing Ft Johnson & naming the other places visited yesterday. Sunday, March 19 Very fine day. Monday, March 20, 1865 Hilton Head S.C. Very pleasant and warm. Recd pay for Feb. 65 of Maj. A.G. Salisbury35 $53.95 in currency & Draft on Asst Treasurer of the U.S. New York—No 224 of this date & Place for $100. This last I 33 34 35 Bennitt’s brother, C. Columbus Bennitt. The U.S.S. Catskill was a single-turret monitor launched in December 1862. Salisbury was an army paymaster. �enclose in letter to & mail so as to go by the Fulton36 which sails 22nd—to my wife— Payable originally to Surg. John Bennitt or order & by me to the order of C.M. Bennitt. Tuesday, March 21 Fair to rainy in P.M. Found that the Canonicus Steamer 37 will sail to-night. Went on her at noon & then dined at Restaurant—then at 2 P.M. rode over to St. Helena with Gen Williams inspecting— Rained furiously while we were returning. Supped at Restaurant— Cards, & 2 ladies in cabin. Small accomodations. Wednesday, March 22 Charleston S.C. Very windy nearly all day. Col. Lewis & I gave up State-room to Gen Potter38 at 1½ A.M. just as we started from H. Head. I slept some in my chair—rough weather sick. Clearer to-night & still. Thursday, March 23 Charleston S.C. Very windy all day. Came over to city at 2½ P.M. Called on Surg n Trenor and saw Dr. Clymer there. 39 The latter says there will be a purveying Depot at Charleston. Called on Dr. Hawks Mr. & Mrs. Morse & Mr. Pillsbury, 40 & remain overnight—have some music and cards. Friday, March 24, 1865 Fair & cool with wind. Examine 40 Negroes for Soldiers for Col. Hutchings41 in A.M.— Wrote unofficial letter to Surgn Goodman, asking his kind offices to get me away from here. Wrote letter to wife 3. 36 37 38 39 40 41 The Fulton was a U.S. Army transport. The Canonicus, large enough to carry 600 men, was used as an army transport. Probably Colonel James Lewis, 144th New York Infantry; Edward E. Potter (18231889) at this time was commander of the District of Beaufort, Department of the South. John Trenor, Surgeon, U.S. Volunteers, would be appointed Chief Medical Officer in the District of Savannah, Department of the South in April; Surgeon Meredith Clymer (1817-1902), U.S. Volunteers, was Medical Director of the Department of the South. Probably Gilbert Pillsbury, an agent of the U.S. Treasury Department, who was in Charleston to take possession of all captured and abandoned Confederate property of a nonmilitary nature. Colonel Hutchings (or Hutchins) is not identified, but he probably was affiliated with General Littlefield’s volunteer recruiting service. �Saturday, March 25 Weather fair all day, yet cool. Went to City and finished signing Certificates of enlistment of the negroes examined yesterday. Waited two hours in vain to see Surgn Trenor U.S.V. concerning supplies, contracts, &c. Sunday, March 26 Charleston. Weather rather cool but fair. Went over to City to church in A.M. Sermon from Isaiah LXV.24. 42— Good text but dry sermon. Dined irregularly at home.— Read and meditated on Mat VII43 in evening— and wrote letter to Clara 3—advising piety &c.44 Monday, March 27 Not feeling well to-day— Straighten up reports and make Requisitions for Med. supplies, all ready to send in morn—news from Sherman’s army encouraging.45 The Rebellion must soon collapse. Tuesday, March 28 Rainy all day— Rather dreary. Worked at Annual Returns of Med. & Hosp. property for 1864. Wednesday, March 29 Charleston. Rainy & Windy all day & night. Continue to work on Returns for 1864. 42 43 44 45 “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” The seventh chapter of Matthew deals with the last portion of the Sermon on the Mount, and begins, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” This letter is not present in the collection. Bennitt is probably referring to the three-day Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina fought on March 19-21. For the Carolinas campaign, Sherman organized his army into two groups. The left wing, commanded by General Slocum, was called the Army of Georgia; the right wing, under General Howard, was called the Army of Tennessee. At Bentonville 21,000 Confederates commanded by Joseph E. Johnston attacked General Slocum’s left wing before withdrawing to escape encirclement. On March 23 the two Union wings recombined at Goldsboro. �Thursday, March 30 Rainy in morn but clears off & is warm but windy—in P.M. Work late at “Returns” and nearly finish them. Friday, March 31 Cooler and very windy all night. Clear to-day with high wind. Sunday, April 2, 1865 St. Andrews Depot Fair weather. Went to church in morn, took dinner with Mr. Morse &c and went with them to afternoon service, & returned after to camp. Finished letter to Jennie 6—about Wagner—Putnam Gregg—Chatfield Seymour—Shaw and Sumter. Monday, April 3 Charleston. Rain threatened in morn but clears off. Dr. Smith & I visit two of the colored schools in city,— —purchase some eatables & Dr. S. returns to camp. I take two cans of fruit to Mrs. Morse—go with her to Orphan Asylum Hospital, returned & remained with them to-night. Dr Hawks comes over. Miss Dean & Mr. & Mrs Fowlur leave.46 Tuesday, April 4 Charleston S.C. Fair and warm—delightful— With Mr Morse, went to market & spent 1.25 for dinner— Went to Morris Street School & was asked by Mr. Redpath 47 to take charge of it. Consented to do what I could—but think I have a hard job to bring order out of this chaos of 300 white, and 700 black children and 20 indigenous teachers. Come to camp before sun-down. 46 47 It is likely that these three persons are teachers in the reorganized Charleston schools. Miss Dean is unidentified, but Mrs. “Fowlur” may be Mary A. Fowler of Foxboro, Massachusetts who was affiliated with the New England Freedman’s Aid Society. James Redpath (1833-1891) was a war correspondent with the Union armies and, as Bennitt states, was subsequently appointed Superintendent of Education for South Carolina to reorganize the state’s school system. �Sunday, April 16, 1865 On Steamer “Champion” off South Carolina coast— Embarked on small steamer at 7 A.M. & left Charleston passing Fort Sumter at 12 M. in this vessel. Saturday, April 22, 1865 Raleigh N.C. Pleasant all day. Left New Berne at 10 AM.—arrived here at 8¾—Camp on side of RR. track with Dr Smith &c.48 Saw Surgeon Wood at Goldsboro. Sent word to Gen Prince. 49 Sunday, April 23 Raleigh N.C. 3rd Div Hosp. Pleasant—all day. Found Dr. Gr[instead?] Monday, April 24 Raleigh N.C. Pleasant. Stayed with Dr Hobbs last night—got eight letters from home. Tuesday, April 25, 1865 14 miles West of Raleigh N.C. Pleasant. Marched 14 miles. Mailed my letter home written on yesterday— We seem to wait for Johnson to Surrender. Wednesday, April 26, 1865 14 miles West Raleigh N.C. Pleasant—airy—Off[icer of] day J.B. Partly made Monthly report for March. Completed Annual Property Return & will send one to-morrow. Rumors of Johnson’s Surrender. Recd letter from wife of March 29th 30 with my picture. Wrote in return. 48 49 The North Carolina Railroad between Goldsboro and Raleigh was only moderately damaged by the retreating Confederate army under General J. E. Johnston, and was quickly repaired. Henry Prince (1811-1892) at this time was in charge of troops and supplies arriving at Hilton Head for the use of Sherman’s army. �Saturday, April 29, 1865 Sent away 275 sick & 10 attendants via R.R. Off at 10 PM. in a little rain. Sunday, April 30 Pleasant. Near Neuse River 13 miles North of Raleigh N.C. Started from camp at 7 but did not leave town till about noon—talked with Dr Hobbs. Monday, May 1 Cool & Pleasant. Near Tar River— Crossed Neuse early this morn—rode on and overtook Corps Hd Qrs. Waited till afternoon— Crossed Tar River about 8 P.M. Only one man on sick— March 20 miles—3 Div behind. Tuesday, May 2 Cool but plesant. Marched 14 miles nearly North—leaving Oxford to our left about two miles & Passing it about three or four miles. Camped about 6½ P.M. Wednesday, May 3 Cool still but pleasant— North Side Roanoke River Va. Marched 22 miles very comfortably—except for dust. Talked with a Theologian while 3 Div. crossed Pontoon— Camped before sundown. Thursday, May 4 Hosp 3 Div 20 A.C. Saffords Bridge Luhuenbergh Co Va. Day has been pleasant but little dust.— A little rain to-night.— Marched 22 miles crossed Meherin River. Camped at 5½ PM.— Country good but exhausted by Tobacco culture & Slave labor— A good place to settle with a Yankee Colony— Friday, May 5 Near left Bank of Nottaway Creek. Rain of last night and this morn slaked the dust & a little more started at 5 A.M. Marched on grade of Plank road for 10 miles— Camp at 2 �P.M. Weather delightful—country fair—stopped at house of Dr. Hatchett.50 March 18 miles. Saturday, May 6, 1865 45 miles SW Richmond— Marched 15 miles and camped about 2 P.M having started at 5 to 6 A.M. Very pleasant & quite warm in middle of day. Procured an order from Provost Marshall to get water at Spring. Sunday, May 7 25 miles S.W. Richmond Va. Weather very pleasant. Started at 4.30. to 6. 00 AM. Marched 12 miles to Appomattox which crossed at 12 M. on Pontoons— Came 8 miles farther and camped at 300 PM. at Clover Hill Coal Mines.— 900 feet deep two shafts & out-crop. Stopped at Hosp. of Sheridans command. Monday, May 8 8 miles S.W of Richmond Va. Marched 17 miles—rains a little to-night— Some persons went on to Manchester 6 miles where army Hd Qrs is. Tuesday, May 9 6 or 7 miles S.W. Richmond Va. A little rainy. Ordered to move 5 miles nearer to city. I with Drs. Jones & Webb, 51 went forward to city— Saw Dr. Goodman. Visited Libby Prison—took dinner at Post Hosp. with Acting Staff Surgn Palmer52 in charge, returned by 4 PM. Went to Div Hd Qrs. Wednesday, May 10 6 or 7 miles S.W. Richmond Va.— Remained in camp all day— Sent off nearly 400 men unable to march—by transports to Alexandria. Will march to-morrow morn 14th A.C. ahead—to Alexandria. Dr. Terry returned to Hospital. Thursday, May 11 50 51 52 Probably James M. Hatchett, Surgeon on the Confederate General Staff. Probably Melville E. Webb, who was Assistant Surgeon in the 33rd Massachusetts Infantry. Possibly Surgeon Henry Palmer, U.S. Volunteers. �Hanover C.H. 5 miles N. Richmond Va. Very warm. Marched through the City in P.M. Passed by Libby Prison. Marched farther than seemed to be necessary—probably 15 miles in all. The dwellers in the Old Rebel Capital thought Sherman had a great army. Friday, May 12 In Chickahominy Swamp 14 miles North of Richmond Va. Cool all day. The heavy rain last night has rendered these swampy roads almost impassible— At noon stopped at the place where Rebel Gen Stuart53 received his mortal wound. Camped about 5 or 6 o’clock 10 miles. Saturday, May 1354 Near Little River 30 miles N.N.W. Richmond Va. Weather very pleasant— Roads very bad in morning till we passed Ashland. Country this side very fine— Crossed South Anna River about noon. Took 14 sick & lame men in ambulances—one man of 65 a dead drunk— 16 miles. 53 54 General James Ewell Brown (“Jeb”) Stuart (1833-1864) was the dashing commander of the Confederate Cavalry Corps. He was killed in May 1864 in a clash with General Sheridan’s Union cavalry at Yellow Tavern, Virginia. This was the last entry that Bennitt made in his 1865 diary. � 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/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-43_BD-3 Title A name given to the resource John Bennitt Civil War Diary, volume 3 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1865 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bennitt, John Description An account of the resource This diary was the last of three kept by physician John Bennitt of Centreville, Michigan describing his experience as a Civil War surgeon the 19th Michigan Infantry Regiment. The third volume (Jan. 1, 1865-May 13, 1865) begins with the account of his leave of absence in Cincinnati, Ohio for an examination given by the Army Medical Board; a temporary stay in Charleston, South Carolina; and return to rejoin his Regiment for the Carolina campaigns in Raleigh, North Carolina. This volume focuses on his time spent in Cincinnati, and his daily routine as a surgeon and physician to soldiers and civilians shortly before the end of the war. Bennitt's account ends with his march from Raleigh, N.C. to Arlington, Va. The last pages of the diary include memoranda noting a book purchased in New York, and cash accounts for Jan. 24-Mar. 27. In a pocket in the back cover is a note listing stores and books Bennitt planned to purchase. Subject The topic of the resource Bennitt, John United States. Army. Michigan Infantry Regiment, 19th (1862-1865) Surgeons Diaries United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care African Americans Cincinnati (Ohio) Charleston (S.C.) Raleigh (N.C.) Richmond (Va.) Michigan 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> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Correspondence and diaries of Civil War surgeon, John Bennitt (RHC-43): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470 Relation A related resource Part of collection with correspondence published by Wayne State University Press, Detroit as I Hope to Do My Country Service; the Civil War letters of John Bennitt, M.D. Surgeon, 19th Michigan Infantry. 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/f59317f3b41acb0a2fe8af6ca4ab9d7d.mp4 9c9e5c4d2b29714132ab800f03c4fced https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c86875a4a0c8e57550fd78bd306ce247.pdf 9ac450b7f1a2938f891774d05ad63bf2 PDF Text Text Benson, Jerry Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee’s Name: Jerry Benson Length of Interview: (1:42:02) Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo Interviewer: “We’re talking today with Jerry Benson of Spring Lake, Michigan, and the interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. So Jerry, begin at the beginning–– where and when were you born?” Lafayette Township, Gratiot County. Interviewer: “In what state?” 8.28.26. Interviewer: “That’s in Michigan?” Yeah, in Michigan. Interviewer: “Now did you grow up in that area?” No, not really. In order to clarify some of the details, my mother–– Marianne Ray Benson–– and there were five of us: Harold, Reba, Earl, myself, [and] Arlene–– but she was diagnosed with TB when I was going on two and she was pregnant with Arlene and the family was all split up. Our father couldn’t take care of us, so for a couple of years there, I don’t know where I lived. [With] friends and relatives, along with the brothers and sisters. When I was going on four, I went to live with my grandmother–– my mother’s side of the family–– and my two uncles. So that kind of clarifies where I grew up. (2:15). Interviewer: “And was this on a farm? In a town?” Well originally grandmother and Harry and Luther–– [my] uncles–– lived in Flint. They lost their home in ‘29 [and] moved back to Ithaca and went to work on a dairy farm. Then, spring of 1934, shops began to work a little more, you know, four or five months out of the year, so they �moved back down by Mount Morris. And especially Harry always wanted a farm. He loved animals. They rented 40 acres and it was on the Flint River. They started the dairy herd. We had chickens, and pigs, and two or three cows, and a team of horses. So basically in 1934 is when we started living on a farm. Over the years, the farms got bigger and they were able to buy their own property just north of Morris. So all through the depression and pre-war it was farming because they still worked in the shop. So, I had my work to do. (4:49). Interviewer: “So you learned how to milk cows?” Well that’s one thing that I really didn’t do. My job was cleaning barns, feeding the chickens, and the pigs, and horses–– that kind of stuff. Interviewer: “Now, do you remember how you heard about Pearl Harbor?” Oh, yes. Yes. That particular day it was very mild. At lunchtime Harry said, “I think it’d be a good day to take care of the horses.” So I got the horses out tied up in front of the barn, heated up some water, and we sponged them, combed, trimmed, [and] played with the horses. And I don’t know, it must have been around four o’clock or 4:30 and grandma, she’d come out the back door and hollered, “It’s on the radio. The Japanese are bombing Pearl Harbor.” “Where’s Pearl Harbor?” Life completely changed. (6:20). Interviewer: “So what changed for you?” Well of course, almost immediately, industry–– all the shops–– Chevrolet, AC Spark Plug, Buick–– everyone–– war production. Longer hours. And since they had waived the seniority at Buick in Flint, a lot of the work fell to me. Consequently, I missed a lot of school–– especially in the spring and then the fall–– harvest. Go to school, fall asleep. But, that was the condition of everyone. Interviewer: “Were you able to keep up with school?” Oh, yeah. I graduated from high school. Interviewer: “And when did you graduate?” ‘44. That was the spring of ‘44, when I was 17. But in that time period, the shops farmed out war production to whoever could manage. [The] neighbor across the street–– his name was Harold Brophy–– was head of maintenance [at] Paterson Building in Flint. AC Spark Plug [had] come out [and] done some work on a little chicken coop and set up four lathes for machine gun barrels. Well, I went to school with his son and that was very interesting. (8:33). When I got my work �done, especially on a Sunday afternoon, he taught me how to run lathes, turning machine gun barrels. At the same time, Glenn Montague–– big farm down the road–– turned one of his buildings into a machine shop, and there were probably millions of one/two men basement shops or rod shops that were able to manufacture more goods during the war. Even in school–– the shop class–– they brought in big crates of model airplanes. It was solid wood and our job was to sand, glue everything together according to instruction, and paint–– put the details on–– and when you finished so many, you were allowed to keep one for yourself. (10:04). Well, my next older brother, he joined the Navy–– Navy Air Force–– and he was home on leave and came to visit and he saw this model hanging there. He explained–– after I told him where I got it: a shop class–– and he said, “They use those for identification.” He said they hang all kinds–– different countries and different models and everything. Various heights, turn off the lights, turn the fans off, take a penciled spotlight, pick out an airplane [and] you have five seconds to identify it. I can imagine schools all over the country took part in that operation–– even the stores. There was a store in Saranac––and I think it was probably Lehrer–– where these people started a factory in Saranac wiring switches because Lehrer was into instruments–– and even high school students could work so many hours a week in this place, wiring switches. (12:10). They closed the roller rink in Mount Morris, turned it into a machine shop, and years later–– in 1967, and even before that when I was working–– a vendor by the name of George Beamer had a shop here in Perrysburg that I went to work for. It turned out that he had the shop in Mount Morris that turned the roller rink. Interviewer: “Now to go back to your story, when you finished high school, did you have the option of getting a deferment from the draft working in the war industry or on the farm?” No. No. When I was drafted I went into the Army. I’ll tell you, there was an attitude that covered the whole population that you would do most anything to serve the country. I went into the service, had my basic training––Camp Fannin, northeast Texas. (14:03). Interviewer: “Now when did you start training?” December. Interviewer: “Of ‘44.” Which was–– they really concentrated on the basic training, at that time. But one incident–– General Stilwell was in China. I don’t know if he was relieved, but he was back in the States–– inspection going on–– a live-fire obstacle course, and he was grumbling and growling about that weren’t putting forth any effort, or much effort, and it just so happened that four of us went on the obstacle course with Stilwell. His nickname was “Vinegar Joe.” Well-named. Then when basic was over, we shipped overseas and landed in Leyte in the Philippines. �Interviewer: “So how long did basic training last?” I’m not sure whether it was about 12 weeks. 10 to 12 weeks. Interviewer: “And aside from the obstacle course, what else were they teaching you in basic training?” Well, practically everything. You were trained in machine guns, mortars, rifles–– different kinds of rifles–– machine guns and of course, artillery. They had artillery, mortars, and so on and so forth. It was very concentrated. (16:13). Interviewer: “And how did the drill sergeants treat you?” As I remember, very good. But of course, if you fell down or lagged behind on a 20/25/30 mile march, you got poked in the ribs. They said, “Come on. Get up and move.” It was very, very concentrated. [We] had sessions with gas masks and so on and so forth. Interviewer: “How did they get you from Michigan down to Texas, and from Texas to the west coast?” Train. Interviewer: “And do you remember anything about those train rides?” Not much. It was all very muddled. You take train cars back with other fellas and of course, I’m only able to play cards. It was very concentrated. I don’t have much memory of these trips on a train. But, military trains have, more or less, the right of way. I spent–– I don’t know–– a few days on Angel Island, San Francisco, loaded us on a Liberty, landed in Hawaii for about 18 hours, and made a few circles in the Pacific–– staying away from the submarines–– and landed on Leyte. (18:26). Interviewer: “Now when did you arrive in Leyte?” I don’t know, to tell you the truth. Interviewer: “The war was still going on though?” Well, very low in the Philippines. There was some pop-up, but it was basically–– the actual, big fighting was on Okinawa. But the Japanese–– it was just remnants because the Japanese Army left in the various islands. Shortly after we landed–– just outside of Tacloban–– we worked that �detail. We were pouring cement, making [the] floor for a building. They set up a field kitchen on-site. Two individuals, right ahead of me, waiting to get served food, [and] the servers recognized this guy was Japanese in American clothing. He was kind of hiding his face and whatnot. Well, that turned into a wrestling match for a few minutes and at that time, the Philippine Army, which was comprised of a lot of kids–– teenagers–– reporting on the looks of these remnants of the Japanese. Which was maybe 25 or 30 in a group–– or maybe bigger–– raiding villages for water, food, whatever they could find. (20:38). Interviewer: “Now at this point, what unit were you assigned to?” Well on Leyte I was assigned to a temporary [unit] which I don’t know. Interviewer: “So you didn’t have a permanent assignment yet?” No, I didn’t have a permanent assignment. Then they’d get reports of a raid, and then of course, with the Filipinos, there’s guys–– interpreters–– they would be armed. We’d try to run down these Japanese, which a couple of times, we’d run into the line of fire. But, they didn’t have much equipment. The Japanese didn’t have much equipment because there was no supply to them. Whatever they could steal or find. I heard that they would even dig up where a battle had taken place to find ammunition or any kind of equipment. So there were just a couple of times, I’d run into live fire on these patrols. (22:08). One very interesting time, and I don’t know where it was–– probably on Leyte someplace–– we met up with an Australian Ranger, mechanized. They had a tank and a couple half-tracks and other trucks. We loaded up onto them and rolled down to the ocean, and we had time to wash our feet in the ocean. We have our K-Rations and they turned the radio on the tank and Tokyo Rose–– picked up Tokyo Rose. She played a couple records and she went over her propaganda spiel, which was mostly aimed at the troops at Okinawa. She named off about three different officers, by name, and their units, but her main theme was, “Surrender now. You do not have a chance. If you want to see your family again, surrender.” Then she’d play another record [and] start in again, mostly the same theme. I lay there on the beach [and] after all this was finished, they turned the radio off. Oh my goodness. Talk about peaceful. Stars looked like you could reach up and touch them, moonlight on the ocean, just paradise. (24:30). Shortly after that, we landed on Panay permanent assignment. 108th Infantry, 40th Division, and assigned the headquarters section. The date, you know, it was the middle of spring, and we made one big patrol across the peninsula of Panay. And every day, where the camp was set up, a coconut grove across the bay. One day, there were three of us up on the ridge of the camp, and [we] heard some rustling down the ravine. This woman comes crawling up out of the brush and in perfect English she said, “I wash clothes for food.” Her arms were all scared. She had fresh cuts and whatnot. We gave her band-aids and patched her up–– stopped the bleeding–– and she was so inquisitive. (26:26). She wanted to know our names, where we lived, what kind of houses we lived [in], what the cities were like–– the towns in the �country–– and she and her husband were school teachers in Manila and he joined the Philippine Army when the Japanese invaded the Philippines, and she fled Manila and hid out in the jungle. I suppose [sounds like deleches] as a part of the guerilla group, reporting Japanese and so on and so forth. Then wound up, all through the war, caring for orphans–– children–– and even at that time she still hadn’t–– four children. I think the youngest one was probably four to maybe sixyears-old. Well, we gathered up some clothes, some K-Rations, [and] away she went. (28:03). Comes back the next day and we put her in contact with our Lieutenant, and this went on for a couple weeks, and she had just asked questions. “What was America like?” Just couldn’t get enough of it. But, she hadn’t heard anything about her husband for a couple years and, of course, they made contact with the officials in town–– upper city and whatnot–– and she invited four of us to her camp. She said, “Chicken dinner.” Well, I’m not sure whether it was chicken or not, but we had permission to go. Just a couple three days after that, they came to pick her up, and she gave me a picture she carried all through the war. And there was kind of a mutual feeling between her and I because there was an instant where some of the other fellows started making rude remarks about sex for food and this-and-that kind of crap. I and another fellow defended her and there was kind of a mutual feeling between her and I when she left. Big sister, little brother. She was, I suppose, maybe one of maybe hundreds or thousands of the Filipinos that lived through that action situation through the war, and she was just absolutely wonderful. (30:58). And of course, all this time while we were making practice landings and getting acquainted with various ships and whatnot–– we knew what was coming. It must have been [the] first part of June, I would say, comes the inspection. Each company had an officer or a group of officers, but in our company, after the inspection, this officer hollered, “Okay you guys, gather around.” (32:00). Of course, the opening remarks I can remember were congratulations, appraisal, lasting experience, and accomplishments and then, I quote, “This division has received its orders. Invade southern Honshu Island, Japan proper, but I can’t tell you the date.” He went on a little bit further. He said, “If you have a will and you wish to change it, do it right now. If you want to make a will, do it right now.” He said, “We have very strong reason to believe that every person you meet is your enemy, whether it is an old man, a younger woman, a little girl, or a little boy. Come at you with a pitchfork, you know what to do.” Then, after a couple of remarks, he said, “The casualty rate is estimated for this division, to be 75 to 80 percent.” (34:12). Well, then we loaded. Of course, right after that, they dropped the bomb. Theoretically, the war was over, but to me, and a lot of other people, the war didn’t end until about December of ‘45. On the way to–– which turned out to be Korea–– we’d run into a typhoon. I don’t know exactly when that was. Maybe it was the first part of August–– I’m not sure. Or, exactly how long it lasted [that] we were in that storm. But I immediately volunteered for KP because sitting in the cargo deck–– LST–– is not very inviting–– or wasn’t to me. This one night, things got rougher and rougher. I got up, I went up to the galley. No one was there. The waves were probably about 25/30 feet high. I got a sack of potatoes, five pounds of raisins, a couple of life vests, wedged myself in a corner and rode the storm out. (36:07). One instance in that storm–– if you can imagine a ship rolling over, the port side would be underwater. There was a porthole up here. [It] rolled over �and on the way down there was the bow of an LST so close that I could see the individual rough spots on the ball doors. I thought, “Oh my God. This is it.” It went underwater, rolled back again, it disappeared. After all this was over, I told an officer about it. Apparently no one had seen this other LST except me, and I swear, I was not dreaming because it was too real. Then we landed in Southern Korea–– Pusan. Interviewer: “Now, I want to go back here a little bit. The bombs are dropped in early August of ‘45. So you would have your talk from the officer before that, and there were some big typhoons in late August and September. So, you didn’t stay too long in the Philippines after the end of the war?” No. Interviewer: “So you land in Pusan. Now what happens?” Well when we landed in Korea there were three of us assigned to [an] officer and his driver–– a trailer. We started up the East Coast and what he was doing was meeting with Korean officials, taking over buildings for the troops, and it was mostly where the Japanese offices and airfields and everything [were]. (38:57). We made that trip up the East Coast, back down the center, and then just got back to the company. In the process of gathering up the Japanese–– because apparently they wanted the officers for interrogation. A lot of it, I think, was–– I’m assuming–– was charges against humanity because most of the kamikaze pilots and places originated–– as far as I heard–– was in Korea. Dive-bombing and crashing into ships, and what had happened in China and so on and so forth. Even the people in Korea. (40:14). They would construct 14/15 year olds into the Army in Korea over the years–– and I think I can find his picture. Yeah. That’s one of them, but that’s not the one that I was really looking for. But anyways, this one particular individual–– was his uniform–– who was cleared and eventually wound up as our mechanic and engineer. But, that was kind of a trying situation in that time length–– rounding up these Japanese, taking them to an airfield, and I suppose the engineers put up a fence and made this compound, and the company I was in was detailed as guard. It was 12 hours on, 12 hours off and this runs through November and December. (42:36). We’d thrown up a windbreak on the corners and I had just finished a patrol and stopped to get my hands warm, and some officers stepped around and accused three of us sleeping while guarding. Up for court-martial. It doesn’t make any difference what you said, you were guilty. Breaking rank and they charged me a carton of cigarettes. At the same time–– due to discharging the old-timers from the time the war ended–– was still going on and the company was down to about 52/53 men, and the Army put out what we called a “big red apple”: [to] join the regular Army and if you were in the infantry, you will not be put back into the infantry and you can choose your tour. (44:02). Well, this court-martial– – spending out in the cold for 12 hours at a time, and living in a shack–– it was four of us that joined the regular Army. We’d come home on leave, report back to Fort Sheridan, which is just �north of Chicago, and were there for just a few days. They loaded us up and when the sun came up, we were going west. I wound up 45-miles from where I started from in Korea. The boat was assigned to the 6th Combat Engineers. When I reported to him, the Major looked at me and said, “What the hell am I going to do with you?” He shuffles some papers on his desk. He said, “Have you ever handled dynamite and TNT?” I said, “Yes.” “You know what a bulldozer is?” I said, “Yes.” “Okay. I need a demolition man–– dozer operator.” I wound up about 180/185 miles south of Seoul and about the same distance down from Pusan. There was a fishing village about 14/15 miles on the coast of this old Japanese airfield. Detached company, and I was about to work with another fella at a rock quarry drilling holes, setting off the charge, breaking up the big pieces, piling it up into a big pile. (46:52). The main project was building roads and bridges. Get loaded up and go up on the mountain, widen the turns–– the hairpin turns–– up on the side of the mountain and this and that, and that was the start with the engineers. Lieutenant came by one day, took me up towards the coast which was about four miles away, up into a big hill. They had already surveyed [and] had flags set up. Started up here, cleared everything off because you couldn’t have brush and stumps and logs. Built four terraces down the side of the hill. It was enough room [for] 26 or 27 houses–– or cabins–– and that was for dependent housing because they were moving an infantry regiment onto the airfield. (48:41). When I finished that, I and another fella were introduced to a Korean contractor–– they turned all the building processes over to the Koreans–– and we were supposed to take this contract with Seoul and he would gather building material. Well, we dropped him off at a hotel and two of these fellows that I was in the Philippines with–– and enlisted in the regular Army–– were assigned to the 7th Recon Patrol in the 38th parallel. So, we stayed with the 7th Recon at night, picked up the contractor in the morning–– he’d come out of the bank with two big suitcases of money–– and it was all practically salvaged materials: doors, windows and paint, nails, and boards of all kinds of stuff. We’d get a load, drive south, get unloaded, and turn around and make another trip. (50:20). Interviewer: “Now did you have a Jeep or a truck?” Truck. 6x6. And of course, one mountain range in this trip–– 24 hairpin turns to get across this mountain. At the bottom, in the valleys, there was quite a wide river and a stake on each side–– Smith stake–– lined up, aimed for the stake on the other side. There’s kind of a rapids across the river. You had to ford the river. High water made it a little difficult. And to tell you the truth, I don’t know how many trips I made, but the last one was during a blizzard. It started when we were up in Seoul and south of Seoul was a little town–– here’s that picture I was looking for [of] the soldier constructed into the Army–– and this village was quite unique. (52:06). The gates on each end of the village–– big structure with tunnels through this building. This was the winter of ‘46/’47 and blizzard warnings. Of course you always carried extra gas–– 20 gallons [of] extra gas in five gallon cans–– there was an MP post at this village, and fuel depot. I talked to him about another 30 gallons of gasoline and we got 15 miles from this fishing village–– probably 30 miles to camp–– [and] run out of gas. I knew there was an MP post at this village and both of us, �along with the Koreans that were riding in the truck. Severe frostbite. But, they picked up the truck and we had a few days off during this blizzard or storm and the government bought lumber from a monastery up in the mountains–– which I have some pictures of this monastery–– the buildings. I only made one trip to that place, but there are some interesting pictures. Beautiful place. (54:33). Interviewer: “So you have your Buddha statue there and the pagoda style.” Yeah. But that was the big project–– build dependent housing. Or the Koreans did. We supplied the material and got them the transportation. At the same time, they had a truck going to Pusan. All the same distance, all the material there and others into Central and whatnot. In the summer of ‘47, towards fall, we’d go on red alert. “Carry your arms.” Well, these two fellas that were in the 7th Recon that we stayed with overnights–– everyday it was getting more nasty, more fights, things were getting quite vicious–– and the last time I was up there, I got firsthand reports: the attitudes, the North Koreans. Of course, the same with the American troops. (56:11) I began to think because I was really, seriously considering making the military a career. Through all of that sanction I thought, “Well, there’s gotta be a better life.” So, it was kind of touch-and-go there for a while. But, I decided to give up the military and I came home. I got my discharge and I told other people, I wasn’t exactly sure when but be prepared because I think we’re going into another war before long. People laughed and said no, but it did happen. And I often wonder what happened to a lot of these people that we made friends with. It was quite interesting. (57:52). Interviewer: “Now, during the time when you were in Korea, there was also a fair amount of domestic unrest. Did you see any of that?” Yep. There were a number of cases where it was quite violent, all the way through from ‘45 to ‘47, and I don’t really know what the cause was, but when we were rounding up Japanese with the help of different Koreans there was one instant [that] a Korean official–– he must’ve been quite a powerful position–– that we worked with. He invited about eight of us to dinner. Of course, we got instructions on how to act, what the greetings were formally, and who’s Korean and so on and so forth. (59:31). A very long table and they sat there on cushions and about halfa-dozen girls serving. I really couldn’t tell you what most of this food was. I know there was fish, cabbage, and who knows. Some of it was so sour, my gosh, you could smell it six feet away. And of course, sake. I was doing pretty good on the soup, till I ran into a chunk of hide about that big–– squared–– that still had the hair on it. But, that was one session with the Koreans we’d worked with rounding up all of these prisoners. There were some very interesting times. This fella here, he could speak very good English and I think he said when this picture was taken, he was probably 15. (1:01:08). �Interviewer: “We have taken your story pretty well most of the way through the time in Korea. I have a couple of miscellaneous questions for you.” Yeah. Interviewer: “One of them actually goes back to the Philippines. I asked you, before the interview, were you ever injured in the service? You told me a story about that.” Well, this particular time, I think it was Leyte Island, when we were getting reports of Japanese raiding villages. Come under fire, I roll off of a trail, down a bank and that’s where [I] landed on this bush. Splinters. They pulled so many pieces out of my back. Hell, that was basically the only injury. But I was over there long enough that I got a touch of malaria, which eventually wore out over the years. (1:02:54). Interviewer: “Had they given you medicine to prevent malaria?” Oh, yeah. Interviewer: “So you took Atabrine or something like that?” Yep. Atabrine. It’ll turn you yellow. Interviewer: “But it still didn’t keep the malaria away in the end.” Yeah. Water purification pills and whatnot. In the infantry, you felt like a pack mule. Especially in the headquarters section where you had field phone coils and telephone wires. Interviewer: “When you were with the headquarters section, what was your job with headquarters?” Well it was mainly runners and communication–– written communication. In a combat situation, one company would be supported by another. They had their method and officers had to be in communication at all times. So in headquarters section, many times, your job was to take a message from your company over to another company which might be from here to across the street. Maybe 100 yards or 200 yards or whatnot. And that’s basically what headquarters was. And this group picture right here–– this fella here, was our interpreter and guide. This was in my [unintelligible] division time period. (1:05:09). Interviewer: “Now, what kind of relationship was there between the Americans and the Filipinos?” �I would say a good relationship–– what little I had personally had. This fella right here, our guide–– interpreter–– for our company. This is headquarters section. When we left the Philippines [and] boarded ship, he gave me this knife–– an old family knife–– wooden scabbard– – which was mainly built for cutting coconut off–– and coconuts and bananas. A homemade wooden scabbard. So, the relationship between this fella right here and myself–– he presented me with this old family knife. Interviewer: “And it has a carved head on it. It’s got a snake head or something–– animal of some kind.” Yeah. I’m not sure what that represents. Interviewer: “Now, when you were in Korea and you were making that tour of Korea with the officer and going up and down, what were you seeing? What did Korea look like to you?” (1:07:06). Well, we would stay fairly isolated outside of a town–– or a city–– but of course there were curious onlookers that would gather and look us over. Mainly, his guards are guarding his equipment because he would sign papers and whatnot and he had a big storage box and trailer that he stored all these documents in. But there were a couple of occasions–– very close to a town–– that there would be a great number of Koreans [that] would gather around–– and it was hard to tell. It was kind of a nervous time. Dangerous because we really couldn’t communicate except waving your hand. Interviewer: “So you didn’t have a Korean interpreter with you then?” No. But, this officer could speak Korean and Japanese and I think he acted as a driver and a guard–– bodyguard–– so our instruction was to keep our eyes open and only let people so close to the trailer. So, that time period it was kind of a–– I don’t really know how to describe it. (1:09:26). Interviewer: “Now, during the day would you go into the towns, or did you just stay outside of them the whole time?” We’d circle a town, we’d sometimes drive through a smaller town, but Bocian, he would drive around and instead of getting into a town because of the Japanese attitude–– they’re very, very aggressive in all cases, and you never knew what you might run into as retaliation or whatever, you know, in a crowd. So, it was a very cautious trip. �Interviewer: “But the Japanese were basically cooperating though, right? I mean, they were staying in their barracks or whatever.” Well, in Korea, outside of the officers, the enlisted men were mainly construction, mechanics, fetch-and-carry. The pilots, that airfield, and the officers were typically Japanese, as this picture of this young fella [that] was constructed into the Army. He wound up as a–– sort-of–– a mechanic and he said he hated every minute of it, but at least he got something to eat. As far as my impression of the Korean people, [they] were treated like slaves and dirty dogs, even into this time period. This is a typical Korean family. (1:12:30). Interviewer: “A woman carrying things on her head and the man with the two buckets on the yoke.” They had very little as far as clothing, commodities, That’s very typical. Interviewer: “Yeah. And I see you got ox-carts over here. Someone holding a pitchfork over there.” The Japanese–– my impression–– was that they took practically anything that was worth any value. Of course, some of the enlisted men had married because they–– here again, I don’t know when the Japanese took over South Korea. Interviewer: “They took over Korea back around the turn of the century, so they’d been there a while.” They had been there for years, and there was a mix of families–– Korean and Japanese–– over the years and that was one of the problems when we were sorting in 1945. So many of the men would try to escape and get back to their wives and families, which to I and my fellow in the company, really didn’t know [that] our orders were to round-up the Japanese and hold them. (1:14:22). Sometimes it turned into a situation that you may shoot above somebody’s head or at their feet to control the situation. But, most of the Korean people were–– situated in the situation that they were–– very quiet and reserved. The common people like this couple right here–– which I have no idea who they were. There was a big rice paddy not too far from this airfield and they were probably out gathering firewood and this and that, and looking for food and whatnot. (1:15:34). Interviewer: “Did you have problems with people stealing from you? From the camps or anything else?” �Not really. Of course, it was an MP post outside of the village–– it was a fishing village–– which controlled traffic on the road, and along the ocean that was very similar to areas along Lake Michigan. Wooded, high sand dunes, and made travel by foot difficult. I supposed that there was occasionally kerosene [and] gasoline and stuff like that that may have been–– Interviewer: “But you didn’t have a lot of trouble?” No. No we didn’t, as far as I was concerned or my experience. There wasn’t any trouble with the Korean people. And when the government threw contract work like this dependent housing deal– – which was a big one for that particular area–– the Korean people welcomed that. It was very, very friendly. But, of course, the American people and the servicemen, we were very generous. We’d hand out goods here and there, donate to the elders in this fishing village, pass out odds and ends–– old clothing–– and so on and so forth. It was easy to make friends. Such as that one picture of that one Korean boy, and that fella was conscripted into the Japanese Army. And this monastery, these people were just super nice. (1:18:29) Interviewer: “So let’s kind of go back now in your stories. When do you go home from Korea?” Fall of ‘47. My enlistment ran out. Interviewer: “And then did you go back home to where you had been living before you left?” Yeah. I went back to the farm, but we’d had a conversation [that] they’d gotten along without me. I went to work, I don’t know, a year after–– ‘48. I got a job at Chevrolet in Flint. My service days changed my attitude. I did do quite a bit of work on the farm and, you know, planning the harvest time, but I was changed. I didn’t want to be tied down night and day, taking care of animals in the morning, taking care of them at night, and so on and so forth. I wanted to see the world. (1:20:38). So, in ‘48, my older brother had a big farm at St. Johns–– of course married and had a family and I visited him. He was mostly a cash-crop, although he did have a big flock of chickens and sold eggs. But, he offered me a partnership in his farm, so I left my grandmother and uncles and moved to St. Johns. And at that time, my younger sister–– our brother had left his insurance to our younger sister and nephew. I went to see my sister–– at Michigan State–– met her roommate, and there is such a thing as love at first sight. So, I spent my spare time in East Lansing. My sister got quite disgusted with me because she said, “You never come to see me.” And I said, “Well, you’re my sister.” So, in fall of ‘49 I proposed and she accepted. We were married in January–– the 15th. (1:23:01). Interviewer: “Now, did you stay on the farm in St. Johns or do you move on?” �No. When we got married we got an apartment in East Lansing–– one-room apartment in a private converted home, right across from campus. She said, “I’ll quit. You go to school.” I said, “No. You’re not going to give up a scholarship.” She had a four-year paid scholarship and I got a job at Olds, which was really quite fascinating to me being [in] a big factory. More experience than the three months I worked at Chevrolet, and I kind of took an interest in what was happening. My job was on the assembly line on suspensions, and that was kind of fascinating–– I asked questions. And Oldsmobile had suggestion boxes and after a time, I wrote a couple of suggestions. Matter of fact, I think I wrote a half-a-dozen and was accepted a couple of times and I think that put me on notice of the foreman, and eventually I made repairman. (1:25:04). But, at that time, the union was really pushing for 100 percent union. Virginia and I, we talked things over and when she finished college–– boy, at that time we really didn’t know what we were going to do. But, her father was a recording engineer at United Sound in Detroit. He’d worked in radio and sound systems practically all of his life and then I will say ‘49–– or maybe even ‘48–– they were developing magnetic tape. Being a sound engineer in the recording studio, of course, he was working on tape machines–– tape duplicators–– to make a copy of a master tape. So, in that time period, we’d kind of come to an agreement [that] when she finished college, we’d move back to Saranac–– her hometown–– and I would do the mechanical work, he’d do the electronic work, we’d build the tape duplicator. That kind of gelled a plan for us, but, at the same time, working at Olds, I got into an argument with a union steward. I said, “Look, I need every penny I can lay my hands on. I’m not gonna be here, only a few short months now.” I got transferred into [the] inspection department. (1:27:53). And, then when the time came, within a couple weeks of her graduation and our planned leaving of Lansing–– or East Lansing–– I gave notice. [The] foreman said, “Are you sure?” And I said, “Yes.” Well, two days before my last day I was scheduled, three tech guys were called into the office. They were interviewing me. School. Service. Various jobs and whatnot. This guy said, “General Motors is starting a program called ‘Quality Control.’ They’re taking individuals from various departments in all plants, all over the country, and forming this program so that everyone is on the same page of how to do this, and what to do and so on and so forth in inspection, and your name was on the list.” I had already made a commitment with my father-in-law, so I turned it down. Who knows? If I had just stayed at General Motors. (1:30:01). Interviewer: “So did you then go into business with your father-in-law?” Yeah. Yeah. We set up a shop in his basement–– in Saranac–– I did the mechanical work, he did the electronic work. But, of course, he couldn’t compete with Amphax and [the] big, major companies that were doing the same thing. But, when the tape duplicator was finished [and] tested, he loaded up, took it back to Detroit, and put it to work. That’s when I started my career in the tool and die business. [It] got around town–– what we were doing–– and I got a job at a local factory there in Saranac–– shredder factory–– making all types of sprayers–– hand- �sprayers, so on and so forth. It was the beginning of my career in the tool and die business. (1:31:34). Interviewer: “Did you eventually get a job over in West Michigan then? We’re in Spring Lake now, how long have you been here?” Well, we moved over here in ‘66. I worked at a couple–– three–– different places in the fifties and sixties over in Saranac. I worked 13-years at Lake Odessa Machine and they had a tool room–– repair [and] build dies, stamping plant, and I got to know George Beamer and other people [from] different plants that were doing work for us–– we had too much work–– especially with new dies. When we moved over–– actually, my last job, in Ionia County, was at Dow Smith making fiberglass Corvette bodies. My job in the engineering department was calling on vendors, writing progress reports on jobs that Dow Smith farmed out. I got a call by Muskegon– – North Muskegon–– to come down the highway and see Falcon Tool over here, facing the highway. I stopped to say hello and before I got there, I had a job. (1:33:40). Interviewer: “Now, there was one more story we left out that I want to go back too. Your daughter has mentioned that when you were driving a bulldozer in Korea, you almost went off a cliff.” Well, a guy by the name of Joe Miller and I were–– they wanted us to blast rock and they found another older rock quarry so that they didn’t have to transport rock from one to where they were building. So, we loaded up the dozer and went over. And it was an old one and I was up on top of this cliff, pushing the dirt and debris and brush over the edge, and I pushed over a load of dirt and when I stopped the dozer wiggled around like this. Between this track and the body and about that much of the track, it was hanging out over air, off the cliff. The right hand track was hanging off about this far–– if I had been over another, probably three feet, I would have dumped off the cliff. I have a track machine, so when you put it in reverse [and] let out the clutch, it has a tendency to tip forward. I’m sitting there, “Oh my god.” Joe didn’t reverse, played with the clutch to inch the damn thing back–– [it] was out, rocking. I would say I came about that far from diving off a 60-foot cliff. But, they never opened it because of the rock and transportation and the conditions. It really wasn’t worth it. But, that dozer was the biggest one that Caterpillar made. (1:36:50). Interviewer: “Now, to close this out then, as you think back to the time that you spent in the service, what do you think you learned from it or how did it affect you?” Well, one thing I learned [was] how to get along with people. That was the main thing. Because all through school, I had a lot of work to do at home and I did not partake in much at school as far as sports. I guess there were a couple of times [like] a class play–– minor things–– but very, �very low activity in school, or in any other area with people my age until I went into the service. And that was one of the big items to get used to–– different kinds of people and how to get along with them. And there were times there were arguments–– well, I guess it was still in the process [of] when I volunteered for KP to get away from just sitting around. But, that’s one of the things–– attitude, or change in lifestyle–– and observing the way [of] officers (1:39:37). I will say this, the officers I served under were all very good except one and he was newly commissioned–– all spit-and-polish–– always jumping on people for not saluting or having their shirt or coat open. But, attitude makes a big difference in life. But, I would say that was one of the big things that I learned in the military. But, when people said, “Jump,” you jumped, even if you didn’t like it. You learned to accept the responsibility, which carried on through my life in the tool and die business. Getting along with–– especially when you're a supervisor and instructing people [and] teaching people to run machinery and how to do this. They way you went about it. [I] took a lesson from some of the officers–– some of the ways they treated people and how they–– instead of giving them an order–– just becomes a conversation. That’s what I call “learning from life.” Make the best of it. (1:41:43). Interviewer: “Well, the whole thing makes for a pretty good story, so I’d just like to close this out by thanking you for taking the time to share it today.” It was interesting. (1:42:01). � 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 BensonG2297V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benson, Gerald Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-03 Title A name given to the resource Benson, Gerald (Interview transcript and video), 2019 Description An account of the resource Jerry Benson was born on August 28, 1926 in Lafayette Township, Michigan. He graduated high school in 1944 and was unable to get any type of deferment from the service. Benson was then drafted and began his twelve weeks of Army Basic Training in December of 1944 in Texas. He was then shipped from Angel Island, California, to Leyte in the Philippines after the fighting had moved onto Okinawa. While awaiting assignment in Leyte, Benson went on search patrols for any remaining Japanese troops left behind in the Philippines. He was then assigned to the Headquarters Section of the 108th Infantry, 40th Division, making practice landings in preparation for the invasion of Honshu Island, or mainland Japan. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and it surrendered unconditionally, Benson was shipped out in December of 1945 to Busan, Korea. Benson was then transferred into the 6th Combat Engineers as a demolitions expert and bulldozer operator, tasked with building up infrastructure outside Seoul. After serving in Korea with the Army engineers and serving out his enlistment, Benson decided to leave the service and was shipped back to the United States in the fall of 1947. He then returned to the family farm before going to work for Chevrolet Motor Company in Flint, Michigan, in 1948. Wanting to see more of the world, Benson spent some time helping his brother as a business partner for his own farm and visited his sister at Michigan State University where he met his future wife, marrying in January of 1949. Afterwards, he and his wife moved to East Lansing where she finished college and he continued to work in a local factory. Following his wife’s graduation, Benson was interviewed due to his skills in the automobile industry and was offered a job at General Motors, but opted to go into business with his father-in-law. Eventually, competition from large corporations urged Benson to seek other employment, so he entered the tool and die industry. He went on to work several other industrial jobs before settling into Spring Lake, Michigan. Reflecting upon his service, Benson believed the Army taught him how to work together with other, different people since he did not have such prior experience through school or sports teams. He also concluded that personal attitude played an important role in how he and his peers conducted their lives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States—History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians—Personal narratives, American 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 application/pdf video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2fa6756a9b8dfcac9c6bb713cc4c6923.pdf dd6e84928312f179ba9e216b117020d8 PDF Text Text BENZIE COUNTY 2020 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN �Adopted by the BENZIE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Andrew W. Nester, Chair William Johnson, Vice Chair Kathryn Seitz, Secretary Donald Tanner Mary Pitcher Jerry Priebe Wally Edwards Andrew W. Nester Mike Evans With assistance from the Comprehensive Plan Subcommittee Cliff Graves Mary Pitcher Kurt Luedtke Marcia Davis Dori Noble Turner William Johnson Agriculture Subcommittee Mike Evans Clarence Davis Mark Evans Ray Kimpel Arthur St rong Will Wolfe Roger Griner Cheryl Kobernik Dodie Putney Randy Bell Forestry and Mineral Extraction Subcommittee Arthur Strong, Chair Dick Cooper Diane Hash Mike Moorman Mary Pitcher Michael Duwe Hans Voss Harold Trealout Residential Development and Land Division Subcommittee Allen Appelhof Moore Peregrine Roger Papineau Jeanne Dzik Wally Edwards Kathy Seitz Sensitive Lands and Water Resources Subcommittee Nancy Kasperzak Virginia Sorenson Ray Kadlec Sally Casey Craig Meredith William Olsen Doug Stevens Raymond Antel Moore Peregrine Don Tanner Jim Baltazar Harlan Reichle Jim Sheets Steve Fernand Roger Griner Intergovernmental Cooperation Subcommittee Michael Moorman Ed Duncan Jeanne Dzik Jean Rosa Ray Kimpel Catherine Werts Transportation Subcommittee Timothy Young Jim Brian Andrew Nester Community Facilities and Services Subcommittee Vickie Burlew Julia Deemer Charles Fisk Sheriff Vance Bates Richard Draper Bruce Ogilvie Jerry Jennex Bill Johnson John Nuske Andrew Nester Carol Dye Suzy Volz Alex Knox Mary Hoyt William Olsen Jobs and Economic Development Subcommittee Betsy Evans Harold Case James Strickland Dennis Haugen Jim Macinnes Priscilla Woodley Recreation Subcommittee Ray Kimpel Donald Tanner And assistance to all subcommittees from Anne Bourne and David Neiger, Benzie County Planning Director �BENZIE COUNTY 2020 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Prepared by the Benzie County Planning Commission to replace the 1993 County Plan With assistance from: Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. 715 N. Cedar Street Lansing, Ml (517) 886-0555 www.pzcenter.com October, 2000 �Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE Plan Purpose ........................................................................................... i Plan Contents and How to Use the Plan ................................................. ii Background Reports ..... .......................................................................... ii CHAPTER 1 - BENZIE COUNTY IN 2000 Introduction ....................................................... ................................... 1-1 Physical Description ............................................................................ 1-1 Natural Resources ............................................................................... 1-1 Demographic Profile and Projections of County Residents ................. 1-2 The Benzie County Economy ....... .. ..................................................... 1-3 Land Use Profile and Projections ......................................................... 1-4 Infrastructure in Benzie County .. .......................................................... 1-5 CHAPTER 2 - BENZIE COUNTY 2020 VISION: What Benzie County Residents Value Introduction ......................................................................................... 2-1 21st Century Benzie County .... ........................................................... 2-1 Scenic and Rural Character Preserved ............................................... 2-1 City and Village Centers ..................................................................... 2-2 Diversity is Celebrated ........................................................................ 2-2 Quality of Life - A County of Options and the Arts ..... ......................... 2-3 Economic Development - A County of Opportunity .... ......................... 2-3 Intergovernmental Cooperation/Coordination ..................................... 2-4 CHAPTER 3 - WHAT'S AT RISK: Major Issues and Analysis Introduction ........ ................................................................................. 3-1 Rural Character, Open Space and Scenic View Preservation ............. 3-2 Lake and River Water Quality ...................................................... ........ 3-5 Ground Water Quality ............ .............................................................. 3-6 Forestry ...............................................................................................3-6 Minerals ............... ................................................................................ 3-7 Recreation .......................... ................................................................. 3-8 Public Lands .............................................. ........ .................................. 3-9 Lake Access ........................................................................................ 3-9 Sand Dunes and High Risk Erosion Areas .............. .......................... 3-10 Historic Preservation .......................................................................... 3-11 Agriculture Preservation .................................................................... 3-11 Agriculture and Residential Conflicts ................................................. 3-12 Over-Zoning for Residential Development ......................................... 3-12 Industrial Development .................... ... ............................................... 3-13 Commercial Development. ............. .................................................... 3-14 Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan �Development Along US-31 and M-115 .............................................. 3-14 Transportation .................................................................................... 3-14 Affordable Housing .. ... ....................................................................... 3-16 Community Services and Facilities, Including Sewer and Water .. .. ... 3-16 Intergovernmental Cooperation and Coordination ............................. 3-17 Coordinated Planning and Zoning ..................................................... 3-18 Sustainability ....... ............................................................................... 3-18 CHAPTER 4 - FUTURE LAND USE AND URBAN SERVICES DISTRICTS Introduction .......................................................................................... 4-1 Vision-Based, Policy Driven, Future Land Use Pattern ........................ 4-2 Sensitive Environment Protection Areas ........................................ 4-5 Public Lands and Recreation ......................................................... .4-5 Agricultural Protection Areas ......................................................... .4-5 Rural Residential ............................................................................4-7 Medium Density Single Family Residential .................................... .4-8 Business/Commercial ..................................................................... 4-8 Industrial ............................................. ............................................ 4-8 Policy Maps .........................................................................................4-9 Sensitive Environments ................................................................. .4-9 Recreation .......... ............................................................................ 4-9 Agriculture Protection .....................................................................4-9 Rural Residential .......................................................................... 4-10 Transportation lmprovements ...................................................... .4-11 Job Centers .................................................................................. 4-11 Urban Services Districts (USO) .................................................... 4-11 Policy Maps Yet to be Developed ...................................................... 4-17 Zoning Plan ........................................................................................4-17 CHAPTER 5 - PRINCIPLES, STRATEGIES &POLICIES Introduction .......................................................................................... 5-1 Fundamental Principles ....................................................................... 5-1 Balanced Growth Strategy ................................................................... 5-4 Environmental Protection Strategy ...................................................... 5-8 Strategy to Protect the Visual Character of the Landscape ............... 5-11 Strategy to Protect the Visual Character of Small Towns .................. 5-13 Strategy to Address Issues of Greater than Local Concern ............... 5-15 CHAPTER 6 - PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Introduction .......................................................................................... 6-1 Focusing on Priorities ............ .............................................................. 6-2 Annual Tasks .................................................................................. 6-2 Top Priorities .................................................................................. 6-2 Dealing with Issues of Greater Than Local Concern ............................ 6-4 Role of Key Players ............................................................................. 6-6 New Roles of the County Board of Commissioners ........................... 6-10 Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan �New Roles of the County Planning Commission .......... ...................... 6-10 New Roles of the Local Planning Commissions and Governing Bodies .................................................................... 6-11 New County Planning Department Roles ........................................... 6-11 Tools to Implement the Plan .............................................................. 6-12 Mechanism for Updating the Comprehensive Plan ............................ 6-12 Concluding Thought.. ......................................................................... 6-12 LIST OF TABLES 6-1 Issues of Greater than Local Concern ................................................. 6-5 6-2 Traditional Responsibilities of the Local Government Decision Makers ........................................................................... .. .6-7 LIST OF FIGURES 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-4 5-5 Balanced Growth Strategy ................................................................... 5-7 Environmental Protection Strategy .................................................... 5-10 Natural Landscape Features .............................................................. 5-12 Visual Character Elements ................................................................ 5-14 Issues of Greater Than Local Concern .............................................. 5-16 LIST OF MAPS 1-1 1-2 1-3 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 4-7 4-8 Existing Land Use ............... .. ..................................... ........... ............... 1-6 Benzie County Sewer and Water Districts .. ......................................... 1-7 Benzie County Roads .. ........................................................................ 1-3 Future Land Use ............................................................. ..................... 4-3 Benzie County Sensitive Environments .................................... .. ........ .4-4 Benzie County Recreation Areas ........... .......................................... .. .. 4-6 Benzie County Agriculture Protection Areas ........................................ 4-7 Benzie County Rural Residential ...................................................... .4-13 Benzie County Transportation lmprovements .................................... 4-14 Benzie County Job Centers .. ............................................................ .4-15 Benzie County Urban Services Districts ............................................ 4-16 Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan �PREFACE Plan Purpose The purpose of this Comprehensive Plan is to provide policy and guide decision making for future land and infrastructure development decisions within Benzie County. Within the Plan, key planning issues are identified; community character is described; goals and policies are outlined; existing and future land uses are described and mapped; public facility standards are established; transportation improvements are identified and specific implementation measures are recommended. The planning process used in developing the Benzie County Comprehensive Plan included meetings of the County Planning Commission, the 70 member Citizen Advisory Committee, topical Subcommittees, mapping, data analysis, consideration of alternative development options, hundreds of citizens at town meetings, and public hearings. Critical to the planning process was the preparation of ten background reports. These reports provide the most thorough reference to data, trends, issues and recommendations used as a basis for this Plan. The Subcommittees for each of the background reports were comprised of citizens, local officials and persons with expertise in the topic area. They are listed on the back of the title page. This Plan is adopted by the Benzie County Planning Commission to promote public health, safety, and welfare through planning for the appropriate use of land and water resources and the provision of adequate public facilities and services. Although this Plan states specific land use and development policy and proposes specific land use arrangements, it has no regulatory power. It will be implemented by County and local zoning decisions, public facility and infrastructure improvements and the actions of private property owners acting consistent with the Plan. The Planning Commission adopts this Plan pursuant to authority in the County Planning Act, PA 245 of 1945. The Benzie County Comprehensive Plan will probably be used most frequently to guide decisions by the Benzie County Planning Commission on whether or not to approve local plans and rezoning approvals submitted to it. The Plan will also guide recommendations made by the County Planning Commission to County and State authorities on roads, parks, county buildings and other infrastructure. The land area covered by this Plan includes the entire area of Benzie County and all 19 units of local government in the County. It is intended to promote sensible and sustainable interjurisdictional land use planning. It is hoped that this Plan will guide the formation of Township, City and Village plans consistent with it and that subsequent local zoning and infrastructure decisions will also be made consistent with it. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan �All proposed future land use arrangements and policies presented in this Plan were developed based on a blending of: • The natural capability of the land to sustain certain types of development and the important natural functions played by unique land and water resources in the area. • The relative future need for residential, commercial, and industrial land uses; as well as the existing land use distribution. • The relationship of agricultural and undeveloped lands to existing community character and the economic base of the County. • The desires of local residents and public officials as expressed through their participation in visioning sessions, Subcommittee meetings, Citizen Advisory Committee meetings and public Planning Commission meetings. This Plan has a time orientation of twenty to twenty-five years into the future. It is heavily influenced by the Concept of Sustainability: that a community should make decisions today that meet the needs of the present without undermining the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Plan Contents and How to Use the Plan There are three critical components to using this Plan as a decision making guide. • First is the future land use map and associated policy maps presented in Chapter Four. • Second, are the policies in Chapter Five. These are based on public input and reflect where citizens want their County to be over the next twenty to twenty-five years. The condition of the County now, and recent trends of population size, age and other characteristics, as well as economic, infrastructure and natural resource conditions form the foundation for planned change and are discussed in Chapters One through Three. • Third, are the implementation strategies found in Chapter Six. Key priorities for action are described. This Plan is a statement by the County Planning Commission regarding the present and desired future character of the County and strategies to assure that character. As a formal and tangible document, this Plan is intended to instill a sense of stability and direction for County, City, Village and Township officials, and for Benzie County citizens. Background Reports Following is a list of each of the background reports prepared prior to the adoption of the Plan. Each background report includes much more data and analysis than is included in the Plan on the subject matter it addresses. Each background report was adopted by the County Planning Commission, following a public hearing, and comprises important detail not repeated in this Plan. Please Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan ii �consult these background reports for greater detail on any issue or policy included in this Plan. Background Reports Agriculture Community Services and Facilities Forestry and Minerals Intergovernmental Cooperation Jobs and Economic Development Recreation (Completed as an update to the Benzie County Recreation Plan) Residential Development Sensitive Lands and Forestry Social and Economic Trends Transportation Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan iii �CHAPTER 1 BENZIE COUNTY IN 2000 Introduction This chapter briefly describes the key elements of Benzie County's natural resources, population, economy, community facilities and land use. This sets the stage for later chapters that compare Benzie County as it exists in 2000 with how citizens want it to be in the future (vision statement). Later chapters also discuss various issues citizens face in dealing with the existing situation and why the existing conditions are not desirable. Physical Description Benzie County has an area of 316 square miles, making it the smallest county in the state in land area. It is located along the shore of Lake Michigan and is bordered on the north by Leelanau County and the south by Manistee County. Grand Traverse County is to the east. There are nineteen communities within Benzie County. These include Frankfort City, the Villages of Elberta, Beulah, Benzonia, Honor, Lake Ann and Thompsonville. There are also the Townships of Almira, Benzonia, Blaine, Colfax, Crystal Lake, Gilmore, Homestead, Inland, Joyfield, Lake, Platte and Weldon. All communities have their own zoning ordinance except for seven townships which are under County zoning: Benzonia, Blaine, Colfax, Crystal Lake, Gilmore, Joyfield and Platte. Natural Resources Benzie County is rich in natural resources. These include large forested areas, beautiful, clean lakes, high quality rivers, wetlands, minerals, dunes and ridges. These natural resources provide both great economic benefit and a way of life high in the qualities of nature, scenery, clean air and water and recreation opportunity. The County's natural features are comprised primarily of lake-border plains, hill plains, rivers, inland lakes and the Lake Michigan shoreline and dunes. Large areas of the County are forested. Its elevation extends from about 600 feet above sea level to about 1,000 feet elevation. Most agricultural activities are associated with fruit production. The combination of soils, climate and near-shore hillsides make much land uniquely suited for cherries and apples (in particular). Oil and gas deposits, primarily in the Antrim Formation, underlie the County. There are oil and gas drilling operations, primarily in the southern part of the County. Sand and gravel deposits exist, both in the dunes and glacial ridges in the western part of the County. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-1 �Demographic Profile and Projections of County Residents Population Benzie County has the sixth smallest year-round population among counties in Michigan. The Benzie County population was 11,205 in 1980, and 12,200 in 1990. The Census Bureau estimated the 1999 population at 15,257, making it one of the fastest rates of growth in the state. The future population of Benzie County will be about 15,500 by the year 2000 and 17,700 persons by 2020, according to projections made by the Office of State Demographer, Michigan Department of Management and Budget (DMB). If the economy of Michigan remains strong and the Traverse City metro area continues to grow, these projections are likely to be low. However, population growth is not uniform across all jurisdictions within Benzie County. Lake Ann shows no change between 1980 and the 1998 estimated population. There are no declines between 1980 and 1998 but there were between 1970 and 1990, with the largest decline in the Village of Elberta (-20% between 1970 and 1990). The greatest township increases between 1980 and 1998 were in Almira, Lake and Inland Townships, with increases of 64% and 62% respectively. The Colfax Township portion of Thompsonville showed a 108% population increase during the same period, due to residential construction at Crystal Mountain Resort. The County population increased due to both a net increase in population and inmigration (people moving into the County). The birth rate in 1998 was 11.1 per thousand (from Census Bureau estimate of births) and the death rate was 10.5 per thousand (also from Census Bureau estimate of deaths). In-migration, which accounted for 10. 7% of the population increase between 1992 and 1996, was primarily due to retirees settling in Benzie County to enjoy its scenery, natural resources and other amenities, as well as persons building homes in Almira and Inland townships to be close to jobs in Traverse City. Seasonal Population Benzie County's population doubles during three summer months to nearly 26,000 persons, and increases by at least 13% in the other months due to an influx of vacationers. These persons stay in second homes, campgrounds, RV sites, hotels, motels, B & Bs, cottages and at overnight marina slips. According to the Northwest Michigan Seasonal Population Model, (1996, produced for the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments), there are nearly 2,300 facilities for overnight guests in Benzie County. The largest numbers of such units were in Benzonia, Crystal Lake and Lake Townships, each of which had over 700 such units. Only 33 units were available for migrant workers, and 28 units were boarded up. Seasonal residents contribute greatly to the local economy, tax bases and to the creation of opportunities that wouldn't exist for a smaller population. But they also require building a bigger infrastructure to serve them and often are not enthusiastic about growth proposals that excite permanent residents. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-2 �They rarely register to vote in proportion to permanent residents (since they usually live most of the year elsewhere). Age Benzie County has a slightly older than average population . In the age groups, under 18, and 18 to 24 years, Benzie County had 24.2% and 7.5% respectively in 1990 compared to State averages of 26.5% and 10.8% respectively. In the age groups of 45 to 64 years and 65 years and over, Benzie County had 22.4% and 17.2% respectively compared to State averages of 18.7% and 11 .9% respectively in 1990. This reflects the attraction of Benzie County as a place to retire and the lack of job opportunities that result in young people leaving the County for employment elsewhere. It also reflects the relative lack of families raising children in the County. Race Whites far outnumbered any other race in 1990. Of a total population of 12,200, there were 30 blacks, 237 American Indians, 129 Hispanics and 35 Asians. Families and Households While the size of families declined by 8% in Benzie County between 1980 and 1990, the number of households increased 19% during that period. This is a typical situation throughout Michigan. It is due in part, to an aging population in which retired couples move to the County, without children. It is also partly due to the increasing number of families headed by single parents. There were 4,772 occupied dwelling units in Benzie County in 1990, up from 4,008 in 1980. If that rate of change continued, there would be over 5,500 dwelling units in 2000. These include single family homes, mobile homes and multiple family homes or apartments. Education The residents of Benzie County have an average education level that is primarily provided by public schools. K-12 school enrollment in Benzie County was 2,608 in 1990. Elementary and high school enrollment was 1,928 and public school enrollment was 96.6% . There were 66 high school dropouts in 1990 and 333 persons enrolled in college. Of persons 25 years or older, 76.6% were high school graduates in 1990, which is about the State average. Fifteen percent have bachelor's degrees or higher education, which is about two percentage points below the State average. The Benzie County Economy Economic Sectors The two major economic sectors in Benzie County are recreation/tourism and agriculture. There are also manufacturing facilities, health care facilities and gov- Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-3 �ernment employment. Many residents of Benzie County work in Grand Traverse County. Employment Employment in Benzie County has improved in the last few years, reflecting an over-all improved State economy. The work force in Benzie County in 1999 was 7,825 persons, up 10% from 1992. Of this number, 7,375 persons were working, on average, in 1999. This is 1,725 more persons than in 1992, a 31% increase. Unemployment declined in Benzie County in recent years, as it has in the State. The 1999 average rate was 5. 7%, down nearly 6 percentage points, a 52% decline, from 1992. Unemployment rates differ throughout the jurisdictions in the County, ranging from a low of 1.4% in 1999 in Platte Township to a high of 14.7% in Weldon Township. The other community with a high unemployment rate was Colfax Township, with an average unemployment rate in 1999 of 13%. In the past, unemployment has been high in Benzie County during times of statewide economic problems. The recreation and tourism industry is seen as potentially important in providing for higher levels of future employment in the County. Employment Projections Based on data from the Michigan Employment Security Commission for the period 1985-1995, if employment is projected for the communities in Benzie County to 2020, total employment will grow to 7,436 by 2000 and 11,680 by 2020, a 120% increase over 1990. Projections by the University of Michigan Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations made in 1994 are far less optimistic, the projected increase in employment in Benzie County by the year 2020 will be in the range of 20 to 30%. The total increase in jobs for Benzie County is projected by U of M to be no higher than 2,000 additional jobs between 1990 and 2020. Counties with low base employment and located off of major transportation routes are notoriously difficult to project. Land Use Profile and Projections The major land uses in the County are forest and agriculture. See Map 1-1 . There are significant wetland areas, located primarily in the southeastern part of the County. Beaches and dunes line nearly all of the Lake Michigan shoreline. There are orchard areas in the western part of the County, many just east of the dunes. Developed landscapes occur primarily along the major lakes, rivers, in villages and in strip residential acres along a few of the State and County roads. Because of the extensive residential development along lakes and rivers , there is limited access to public water bodies. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-4 �Over 36% of Benzie County is publicly owned land. About 10,000 acres are in Federal ownership within the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. There are about 59,000 acres in the Pere Marquette State Forest, the Betsie River State Game Area and Fish Hatchery, and the abandoned Ann Arbor Railway right-of-way. County and local governments own about 900 acres of land. If one compares land use/cover maps based on aerial photographs taken at two different times, 1978 and 1996, a large increase in residential land use can be seen along the major state highways and county roads. At the same time, considerable fragmentation of private land into 5 and 10 acre parcels occurred between 1978 and 1996. This fragments the natural resource base and has significantly changed both the land uses and pattern of land use in the County. Infrastructure in Benzie County Community Facilities All levels of government maintain a variety of facilities in Benzie County. The Federal government has post offices, a Coast Guard station and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore. The state has a Department of Natural Resources fish hatchery, boat launch sites, large areas of state forest plus horseback and snowmobile trails. The County has a government complex plus recreation facilities. Local governments have town halls, fire stations and local parks. These are widely distributed across the County. Only Frankfort, Elberta, Beulah and Crystal Mountain Resort have both public water and sewer service and these systems have fairly limited excess capacity. In addition, Benzonia and Thompsonville have public water, and Honor has public sewer. See Map 1-2. Roads The primary roads in Benzie County are US 31, M-22 and M-115. These state arterials provide access within the major quadrants of the County, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as well as access to the major regional population centers outside the County. The major county roads provide access to farms, villages and State lands. Both the major and minor roads provide access to lakefront properties. See Map 1-3. There is a Harbor of Refuge and a designated deepwater port in Frankfort on Betsie Lake, which is well used by recreational boaters and commercial traffic on the Great Lakes. There are two general aviation airports. One is outside the City of Frankfort and the other is near Thompsonville. These airports provide service for charter flights and privately owned airplanes. Passenger air service is available at Traverse City and Manistee. The former Ann Arbor railroad was abandoned and has become the Betsie Valley Trail. There are no other active railroad lines in the County. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-5 �Scale 1" = 9,500 feet or 1.8 miles ( Benzie County Land Use - 1997 Township Boundaries t CJ Highways County Roads Two Tracks Residential Roads Lakes, Rivers .. Gas Lines ._._. Trails Land Use Categories I- 112 - Multi-Family Residential 113 - Single Family Residential ( • 115 - Mobile Home Park 12, 121, 122,124,126 - Commercial • 13, 138 - Industrial 141, 143, 146 - Transportation, Utilities • 17, 171, 173 - Extractive 19, 193, 194 - Open Land, Outdoor Rec. • 21 - Cropland 1] 22 - Orchards 24 - Pasture 29 - Other Agriculture l 31, 32 - Open Space/Rangeland 41 - Deciduous 411 - Northern Hardwood 413 - Aspen/White Birch Assoc. - 414 - Lowland Hardwood 421 - Pine Ii 422 - Other Upland Conifer 423 - Lowland Conifer 429 - Christmas Tree Plantation [ 51, 52 - Water 61,611,612,621,622, 623 -Wetlands 72 - Beach 73 - Sand Dune • • • 3143 Loqan Valley Rd Traverse c,ry, Ml 49684 (231) 947.6400 www.mgmap.com 1130199 �Map 1-2 Benzie County Existing Sewer and Water Areas l. AX£ MICHIGAN Sewer and Water Sewer and Water tNORTH Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-7 �Map 1-3 Benzie County Roads i NORTH KEY US and State Highways ® US Highway Bituminous Roads @ State Highway Gravel Surfaced and Improved Roads @) County Road Unimproved Roads Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 1-8 �CHAPTER2 BENZIE COUNTY 2020 VISION: What Benzie County Residents Value Introduction Following is a vision statement that describes Benzie County, as residents at 4 town meetings held in 1996 wanted it to be in the year 2020. The vision is organized into topic areas that separately focus on key elements of the County. What emerges when all sections are read together, is a complete image of Benzie County, as residents would like it to be in 2020 and beyond. The vision statement plus substantial additional research and deliberation by committees of County residents were the basis for goals, objectives and actions of this Plan to chart a path for achieving the vision. More detail on these can be found in the various Comprehensive Plan background reports. When reading this vision, it is necessary to mentally 'transporl"yourself into the future. Thus, there are references "back" to the 1990's. 21st Century Benzie County Benzie County residents, businesses and visitors have diverse needs, desires and dreams, and satisfying them is a big challenge for any community. Benzie County residents and businesses enjoy a rich quality of life and are reaping the benefits of commitments made years ago. Unfazed by the sprawl and loss of scenic and rural character occurring throughout the rest of the State, the alluring characteristics of towns and landscapes that initially attracted residents to the County have been maintained over time, or enhanced. Beginning in the late 1990s, proactive policies and initiatives, economic development plans and resource preservation plans were undertaken which went well beyond common practice in order to improve the quality of life and to retain, and attract people and business to the County. The results of this hard work are obvious to visitors and residents alike. Benzie County has become a true reflection of sustainability (meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs). Businesses, neighborhoods, parks, schools, local government and natural resources are healthy and self-sustaining in 2020. When asked about Benzie County, residents use terms like "beautiful," "scenic," "diverse," "clean," and "stimulating". Residents are also quick to say that Benzie County is an outdoor sports paradise and a great place to raise families or retire. Scenic and Rural Character Preserved Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 2-1 �New growth and development has occurred in compact form and in locations that retain ample open space throughout the County, reinforcing the scenic visual character rather than detracting from it. (The visual character of a community is set by the style, size and upkeep of its homes, businesses and civic places such as parks, stores, schools and government buildings. It is also set by the presence or absence of water and vegetation, hills and highways.) In Benzie County, large-scale changes to the landscape (especially of vegetation, views, open spaces, and the water's edge), have been minimized by encouraging thoughtfully designed and buffered new development, and redevelopment, into select locations. Locations that were unattractive or lacked scenic character in 2000 have been improved by 2020. This philosophy has been applied to both residential and non-residential development. Existing and new development has been screened with buffer plantings in character with Northern Michigan. Parking lots, big buildings and outside storage areas can hardly be seen through thick vegetation. Signs are well designed to enhance commerce and directions without detracting from scenic views. Key to protecting and enhancing community character has been the conscious effort to deal thoughtfully with corridors. New developments have been designed to minimize conflicts on existing roads. A transportation system jointly serves the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and automobile drivers safely and efficiently. Links were established between residential neighborhoods and commercial and industrial development to provide safe, attractive and low cost pedestrian and bike routes as an alternative to automobiles. Where the visual character, sounds, dust, smells and level of activity of commercial and industrial development would not be compatible with residential neighborhoods and important, scenic views, they are separated or buffered. Where commercial development can serve residential needs, it is encouraged to locate adjacent to residential neighborhoods, but with architectural design and layout that fits the character of the neighborhoods. City and Village Centers Benzie County citizens and officials long ago recognized that for a city or village to remain "alive", it must be a vital place for citizens and businesses. Structures and places of historical and architectural significance have been renewed and serve as reinforcing elements of visual character. City and village sidewalks are lined with shops and full of people. Community events make these centers the place to be on a regular basis. Parks and streets lined with stately trees welcome visitors and residents alike, while public art is evident in all public spaces. There are no isolated, visually obtrusive strip or regional shopping malls. Diversity is Celebrated County leaders long ago recognized that accommodating a diversity of people and life styles was critical to the long-term vibrancy and strength of the County. · Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 2-2 �They realized that variety in housing choices and living environments would strengthen the County over time. As a result, a wide range of housing types, styles and locations are available to met the needs of the citizens in the County. Revitalized older neighborhoods have provided an affordable housing opportunity for families of various sizes and ages. This was in part due to significant reinvestment but also, to strict enforcement of the County building, housing and rental codes. Many of the County's least expensive neighborhoods have become some of the most popular for first time homebuyers. New subdivisions have been located close to existing villages and have, through clustering and conservation principles, protected sensitive environments and natural scenery. Quality of Life - A County of Options and the Arts The County has long held recreation and education as important aspects of quality of life. The public and private school systems provide excellent educational opportunities. Students are well disciplined, computer literate and ready to pursue any endeavor. Citizens can continue higher education, obtain technical, job-related training and can take adult enrichment courses in a wide variety of subjects. Drugs and crime have never become serious problems. Benzie County has joined forces with the school districts to establish one of the most comprehensive regional recreation programs found in the State. The public schools provide ample indoor recreation opportunities during the winter months. Benzie County residents enjoy the National Lakeshore, local parks and the recreation opportunities of State lands and public access sites in all seasons. Canoeing, boating and use of the extensive trail system continue to be popular pastimes. Music, art and museum events in many civic and private facilities continue to provide entertainment for all generations of Benzie County citizens. Economic Development - A County of Opportunity The cities, villages, townships and County continue to work together on an aggressive economic development program aimed at retention, expansion and attraction of business and industry within the County. The primary objective is to create and maintain a healthy and growing economy in Benzie County. To appreciate the success of this initiative one need only to visit the County's clean, unobtrusive and compact industrial districts, successful farms and productive forests. Strong community values and quality-of-life offered by communities within the County have been part of the attraction of new jobs to the County. By continually reinvesting in compact and efficient sewer and water systems, utilities and transportation, communities within the County have demonstrated the capacity to satisfy basic industry requirements on par with any community in Michigan. A Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 2-3 �marketing program, which proactively solicits business and industry, has also been a significant factor in the success of local economies . Intergovernmental Cooperation/Coordination A shared set of policies structured around a common vision of the future serves as a framework for decision making between all Benzie County governmental entities. The common vision and set of policies recognizes the autonomy of each unit of government but also establishes a mechanism for dealing with issues of greater than local concern. Communities apply the dual principles of respect and cooperation on issues of mutual interest. Parochialism no longer prevents achievement of area-wide interests, and the uniqueness of each is celebrated . Coordination of costs, timetables, responsibilities and resources to continue upgrading the quality of life of the area are all included as an integral part of these cooperative policies. All county and local public services and facilities are coordinated, as are state and private services and facilities when appropriate to do so . While local land use decisions are guided by local zoning standards, issues of greater than local concern are subject to input from surrounding local governments before a final decision is made. Special ad hoc committees aid communication among local governments in this process and help ensure adequate public participation . These procedures have replace the conflict and controversy that used to surround decisions on issues of greater than local concern. John :e:\Benzie county\plan\CHAPTER 2 fi nal.doc Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 2-4 �CHAPTER 3 WHAT'S AT RISK: Major Issues and Analysis Introduction What is at risk in Benzie County is a way of life that attracted people to the County, a way of life long-time residents value and a promise of the way of life residents envision for the future. Benzie County citizens have said that their County is changing in undesirable ways-losing its scenic character, roads becoming congested. They have also said it is not changing in desirable waysliving wage jobs are not plentiful within the County. There are many other, specific issues of concern to citizens. This chapter looks at the major land use issues identified by Benzie County citizens through visioning sessions, planning commission meetings, advisory committee meetings and subcommittee work for background papers. The following list briefly identifies the major issues discussed in this chapter: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The single most important feature of the County is its scenic rural character Development is rapidly eroding scenic and rural character Increasing development could impair water quality unless managed properly Increasing development could impair effective forest management Increased oil and gas extraction has risks for pollution, human health and destruction of wildlife habitat Recreation facilities are not always located near where people live Extensive private in-holdings in public lands threaten long-term management Existing lake access sites have inadequate parking and buffers with adjoining private properties which are exacerbated because there is not enough public access to Benzie County lakes Large stretches of Benzie County Lake Michigan shoreline have sand dunes and are state-designated high risk erosion areas Historic structures are being lost due to a lack of guidance and interest. Agriculture is an important economic sector of the County Agricultural land is an important scenic resource from which farmers gain no financial reward, but tourism businesses and other residents do benefit. It is difficult to sustain agriculture in the County due to outside economic factors, local taxation policies and pressure from non-farm residents Agricultural lands are popular places for non-farmers to move because of the rural quality of life Non-farm residents often try to stop farmers from engaging in typical farming practices, threatening farm businesses Large areas of rural townships are zoned for a residential development density of about 2.5 to 10 acres per household As zoned, residential development will eventually demand more services (road improvements, schools, police and fire) than it will pay for in taxes. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-1 �• • • • • • • • • • Expansion of the (currently small) industrial sector is seen as important to the economic health of the County in order to expand living wage jobs There is concern that strip commercial development along US-31, M-22 and M-115 will cause a loss of scenic character, congestion and safety problems if current trends continue Some important roads in the County are experiencing congestion and current funding mechanisms are not keeping up with maintenance needs There is a lack of quality housing that a large segment of Benzie County workers can afford Community facilities serving the whole county are becoming scattered and only accessible by car Only Frankfort and Beulah have both public sewer and water available, and the capacity is limited for future expansion The lives of Benzie County citizens are tied to more than one jurisdiction There are many issues County residents will face that will require decisionmaking by more than one jurisdiction (examples include highway corridors, rivers or trails, schools) Very little is currently being done to coordinate planning, zoning and public facility decisions between jurisdictions If all rural land is developed as presently zoned, there will be no viable farming, diminished wildlife habitat and very little scenery in the future of Benzie County. Rural Character, Open Space and Scenic View Preservation If there is one issue that permeates nearly all aspects of Benzie County life and concern for the future it is the loss of rural character, open space and scenic view preservation. The north woods character and scenic views that attract residents and vacationers to Benzie County are mentioned again and again as important resources that shouldn't be lost. Scenic character is one of the highest topics on resident's lists during visioning sessions. It is also one of the things that the people of Benzie County could lose, other than their jobs and health, and suffer the greatest change in their lives. Unfortunately, it is also the one thing Benzie County is losing the fastest due to new development authorized by existing local regulations. Residents often use the term, "rural character." When asked to define it, residents describe the forests, wooded hills, sparkling waters, orchards, farms and wetlands. A better term for this is "scenic character," because Benzie County has more nature-based landscapes than farms, orchards and pastures. Benzie County has more of a northern Michigan wooded character than that of a southern Michigan farming region. Most agricultural activities involve fruit production which also has a physical character more like a wooded landscape than fields of grain. It is also very scenic in all seasons. Preservation of scenic character in Benzie County is not going well. This is largely because of the lack of organized community action. The situation is akin Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-2 �to a person sitting on the only bailing bucket in a sinking boat. He likes sitting on the bucket so much, elevated above the rising water, he won't give it up to bail the boat. Residents, individually make their properties into a suburban haven while hoping that everyone else will maintain scenic character. That attitude might work for a county with a population of only a few thousand persons. But Benzie County's population is getting high enough (projected to reach over 17,700 by 2020) that when each person destroys scenic character on their own property, the cumulative effect is that character is lost for vast areas of the County. Benzie County residents decry the change in appearance of Grand Traverse County but go blindly ahead making a little piece of Grand Traverse County on nearly every property they develop in Benzie County. Residents base their actions on a series of overly optimistic assumptions: • .... It's OK to eliminate the scenic character of my own property because, hopefully, no one else is going to change it on their property. (Benzie County land has a highly fragmented ownership pattern so rural scenic character is dependent on the actions of thousands of property owners.) • .... It's OK to clear my narrow lot in the country because the nature along the road will always be there. (When each owner of the ten to twenty narrow lots along each mile of country road clears large portions of the lot, scenic character is lost along the whole section of that road.) • .... We can prevent a change in character of the County by fighting growth. There are thousands of undeveloped parcels in Benzie County and each property owner has the right to build on that property. There are only a few hundred parcels on which subd ivisions could be built. (Benzie County scenic character will be determined as much or more by the owners of individual parcels as by how subdivisions are planned and built. Communities have more control over how subdivisions are built - to some degree, open space can be mandated that may preserve scenic character - than individual properties. So preservation of scenic character is largely up to how individual property owners develop their property.) Benzie County residents need to decide if the public land in the state forest and national lakeshore is enough scenic character, or will they choose to make the effort to preserve scenic character on additional, private land to maintain the Benzie County they desire. Is it OK if the private land of Benzie County becomes like Chum's Corners in Grand Traverse County? Benzie County is fortunate to still have extensive undeveloped or sparsely developed lands, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. Many are in a near natural state. However, the most rapidly developing lands are those with and within the most prominent views. These lands are along the major corridors and on the ridges. There are problems with the visual character along the major corridors: • Commercial signs in Benzie County are often garish and poorly constructed. This contributes to a trashy roadside appearance . Some communities in other parts of the region and nation have smaller, attractively designed signs as the Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-3 �• • norm. Elsewhere in Michigan, but primarily along Interstate Highways, small, logo signs are being used instead of billboards to improve scenic value. Development on steep slopes is changing the character of the County. Tourists and residents who live in the County because of its scenic qualities would probably agree that, to be truly scenic, views of ridges should mostly be of forests, orchards, crops or meadows. In a few areas of the County, those are the views. However, the views are increasingly of scattered homes, placed on top of the ridges to achieve views of Lake Michigan or of other ridges. There is concern that turning the view into one of development rather than scenery could eventually diminish the attractiveness of Benzie County for tourism. Others might argue that the development of the ridges is itself a form of economic boost related to scenery - the views from the hills. The problem is that the ridge development provides only short-term benefit and potentially a long-term loss. With expanding development comes increased outdoor lighting. Improperly designed, the result can be a glow in the sky that prohibits enjoyment of the night sky. Stargazing becomes impossible from such locations. Modern outdoor lighting can direct light downwards, where it more efficiently illuminates drives and parking areas yet permits the enjoyment of that part of nature that is the night sky. There are two important factors in scenic view preservation. These are: • What are the signature views in the area that residents and visitors identify with Benzie County? Residents would likely list the view of Lake Michigan coming over the M-115 hill in Frankfort, the view to Crystal Lake and Beulah driving down US 31 from Benzonia and Platte River along M-22. There would be many others. Once these are identified, a preservation plan can be developed that can be used to work with civic groups and property owners to protect or enhance the important views in ways that still promote business interests and individual property rights. • What are the most important corridors where scenery should be important? Certainly M-22, M-115 and US-31 are important corridors. Do residents want them to remain scenic corridors or for segments to become scenic corridors where the view is currently not attractive? Voluntary design guidelines can be developed to foster high visual quality along road corridors. To preserve or enhance scenic corridors requires planning and cooperation of roadside property owners. The extent of the view needs to be mapped so particular property owners can be approached to voluntarily participate in improvement programs. The qualities that make up a scenic view for Benzie County need to be identified, and made a part of educational efforts that provide direction for property owners. New residential development is happening so rapidly, and in a suburban style, that it is changing the character of Benzie County, especially in the northeastern part of the County. This character is being changed, to a great extent, by strip Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-4 �residential development. Strip residential development is now common on stretches of many interior County roads. New subdivision and site condo development is also occurring, but to a lesser extent. Both kinds of development generally do not preserve those elements that make up a rural landscape, especially natural vegetation. The pattern starts with land divisions of 2-1 O acre lots fronting on major roads. It ends with a strip of new homes, less farm or forestland and less rural character. One of the driving forces of strip residential development is the need for farmers to incrementally sell land to supplement their income. Farmers need their land to be productive, and if farm produce is not profitable, growing houses often takes its place. Lake and River Water Quality Most of the surface water resources of Benzie County are very high quality. These include Crystal and Platte Lakes, the Platte and Betsie Rivers and numerous other smaller lakes, river tributaries and wetlands. Lake Michigan also is an important water resource. However, there has been some measurable decline in quality of some of these waters. Water quality depends on what happens on land surfaces. The land surfaces that drain into a water body are its watershed. Thus, a watershed approach to managing water resources will be important. A vital part of watershed management is preventing the transport of pollutants to existing water bodies. This can be done by limiting the pollutants that are applied to the land and by filtering or treating stormwater runoff before it reaches drains, rivers and lakes. Water quality is affected by pollutants and the velocity of stormwater runoff. Pollutants occur in four forms: sediment, chemicals, pathogens and warmed water. Sediment comes from bare soil, other erosion sites and paved surfaces. It can be highly destructive of fish habitat. Sediment also carries chemical pollutants although these can be carried by stormwater runoff alone. Chemical pollutants include nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen; toxic materials, such as oils, pesticides and salts; and changed water chemistry, such as lowered or raised pH. Nutrients can increase nuisance aquatic plant growth. Toxic materials and changed water chemistry can kill animals in the water and be a human health hazard. Pathogens include bacteria and viruses that come from animal waste and untreated or improperly treated sewage from homes and businesses and can be a serious human health hazard. Warmed water, such as the stormwater runoff that travels over paved surfaces and lawns before entering lakes and streams can change the temperature of the stream, affecting the aquatic life of the stream. It can be damaging to fish populations. The application of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to watershed lands affects water quality when it runs off the land. These pollutants originate on croplands, livestock pens, orchards, golf courses, shore-side lawns and gardens, Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-5 �commercial enterprises, impervious surfaces such as roads and parking lots and residential properties. Limited and appropriately targeted use of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides (Integrated Pest Management) could reduce the amount of chemicals that reach surface waters. Soil requires special attention in Benzie County. Some of it is highly erodible and, when eroded, becomes a serious pollutant. It is important that soil in Benzie County be stabilized, both on steep slopes and on flatter areas and along floodplains. In addition to pollutants, storm water can cause damage to streams and lakes because it enters at a high velocity. This can cause scouring of streambeds and banks and result in damage to fisheries. In a natural state, stormwater usually enters a lake or stream at a relatively low velocity and over a long period of time. A slight amount of flooding or erosion is natural, but not the level induced by directing stormwater over large paved areas before entering a stream or lake. Stormwater needs to be slowed, cooled and filtered before it enters the high quality streams and lakes of Benzie County. Ground Water Quality Groundwater provides drinking water to most people in Benzie County, so the quality and safety of that water is vital. The Benzie Leelanau District Health Department is involved in testing and protecting groundwater. In portions of Benzie County, water tables are close to the surface and soils are highly permeable. This makes groundwater more vulnerable to contamination from surface spills of toxic materials, leaking underground tanks and improperly treated sewage. Special treatment approaches, such as mounded septic systems, holding tanks, and pumped septic systems are necessary to protect ground water. These can influence the size of building lots and, to some extent, where homes and businesses can be built. Forestry Forest is the largest land cover category in Benzie County. According to the US Forest Service, in 1993 there were 137,000 acres of timberland (forest producing marketable wood) in Benzie County, or 67% of the County land area. There are both publicly and privately owned forestlands in Benzie County. According to the US Forest Service, 48.6% of forestland is state-owned. The remaining 51.4% is in private, corporate or miscellaneous private ownership. Thus, 32.6% of the County is state-owned forestland . Nearly 6% of the County is the federally owned, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and a portion of those lands are timberland. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-6 �Benzie County's economy is highly dependent on forests for harvested timber, land for hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation and for scenic quality. The high quality streams, rivers and lakes of Benzie County are dependent, in part, on forest cover of the watersheds. Thus, in Benzie County, a healthy economy depends, in part, on healthy and extensive forests. The primary forest vegetation type in Benzie County is beech-maple, which was also the predominate vegetation type in Benzie County during pre-settlement times. Other current vegetation types include red pine (10%), elm-ash-soft maple (8.9%), aspen (6.6%) and others of lesser percentage cover. The forest needs to have a variety of vegetation types and age classes in order to meet multiple management objectives. For example, young aspen is beneficial to deer and ruffed grouse. A diverse game and non-game wildlife population requires forest stands of different ages, from open, cleared areas to older woodlands. Such variety also improves non-hunting recreational experiences, promotes regeneration of trees, provides the opportunity to harvest over-mature forests and the option to change the mix of species to meet timber market or wildlife needs. Most of the timberland in Benzie County is fairly well stocked (the trees are making full use of available growing space, thus will increase in diameter and height becoming more valuable with time). Forestlands are important public resources, but the public and some commercial interests cause damage to those lands. Woodlands are being affected by fragmentation of the land through lot splits and construction of multiple access roads . Management of forestlands is increasingly difficult, as ownership patterns on private, undeveloped land become increasingly fragmented into smaller and smaller parcels. Increased interest in the forest industry, professional forestry and knowledge of beneficial harvesting approaches will benefit Benzie County. Minerals Benzie County has extensive mineral resources , such as oil, gas, sand and gravel. Sand and gravel resources are located primarily in the western and northern part of the County. Oil and gas resources are primarily located in the southern and eastern part. Oil and gas development can provide revenues to landowners and strengthen the local economy. Sand and gravel provides small revenues , less than in the recent past when now-closed extraction pits were active. Continued access to local sources of sand and gravel would help hold down the cost of future development. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-7 �There are problems associated with the extraction of those minerals. There is concern that extraction of oil, gas and sand and gravel by traditional methods could wreak havoc on the scenic quality and ecosystems that are important to other, larger economic sectors and the quality of life of residents. Also, residents do not always fully understand the rights of property owners and laws regarding mineral resources. Not all mineral rights are owned by those who hold the rights to surface properties. The state holds mineral rights under both public and private lands in Benzie County. It is the policy of the state to make full use of those minerals, although in sales of state-owned land, the state no longer retains mineral rights. The state will also sell severed mineral rights to the owners of the matching surface rights upon application (process not yet determined) if leases are not already let and the state foresees no substantial loss of income. Recreation The outdoor life in an attractive setting is a primary reason for many people to settle in Benzie County. Benzie County's economy is highly dependent on recreation, which, along with quality of life, is dependent on scenic quality and good to excellent quality lakes, rivers and forests. Thus, in Benzie County, a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment. The very attraction of Benzie County's scenery, boating, fishing, golf and other activities is compelling so many people to move to the County, that the very character of the County is in danger of being irrevocably altered. Benzie County has a Parks and Recreation Commission and has recently updated its Recreation Plan. The Plan needs to be updated and approved by the Recreation Division of the Department of Natural Resources every five years if the community is to remain qualified to receive grants issued through the DNR. Natural Resource Trust Fund Grants have been very helpful in obtaining and developing important pieces of recreational land in recent years. These include the Betsie Valley Trail, Railroad Point Natural Area and a site on Pearl Lake. The Parks and Recreation Commission is actively implementing the Recreation Plan. The following points summarize the recreational needs analysis of Benzie County based on national standards: • Benzie County is well equipped in the number of sports facilities. Most of these are located in the western part of the County, where the majority of citizens live. • Maintaining, upgrading and providing replacement of those sports facilities in the future will be necessary. • Benzie County appears to be lacking in neighborhood parks in the developed and developing areas. Sites should be identified for future acquisition and development. • While Benzie County has non-motorized trails, most are not close to where people can walk to get on them. Connections to existing and proposed trails and new trails in more populated areas are needed. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-8 �• • While there are large areas of well-protected, publicly owned land in the County, there are also a few areas where special precautions have not been implemented for sensitive environments. Key water access sites are available, but sites are not of suitable number, size, proximity to the population or level of development to provide adequate access in future years. Wildlife is an important feature of Benzie County that should be retained and improved for ecological benefits, quality of life experience of residents, recreation and tourism values. While Benzie County has great recreational resources available, it has a small population and few financial or institutional resources to adequately incorporate these resources into the recreational infrastructure of the County and communities within the County. Public Lands Over 36% of Benzie County land is publicly owned. Jurisdictions and agencies at several levels of government own land in Benzie County. The two largest owners of public lands are the Department of Forest Management, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Marquette State Forest) and the National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore). Other public land owners include the Fisheries Division and Recreation Division, Department of Natural Resources, US Coast Guard, as well as Benzie County itself and each of the local jurisdictions. About 10,000 acres is in Federal ownership within Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. There are about 59,000 acres in the Pere Marquette State Forest, the Betsie River State Game Area and Fish Hatchery, and the abandoned Ann Arbor Railway right-of-way. County and local governments own about 900 acres of land. While there has been little reported complaint in Benzie County over the amount of State-owned land, the original purchase of land for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore was controversial. Both State and Federal lands provide economic benefits to the County. These include serving as tourist attractions (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is highly rated for quality and draws over a million visitors a year) and natural resource pools for industry. State Forest lands are used for timber harvesting and gas and oil extraction. State Forest lands are highly fragmented, with irregular boundaries and many private in-holdings. This makes management of those lands for recreation and forestry more difficult. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-9 �- Lake Access Both waterfront property owners (riparians) and the general public have rights to the use of lakes, rivers and streams, but public access is not sufficient and there are conflicts between riparians and the general public. Use conflicts have been reported on all inland lakes in the County regarding personal watercraft. Conflicts have also been reported regarding the use of motors on fishing boats on the Betsie and Platte Rivers, popular fishing and canoeing rivers. The County Parks and Recreation Commission has identified existing boat launching sites and has observed that there are not a sufficient number of them. Also, many are not improved to provide off-road parking and paved launch ramps. Off-road parking is necessary to avoid conflicts with neighboring property owners and traffic accidents. Paved launch ramps help limit sediment pollution of the water body that can occur from gravel launch sites. Sand Dunes and High Risk Erosion Areas (HREA) The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has designated certain sections of Lake Michigan Shoreline as Critical Dunes and High Risk Erosion Areas (HREA). Construction and substantial reconstruction proposed for these areas is subject to review for conformance with state regulations. Some of the Lake Michigan shoreline dunes are unique landscapes that are unlike any elsewhere in the world. The Critical Dune Program seeks to protect endangered species and threatened wildlife habitat on such dunes through development regulations and a permit program. The HREA provides for minimum setbacks within which no principal structures may be located between the setback line and the ordinary high water mark. According to DEQ maps, there are eighteen sections of Benzie County shoreline which are designated HREAs with different setbacks. Setbacks are measured from the bluff line. Thirty year erosion rates range from a low of about 45' to a high of about 185'. This means that the shoreline is likely to recede 45' within thirty years in some sections and up to 185' in another. This is a very rapid rate of shoreline recession and should indicate extreme caution regarding buildings in that and similar areas. While recession does not proceed at a constant rate, this averages about 6' per year in the highest rate areas. Sixty year setbacks range from 75' to 350'. This means that within a period of about 2 to 3 generations, the shoreline in that area is predicted to recede more than the length of a football field. Building activity in the HREA in Benzie County is subject to permit review by both the DEQ (HREA) and the Benzie County Planning Department (soil erosion and sedimentation permit). There is no feasible or practical engineering solution to this situation. Maintaining a healthy vegetative cover on the dunes and bluffs is the best method to retard Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan . 3-10 �the rate of erosion. Public monies to protect shoreline recession will no longer be available. This is due, in part to there being less of it available, and in part because in the long term the projects are unsuccessful and the public monies wasted. The wisest course of action is to not build within the recession zone. This includes both private property owners and communities considering investing in infrastructure. Historic Preservation While there are historic homes and small areas of historic homes in Benzie County, there are no designated historic districts. The Historical Society in Lake Ann has acquired a parcel in the village and has moved some centennial buildings there. An Historic Preservation Committee has been formed in Benzonia to study formation of an historic district. Many centennial farms and old residences have been preserved in the County. The most common historic house is the American farmhouse with a vertical two story and one story wing on the side. Some have Victorian motifs. The main building material was wood, except for some commercial buildings of stone or brick. The more grand houses were owned by lumber barons and wealthy merchants. Occasionally one sees an old abandoned house collapsing unto itself. But these are few. New laws related to fire hazards have required their removal. In a county with few public water systems, fire is an eminent threat. Efforts to preserve historic structures in Benzie County appear to have a lot of support from existing and former residents of the County. Agriculture Preservation Agriculture is an important economic sector of Benzie County. However, market conditions from outside Benzie County have had a profound, negative influence on Benzie County farmers. In the late 1990s, market conditions were so tenuous as to create doubt that farming will be viable by 2020 in Benzie County. Most Benzie County farmers (and spouses and other adults in the farm family) are also employed off the farm in order to support the family. One of the methods of supplementing farm income is to periodically sell small portions of the farm for residential lots. Important costs to farmers include property taxes, which is often assessed on farmland at a rate that assumes it is used for residential or other developed uses, and inheritance taxes that make it difficult to pass a farm to heirs and have it remain a family farm. A majority of Benzie County residents and visitors enjoy the open space and scenic qualities of Benzie County farmlands and want farming to continue. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-11 �However, most Benzie County farmers expect to fund their future retirement on the sale of their land for development, not farming. Agriculture and Residential Conflicts In many parts of Benzie County, an increasing number of non-farm residences are being located in farming areas. While the new residents are attracted to the rural scenery, they show little acceptance of typical farming practices, such as spraying, manure application, the transport of farm equipment on the roads and other operations. In addition, people who live in the vicinity of farms often do not want those farms developed as subdivisions. There is little understanding among non-farmers of the economic constraints of farming in Benzie County. These include market factors, property taxes and fluctuating fuel, chemical and labor costs. One farmer stated, "We are not in the business of providing scenery." Yet this is what is often most valued by nonagricultural residents in rural areas. Over-Zoning for Residential Development Almira Township and the Lake Ann area have been experiencing rapid residential growth. Some of this growth is in the form of individual residential lots but there have also been a number of subdivisions developed as well. The Almira Township Planning Commission recently prepared a new zoning map that changed the density of large areas of the community. As a result, the eventual population could be substantially less than permitted under the previous zoning ordinance. Their revisions included provisions for open space and natural resource preservation through their subdivision ordinance. However, the buildout potential in Almira Township under current zoning is still over 20,000 persons (compared to an estimated population of 1,763). In the rest of the County it is about 124,000 compared to an estimated 1998 population of 14,678. This is called over-zoning. The pressure to continue rapid development in the northeast quarter of the County, and in the other townships in the County will continue as people who work in Traverse City try to move farther into the "country". They will try to find an area that hasn't lost scenic character to the extent that Grand Traverse County has. However, as long as the individual township zoning ordinances and the County zoning Ordinance provide for too great a density in rural townships, scattered residential development will continue with all the attendant negative impacts previously identified. Over-zoning is insidious in its ability to scatter residential development without regard to scenic and rural character considerations, while also creating a false impression in the minds of rural landowners. The false impression is that at some future time the land could be divided and sold for the maximum density allowed under the zoning ordinance. The reality is that without public sewer and water, that density is often unlikely to be approved. In addition, Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-12 �the market over the next 20 years would not be anywhere near large enough to absorb that many units - and the citizens would never permit it. Zoning density should reflect existing use levels and current public service levels. Planned future density can be higher where the community is willing to commit to a higher level of public service in a particular area. Over-zoning also destroys the potential to achieve planned, incremental growth by permitting scattered growth over a large area of the community. Industrial Development Although Benzie County has strong tourist and agricultural economic sectors, the industrial sector is also important. One of the reasons an industrial sector exists is the high quality of life that attracts business owners and workers. Other factors include the availability of timber for forest product industries, agricultural crops for agricultural products industries and a port for shipping or receiving raw materials and goods by boat to or from other parts of the Great Lakes. Benzie County industries are located throughout the County. There are two industrial parks. These are located in Frankfort and Thompsonville. There are available spaces in both parks. The Thompsonville Industrial Park is nearly empty. In addition, there are scattered industrial facilities, primarily along the major highways. The relatively limited availability of public water and sewer is a factor that will limit industrial growth in the County when existing parks and industrially zoned sites within existing sewer and water service areas become filled. There is general recognition in Benzie County that a growing economy is good. While there is no goal to make the industrial sector the largest source of income in the County, improving it is a goal. To improve the industrial sector, the following needs to happen: • Some business diversification will be important to better weather economic shifts, to provide a wider range of employment opportunity, and to broaden the tax base. • Retention of existing employers will be more important than attracting new employers because most new job growth comes from expansion of existing businesses that are already familiar with doing business in Benzie County. • Business start-ups require available land, a willing entrepreneur, available capital, available workers and adequate levels of public services. Benzie County has available land. The other factors are met in the varying degrees of success in different parts of the County. • A Comprehensive Plan can help sustain an economy by directing the location and pace of growth so that land and services (school, emergency response, roads, sewer and water) can be available for new businesses and homes for workers when needed (See Chapters 4 & 5). • Zoning, as backed by the Comprehensive Plan, can ensure that land remains available for industrial and commercial growth in appropriate locations. It can also protect farm and forestlands and the rural character that provides the Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-13 �base for the tourist economy. Zoning can also protect a wide range of land uses from the negative effects of incompatible adjacent uses. Commercial Development There is a wide range of commercial establishments in Benzie County, including grocery stores, restaurants, banks, galleries, resorts, storage facilities, marinas, gas stations and convenience shops. There has been a decline in car dealers and agricultural supply stores. Many residents travel to Traverse City to shop in the regional malls and discount stores. There are only two, small strip malls in Benzie County. There is one fast-food restaurant with drive-through service in Benzonia. Most of the commercial establishments are located in Beulah, Benzonia, Honor Elberta and Frankfort. There are a growing number of establishments located along US 31, outside those communities, primarily between Honor and the Grand Traverse County line. Commercial development, and the resultant congestion, is generally accepted within cities and villages, but can cause safety problems and commuting delays when it develops in strip form along country roads and highways. This is the emerging pattern along US 31. Alternative patterns of commercial development are available, in which access is controlled and scenic character is maintained. These have not been promoted or adopted in regulatory form by local governments in Benzie County. Development along US-31 and M-115 The highway corridors with emerging development are along US 31 from Beulah to the Grand Traverse County line and M-115 from Benzonia to Frankfort. Generally, this development is characterized as commercial, institutional and residential strip development. This means that developments occur on individual properties strung out along the road. While businesses and institutions have high visibility, it is at the cost of increased traffic accidents and loss of scenic character. Strip residential development also contributes to these problems. Alternatives that include nodes of development with shared access points and vegetation buffers to retain scenic character have not been used by those developing these properties. Transportation Road traffic is increasing in Benzie County, causing congested conditions on certain roads during peak summer tourist months. The traffic increases on some road segments were as high as 70% between 1987 and 1994. Nearly all segments of State and Federal roads show increases of 20% to over 30%. It has been reported that residents use County roads to avoid congestion on US 31 from Benzonia through Honor when traveling east toward Traverse City. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-14 �According to the Michigan Sub-State Area Long Range Plan for the Northern Sub-State Area, without roadway improvements, between 10% and 20% of Benzie County roads will be congested roads in the year 2015. Many road segments are in only fair or poor condition. Fair conditions mean that there is occasional deterioration requiring routine maintenance and poor means a frequent to heavy occurrence of surface deterioration requiring more extensive to heavy maintenance. While surface conditions improved for some State and Federal road segments between 1987 and 1994, according to the Sufficiency Reports for those years, there are still large segments of these roads rated as poor. Local roads need maintenance and repair but the money available is far less than the amount necessary to complete repairs and improvements. The Road Commission estimates about $9 million is needed for repairs of County roads and bridges. County road reconstruction occurs as the Townships and private businesses request and the Townships contribute, along with some local businesses, to the costs. Meanwhile, it has been reported by the Residential Development Subcommittee that a few townships pave gravel roads in order to foster development, increasing the future maintenance burden . The use of public roads by trucks hauling heavy loads has both positive and negative effects. There are positive effects in that industries that rely on truck hauling contribute to the Benzie County economy and shipping materials from the City of Elberta helps justify retention of the deep water port status. The negative effect is that trucks can be destructive to County roads. The Road Commission works with the local trucking companies to route trucks over the most appropriate roads but cannot keep truckers from using an all-weather road. Maintenance of County forest roads (unpaved two-tracks under County jurisdiction) is also important in Benzie County because of the logging industry and recreational interests in public forest lands. In the fiscal year, 1996, Benzie County engaged in five forest road improvement projects. The issue of a by-pass or expressway through Benzie County (or of by-passes around specific congested areas such as Honor or Benzonia) keeps arising. There is little likelihood a by-pass or expressway will come to pass within the next twenty years or so. Two scenic highway corridors have been explored. The first is along an approximately diagonal line from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along the ridge between Crystal and Platte Lakes, toward North Beulah and identified in the National Lakeshore's enabling legislation. It would be a ridge top location and a new road, but has never had funds allocated and is opposed locally. The Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-15 �other, which is only in the inventory phase, is M-22 from Frankfort through the National Lakeshore into Leelanau County. Pursuit of a scenic or heritage designation for this second corridor will only come following the inventory and if there is local support. The National Park Service would like Benzie County to abandon some County roads within the National Lakeshore that have been little used, and turn them into trails. The MDNR wants to close some redundant two-tracks in State Forests. This would please those seeking more peaceful areas and disappoint those seeking greater vehicular access to natural areas. Affordable Housing There is need for a wide range of housing types to be available in Benzie County so that singles, young couples, families, retirees, vacationers and seasonal workers can have affordable and desirable housing choices. Housing is considered affordable when it costs no more than 30% of a person's gross income. Because there is a wide range of incomes, a certain house may be affordable to a person of one income but not affordable to a person who earns less. Benzie County is becoming a residential community for people who work in Traverse City. The eastern portion of Benzie County is where most of those people settle, but there are many commuting to Traverse City from all parts of Benzie County. Affordable housing is usually most feasible when located on property served by public sewer, water and good roads. The higher density possible in these areas makes the lots affordable and contributes to the vitality of small towns. Community Services and Facilities, Including Sewer and Water While it is natural beauty that draws many people to Benzie County, living and playing in the County requires schools, police and fire departments, government offices, water and sewer in densely settled areas and other services. The degree of satisfaction of residents and tourists with community services can be a factor in whether residents are happy with local government, whether new residents or business owners settle in the County or whether tourists return. Some community leaders have suggested a new way of looking at the provision of community services. They agree with the general citizen sentiment that government should be cost-effective with the services it provides and that it should provide those services through flexible approaches and at a variety of locations, not necessarily centralized. However, they also suggest planning for services based on an evaluation of need, not on the basis of national standards. This is a new approach, sometimes referred to as "out of box thinking." For example: The traditional approach may be to begin by comparing the County to national standards, such as the number of hospital beds needed for a county of Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-16 �about 14,000 year-round population. "Out of box thinking," starts with the question, "How can we best ensure a healthy population?" While providing the number of hospital beds recommended according to national standards may be a part of ensuring a healthy population, it is only one part. Other factors must be considered, such as where the population is centered, or whether it is even centered anywhere within the jurisdiction and how mobile is the population? Services should become proactive to community needs. For example: planning for expanded jail space for juveniles should occur in conjunction with planning for programs that target at-risk youth to keep them out of trouble. Future public service expansion needs to be limited to discrete areas so that provision of those services remains cost effective, and growth associated with public services does not negatively change large areas of the County with resultant decline in the tourist economy and quality of life for residents. These areas should be in and adjacent to existing cities and villages in the County. Due to the types of soils and high water tables in parts of the County, there are serious human health issues related to how sewage is treated and the safety of ground water from which residents draw their drinking water. Public water and sewer systems have been upgraded recently in Frankfort and Beulah, but still provide service to relatively limited geographic areas. Some of the areas experiencing the fastest growth in the County do not have public sewer and water. This means that lot sizes must be large enough to permit both wells and septic systems. Larger lot sizes quickly consume large areas of land. Small lots should be provided in existing cities and villages to maximize use of limited public utilities, to keep costs per dwelling unit low and to permit affordable housing to be established. Intergovernmental Cooperation and Coordination Each resident's daily life involves activities in more than one jurisdiction within the County. Benzie County is a prime example of a place where a resident may live in one township (or city or village), work in another (perhaps another county), shop in a different township and send children to school in yet another. But land use and infrastructure decisions are routinely made by jurisdictions independently and without consideration of impacts on adjoining jurisdictions. The exceptions traditionally come: • When they want to provide services that require the cooperation of several communities to provide adequate funding, such as fire or ambulance. • When Federal or State programs require cooperation. Other, cross-jurisdictional issues that communities could address on a cooperative, intergovernmental basis, but rarely do in Benzie County include: • Viewsheds and scenic character • Watersheds and water quality • Recreational capacity Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-17 �• Public facilities and infrastructure. These are really issues of greater than local concern and there should be mechanisms in place to deal with these issues on a systematic and ad hoc basis. For Benzie County residents and businesses to continue to enjoy the quality of life they have come to expect and the scenic quality that the tourist industry relies on, intergovernmental cooperation and coordination will be required. It will also be necessary to avoid border conflicts over land use issues and to achieve most of the key goals and objectives of this Plan. Coordinated Planning and Zoning The most important arena for improved intergovernmental cooperation is with regard to local planning and zoning. In order for the scenic character and public service cost objectives of this Plan to be realized, it is important that local plans be consistent with this County Comprehensive Plan and that local zoning ordinances be revised over time in a manner consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of this Plan. This will require leadership and technical assistance from the County as well as a new spirit of cooperation throughout the County. Sustainability Sustainability is defined as providing for the needs of today's generation without compromising the needs of future generations. In Benzie County, this means taking actions that the present generation's great-great-great grandchildren will be able to enjoy, such as food grown in Benzie County, scenic views of the ridges, lakes and rivers, historic districts, trees with brilliant fall color along rural roads and clean water for drinking, fishing and swimming . Some residents question whether their children, let alone their descendents several generations hence, will have these resources to enjoy. To achieve sustainability, natural resource lands will have to be preserved, farmland will have to be protected and private properties developed according to design principles that retain scenic character. This includes architectural character in developed landscapes and north woods character in the countryside. If all rural land is developed at presently zoned densities and according to the current system of minimum lot size, there will be no viable farming, wildlife habitat will be diminished and scenic character would be gone. If these features are to be returned for the benefit of present and future generations, local zoning will need to be changed to protect farmland and open space and yet provide rural opportunities. This will require a degree of intergovernmental cooperation not previously common in Benzie County. John:e:\Benzie county\CHAPTER 3 fi nal.doc Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 3-18 �CHAPTER4 FUTURE LAND USE AND URBAN SERVICES DISTRICTS Introduction This chapter discusses how Benzie County should grow and change in the future. A community can grow and change in many different ways. Change is influenced by physical features, such as soils, streams and rivers, by existing development and by hundreds of individual decisions about using or developing the land. Change is also influenced by public decision-making, such as how much and where the public invests in infrastructure, like sewers and water lines, roads, schools and parks. It is also influenced by public regulations, such as zoning and subdivision controls. The result of a community's growth and change is a particular land use pattern. A land use pattern is a general description of the way in which the surface of the land is used. These patterns include: • A strip pattern is one in which homes or businesses are lined along major roads. • A cluster pattern is one in which businesses or homes are built in groups, usually surrounded by open space. • A nodal pattern is one where more intensive development occurs at key transportation intersections (such as at the junction of two state highways, or at a highway and freeway interchange, at airports or subway or train stations). • A compact pattern is where new development occurs at similar density next to other existing centers of housing or commerce (usually in or adjacent to a city or village). • A sprawl pattern is one in which homes or businesses are spread out across the countryside. In early stages it has an appearance similar to chicken pox, and later it fills in much as a rash. Most citizens favor a land use pattern that uses public investment efficiently and effectively, fosters a high quality of life, promotes economic health, limits conflicts between different land uses and protects resources important to the well-being of future generations. These are goals citizens of Benzie County established at the start of this planning process. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss a land use pattern the Benzie County Planning Commission chose as the preferred pattern for the future. This pattern is based on an evaluation of three alternatives considered by the Comprehensive Plan Subcommittee. For a description of the three alternatives, the pros and cons of each and the criteria used in their evaluation, see the separate report entitled Plan Alternatives. The other two alternatives not chosen, were composites of the existing plans and zoning ordinances of Benzie County communities. These alternatives promote a strip and sprawl pattern of growth when viewed collectively. The Subcommittee discovered that if the existing plans and zoning ordinances were followed, the result would be future loss of qualities of life and Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-1 �natural resources important to Benzie citizens, and increased costs to live in the County. The pattern selected is a more compact and nodal pattern of growth. It was found to be the most sustainable, the one that is the most fiscally responsible, the one that best retains scenic beauty and recreation opportunities and the one that best protects natural resources. Chapter 5 of this document lists basic policies to be implemented to achieve the desired future land use pattern. Vision-Based, Policy-Driven Compact Future Land Use Pattern The compact and nodal settlement pattern selected is vision-based and policydriven. It is linked to principles and strategies based on a set of goals, objectives, and actions whose root is in the vision of the County expressed by citizens, local officials and various stakeholders in the first phase of the County planning process (see Benzie County Vision). The Future Land Use Map is a visual representation of the vision. The text in this chapter supports that plan and the map. To gain the best understanding of the future land use pattern proposed by this Plan, use the map and the text together. In your mind, move about the County and picture how the land use pattern would change depending on where you were in the County. Don't try to fix on the use of a particular parcel or the edge of one land use. The map expresses general policy, not the application of a particular set of regulations to a particular property. The scale is not sufficient to depict use on a parcel basis. The zoning ordinance may be used for that purpose. Following is a description of the various land use categories illustrated on the vision-based Future Land Use Map (see Map 4-1 ). However, since this land use arrangement is linked to a variety of public infrastructure improvements and land use policies, to the extent these lend themselves to illustration, they are depicted on the policy maps. Maps 4-2 through 4-8 should be studied and considered together because they are designed to be implemented in tandem with the Future Land Use Map. The overall land use pattern proposed for 2020 is both compact and nodal. It concentrates the most intense residential, commercial and industrial development within urban services districts. The area affected expands beyond where urban services are provided in 2000. The area that is public land in 2000 is proposed to remain public in 2020 and continues to be primarily dedicated to recreation, open space and forestry. Agriculture preservation areas focus on retaining orchards and farms as the primary land use. Rural residential areas are devoted to very low density residential use. Higher density residential development is found in or adjacent to existing villages, cities, established resort areas and around inland lakes. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-2 �Map 4-1 Benzie County Future Land Use t Key - Farm Preservation Rural Residential Medium Density Residential - Recreation (Largely Forested) NORTH ._r ·--• __ _. Urban Services Boundaries -- CJ Industrial Commercial Public Lands (State Forest and National Lakeshore) Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-3 �Map 4-2 Benzie County Sensitive Environments - Sensitive Environments (wetlands, steep slopes, floodplains, dunes and others) Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-4 i NORTH �Sensitive Environment Protection Areas This category includes the following sensitive features: wetlands, steep slopes, dunes, floodplains, streams, rivers and lakeshores. Floodplains and wetlands would not be developed. Shoreline areas of streams, rivers and lakes would have waterside buffer plantings to filter stormwater and provide shade and wildlife habitat. Steep slopes would not be built upon or limited development would employ special design and construction approaches to prevent erosion and limit scenic impact. Dunes with special habitat would have no or limited development. Such areas would be prioritized for acquisition by conservancies or public agencies. (See Maps 4-1 and 4-2). Public Lands & Recreation This category includes public and private parks, campgrounds and marinas, public and private golf courses, the State Forest, National Lakeshore and marshes, non-motorized trails and open space corridors. To the extent possible, they interconnect. They also take advantage of natural wildlife or open space corridors such as rivers, creeks and drains. This land use category occurs throughout the County and occupies a significant percentage of the total area of the County. (See Maps 4-1 and 4-3). Agricultural Protection Areas Agriculture includes active grain farms, orchards, vineyards, u-pick farms and livestock raising operations. It also includes fallow fields and other land not actively farmed. This category also includes large lot residential uses. Future residential density would be at an average density of one dwelling unit per 40 acres. Although there is already existing residential development on five or ten acre lots in much of this area, a new maximum lot size for future development would be much smaller in order to preserve large, contiguous areas of land for farming. Depending in part on soil capacity for septic systems, maximum lot size for non-farm residences would be about 2 acres except where soils were not suited for farming. At this density, a 160 acre farm could be permitted four lots for nonfarm residences, which could be clustered together (where at most 8 acres would be used). As a result of this clustering, the remaining land would be in open space or agriculture. The Agriculture Preservation area occurs primarily in the northern and western portion of the County. This approach would work best if teamed with a purchase of development rights (PDR) or transfer of development rights (TOR) program so that farmers could capture the full development value of the land, even though only a small part of it was used for new residences. This area should be delineated more carefully as a result of a separate Agriculture and Open Space Preservation Plan. (See Maps 4-1 and 4-4 ). Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-5 �Map 4-3 Benzie County Policy Recreation Areas t NORTH - Recreation (Largely Forested) Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-6 �Map 4-4 Benzie County Agriculture Protection Policy Areas - Farm Preservation i NORTH Rural Residential This category accommodates low density residential use in rural areas on lands not as well suited for long-term agricultural production. Agriculture is permitted as long as it remains viable, but not concentrated animal feeding operations. Average residential density is one dwelling unit per ten acres although lot sizes would vary. Sewage disposal would be by private, on-site septic systems. Where possible, dwellings would be clustered on smaller lots (to leave more open space), with individual septic systems or served by small package treatment systems or a common septic system if approved by the District Health Department and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. This land use Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-7 �occurs primarily in the portions of the County that are not publicly owned nor suitable for higher density. This is the largest land use category in percentage of the total area of the County. (See Maps 4-1 and 4-5). Medium Density Residential The medium density residential category includes single family residential development with a range of densities. Generally, these are from about one dwelling unit per 1-2 acres to four dwelling units per acre. However, within the villages the density may rise to 8 or more units per acre. This category of residential development occurs primarily along the developed shoreline, in Frankfort, villages and scattered historic settlements. Homes in this category would generally be served by public sewer and water, except for the extensive lakeshore strips on the larger lakes. Most of this land use would be within the Urban Services District (see page 4-7). Also in or adjacent to cities and villages within the Urban Services District would be affordable housing such as low and medium rise apartments, townhouses and mobile home parks (usually at a density slightly greater than six dwelling units per acre) (See Map 4-1 ). Business/Commercial Strip shopping malls, grocery stores, gas station and convenience stores, commercial business districts and small town commercial centers are included in this land use category. These are primarily located in the old city and village centers, along selected major roads leading into existing towns and in settlement nodes. In total land area, this land use does not occupy much land. However, this category occurs in key areas convenient to residents and travelers. Most, but not all, of this land use would be within a proposed Urban Services District. It is specifically omitted along most of US-31 from Honor east to the Benzie County line in order to discourage strip commercial development in this area. (See Map 4-1 ). Industrial Industrial development includes light manufacturing, warehousing, landfills, power plants and vacant land in designated industrial parks. These occur primarily in Frankfort and near major roads. Most of this land use would be within the Urban Services District. There are also a few scattered industrial sites. These are largely agricultural processing plants. It is convenient to have these latter facilities close to the orchards. (See Map 4-1 ). Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-8 �Policy Maps Following is a description of individual policy maps. Each map should be thought of as a layer of a single map, that together expresses all of the policies in the Comprehensive Plan. Some of the policy layers of Maps 4-2 through 4-8 are the same as the Future Land Use Map. They are re-described here with a policy focus, so that all layers of the policy map are described. Together these descriptions outline policies and actions that would need to be taken to implement the vision-based future land use pattern. Sensitive Environments Sensitive environments are illustrated on Map 4-2. Sensitive environments includes forests and sensitive features such as steep slopes, wetlands, floodplains, lakes, streams and drain corridors. These sensitive environments will be provided a higher level of protection, including limited or no development (in some cases) and special design requirements for permitted development such as buffers and setbacks. Development would be prohibited in floodways and on wetlands. Setbacks would be required for structures built near streams and wetlands. Vegetation buffer strips would be required adjacent to streams, drains, wetlands and other surface water bodies. Best management practices such as vegetation strips would be required along surface water bodies to filter and lower the temperature of stormwater runoff. Commonly accepted management practices would be implemented in agriculture areas where not already practiced. Sensitive environments are scattered throughout the County. For example, there may be a stream corridor that passes through the Agriculture Preservation area, as well as the Rural Residential area before crossing into the Urban Services District (see page 4-7). Special protection efforts should be implemented in each of those areas, although the protection techniques may be different. Recreation The policy map for recreation provides interconnected open space to serve the diverse recreational and green space needs of residents and to attract tourists (see Map 4-3). This open space network will provide multiple benefits including: the amenity of nature and open spaces; recreational opportunities for walking, biking and cross-country skiing on trails; as well as habitat for wildlife. This area is largely forested. Areas within the recreation corridors that are not forested should be permitted to grow into forest and other plant communities such as meadows or prairies. This will create edges of forests that are also important to wildlife. Some timber cutting or controlled burning may be needed to manage wildlife and prevent fire fuel build-up. Agriculture Protection Within the Agriculture Preservation area (Map 4-4) it is the policy to preserve farmland and prevent the premature conversion of farmland to other land uses. New single family dwellings could be permitted if clustered at a low average density, and if sited on land not well suited to agriculture. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-9 �Public sewer and water would not be extended into this area during the planning period. The Agriculture Preservation area implements an average density of one unit per 40 acres. This is not the same as a 40 acre minimum lot size. Through clustering and use of small maximum lot sizes (0.5-2 acres, depending on soil suitability for septic), large parcels of viable farmland could remain. Through clustering, farmers would still be able to capture some development value as well. The Agriculture Preservation area would be the principal target of agricultural preservation programs like purchase of development rights and transfer of development rights, expanded PA 116 enrollments and agricultural security areas. These measures would also help preserve rural and scenic character as well. Rural and scenic character is protected by maintaining large, undeveloped parcels and through design guidelines for rural roadsides. It is the policy of the Comprehensive Plan to support "Right to Farm." Rural, nonfarm residential uses do not take precedence over farming operations. Farming practices can be objectionable to non-farm residents. However, farming is important and where buffers do not exist to moderate the dust, noise, odors and sprays from farms practicing commonly accepted agricultural management methods, non-farm residents will have to learn to live with their farming neighbors. Rural Residential This map layer shows the policy to provide for rural, low density living, but does not focus on the preservation of farmland (see Map 4-5). Farming would be allowed to continue as long as it were viable, but not concentrated animal feeding operations. The average density for this area is one unit per 10 acres, although it is not the policy to promote 10 acre minimum lot size. This density will result in providing an adequate amount of land for rural residences with on-site septic systems. If the density were higher, there would, over time, be severe negative impacts on the County road system. Public sewer and water would not be extended into this area during the planning period. Rural clustering could be used to preserve more common open space in this part of the County. It may be necessary to promote one-third to two acre maximum lot size and some package treatment sewer systems to preserve significant open space. It is also the policy of this Plan to promote design guidelines for rural residential properties. These volunteer guidelines would show property owners how to design and manage their properties for maximum scenic character. This could be Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-10 �one of the single, most important tools to insure the vision for Benzie County is realized. In many areas, rural residential uses will be adjacent to farmland preservation areas. Farming operations will be given precedence over residential use of land under "Right-to-Farm" guidelines. Transportation Improvements Transportation facilities (roads, bridges and air) should be maintained or improved where they will serve the planned density of development in an area and movement between that area and others. Transportation facilities should not be improved for the purpose of fostering development at a density level above that planned for the area, or prematurely in an area where density levels would not support the cost of road improvements or future maintenance. Within existing small towns, bicycle paths and sidewalks should be installed to meet nonmotorized transportation needs. Transit service should be offered as well. Proposed transportation improvements are illustrated on Map 4-6. Job Centers Job Centers are areas of commercial, industrial and institutional use. Areas identified on Map 4-7 are based on existing job centers as depicted on the 1996 existing land use map, with reasonable expansion to the year 2020. New job centers should not skip to new locations that are scattered and expensive to serve. This is a double whammy if it also leads to an abandonment of existing centers. Almost all job centers are within an urban services district. The few that aren't are already in existence or are already zoned as such and lack public sewer and water. Urban Services District (USO) Proposed Urban Services Districts (USO) are illustrated on Map 4-8. These are the proposed areas that will be considered for extension of public sewer, water, stormwater, increased police and fire and other urban services through the year 2020. They surround the City of Frankfort and existing villages in the County. All proposed medium density residential development and nearly all commercial, industrial and institutional development would occur within an USO to ensure that adequate public services are available. Except for public sewer installed around inland lakes to resolve or prevent water pollution problem, public sewer and water would not be extended beyond the boundaries of a USO within the time frame of this Plan. The USDs will help ensure fiscal responsibility and wise use of land resources. Within USDs, densities must be high enough to adequately support urban services at a level that is economically feasible to furnish them before urban services will be implemented. Each community will need to calculate the density Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-11 �needed to support the extension of services without unnecessarily increasing taxpayer burden. Existing infrastructure within USDs will be maintained, upgraded and incrementally expanded before new infrastructure is built in undeveloped areas of the County. The exception is in the new USO proposed for the area including the new elementary school in Inland Township. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-12 �Map 4-5 Benzie County Policy Rural Residential i NORTH Key - Rural Residential ._,. ... _. J Urban Services Districts Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-13 �Map 4-6 Benzie County Policy Transportation Improvements KEY -I ••• * Road Surface in Poor Condition Road Commission Priorities Heavy Truck Traffic (Repairs/Enforcement) Roads of Regional Significance (Requires High Level of Maintenance) Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-14 �Map 4-7 Benzie County Job Centers i Key - Industrial Commercial Urban Services Disrict Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-15 NORTH �Map 4-8 Benzie County Urban Services Districts ,. --. ..... i Key Urban Services Disrict Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-16 NORTH �Policy Maps yet to be Developed Two important policy maps need to be prepared based on further study, resource inventories, citizen input and consensus building. These are: • Agriculture and Open Space Preservation. One of the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan is to prepare an Agriculture and Open Space Preservation Plan . This task will take several years to complete. The policy map would include recommendations on specifically where to protect farmland and open space through purchase, conservation easement, or inclusion in agriculture security areas, PDR or TOR programs. It would also include recommendations as to where to improve scenery, where and how to protect existing scenery, what design guidelines are needed, where to apply guidelines for sign design and other related techniques. • Watershed Plans. The Comprehensive Plan recommends completion of watershed management plans for each of the major watersheds of Benzie County. Policy maps would depict areas of the watersheds where specific actions should take place to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat. These actions depend on land use, soils, slope and other factors. Implementation actions could include, but are not limited to: imperviousness limits, stormwater management approaches and chemical use guidelines. Zoning Plan "Section XII Land Use Classifications" (pages 26-28) of the 1993 Benzie County Land Use Plan is retained (by reference) as the zoning plan portion of this Comprehensive Plan. It provides the basis for the zoning districts in the County Zoning Ordinance until a new Agricultural and Open Space Preservation Plan for the County is complete. At that time, changes to zoning districts are anticipated to reduce the impact of over-zoning in rural parts of the County and to provide new incentives to landowners to keep land in agriculture and open space uses. The next chapter sets forihe principles, strategies and policies inherent in the various layers of the Future Land Use Map. Chapters 4 and 5 are designed to be read and used together when considering the consistency of a proposed land use or infrastructure proposal with the Comprehensive Plan. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 4-17 �CHAPTER 5 PRINCIPLES, STRATEGIES & POLICIES Introduction The principal land use issue in Benzie County is not whether to grow, it is where, when and in what manner can growth occur without undermining the integrity of the scenic natural character of the County and the economy built around it. This Chapter presents key principles, strategies and policies to guide future growth in the County. Successful implementation of these principles, strategies and policies will prevent the negative impacts associated with the threats in Chapter 3. The principles, strategies and policies presented in this Chapter were synthesized from the goals, objectives and action statements in the Background Reports to guide implementation of this Plan. These principles, strategies and policies (like the goals, objectives and action statements in the Background Reports) were reviewed by the Comprehensive Plan Subcommittee, the Citizens Advisory Committee and were adopted as a part of this Plan by the Planning Commission. Principles are underlying or foundation concepts for the strategies presented in this Chapter. A policy is a definite course or method of action selected by a governmental agency to guide present and future decisions. Policies are presented for each of the strategies in this Chapter. Decisions consistent with these policies will contribute to successful implementation of this Plan. Many of the policies in this Plan will require regulatory or program changes at the County and local level in order to be implemented. Please consult the individual Background Reports for specific goals, objectives and action statements (and greater background information) related to the following principles, strategies and policies. Fundamental Principles Following are eight fundamental principles that underlay the policies presented in this Chapter and the balanced growth and environmental protection strategies of this Comprehensive Plan. These principles are intended to help achieve the longterm goal of sustainable development in Benzie County. These principles aim to ensure the needs of the present generation are met, without compromising (and wherever feasible enhancing) the quality of life of future generations. To the extent that any of the policies in this Chapter are in conflict, the conflict should be resolved by establishing the degree to which each policy contributes to achieving the principles of this Plan. The policy that appears to most contribute to the achievement of this Plan, in a particular instance, is the policy that should supercede-in the event of a conflict. 1. Scenic character should be preserved or enhanced wherever feasible in the County. The natural character of the landscape, the fruit farms and Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-1 �the location of the rural small towns within Benzie County combine to create a scenic quality that is highly treasured by residents and visitors alike. It is the source of the economic base of the County: farming, forestry, recreation and tourism. It must be preserved as future land use change occurs. It is also linked to all the other principles that follow and is critical to achieving all the major goals in this Plan and Background Reports. Preservation of scenic character is so important that a special study should be conducted and implemented to develop a propertyspecific agriculture and open space preservation plan throughout the County. But preservation is not enough. There are some places where scenic qualities have not been respected and enhancement or restoration will be necessary. Preservation and enhancement must proceed together. This includes institutional and other public lands, along road corridors and on private residential, business and industrial properties. Enhancement should be accomplished primarily through encouragement to implement common design guidelines (such as those in the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook). Where appropriate, local ordinances can require visual buffers, scenic character landscaping and appropriate signs. Institutional properties can be enhanced through carefully planned capital improvements. 2. Natural resources in the County should be protected from inappropriate use or conversion. Forested hillsides, rivers and lakes provide the natural landscape background across most of the County. They attract thousands of seasonal residents and tourists each year. Much of this land is in public ownership and offers unparalleled hunting, hiking , and a wide range of other recreational activities. Carefully managed harvests of renewable forests also contribute lumber and fuel to support our society. Agricultural land is principally in orchard production. Forestry, agriculture, tourism and recreation have deep historical roots in Benzie County and greatly contribute to its economic base. Each industry requires a substantial amount of land in large contiguous blocks to remain economically viable. Preservation of the natural resource base is essential to preservation of these industries. 3. The pristine natural environment of the County should be protected from degradation. The clean air, water, and soil in the County is a natural asset of immeasurable importance. The extensive lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, floodplains, and sand dunes are important parts of this natural environment which also contribute greatly to the scenic quality of the landscape. The abundant fish and wildlife populations are testimony to the relative purity of the natural environment in the County. The quality of the natural environment is a significant feature in attracting the huge number of seasonal residents and tourists to the County. The natural environment and especially sensitive natural features must be protected to sustain the scenic quality and economic potential of the County. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-2 �4. An economy built on renewable natural resources is sustainable and should continue to be the principal economic base for the future. Agriculture, forestry, recreation and tourism are the foundation of the economic base in Benzie County. They are a significant part of local quality of life. They are also tied to renewable resources. Maintaining a sustainable local economy requires maintaining the renewable natural resources of the County. Further diversification of the economy that draws from the talents of the existing labor force will also enhance the prospects for a sustainable economy. 5. Future development should primarily take place in a compact development pattern. New commercial, industrial and medium density residential uses should be constructed in or adjacent to existing cities and villages and within areas designated as urban services districts. These mixed-use areas will be served with public sewer and water where it is cost-effective to do so. These services would not be extended beyond the USDs during the life of this Plan. Outside the USDs, development should only occur at low densities and primarily in small clusters of a few lots sited so as to minimize visibility from the roadway and to maximize the amount of open space around them. Small multi-user water wells and waste treatment systems may be needed to facilitate open space development. 6. Future land use, zoning, land division and public infrastructure decisions should be made consistent with this Plan. Achievement of the vision embodied in this Plan depends heavily on adoption and implementation of County and local zoning and land division regulations consistent with this Plan . It also depends on public infrastructure decisions consistent with this Plan . Future road, sewer, water, school, county building, state and federal facility decisions should be consistent with this Plan and an annually updated capital improvement program. Where the public spends money on infrastructure and the density of land uses it allows in various locations have an enormous impact on private land development decisions. If the public does not set the example by living up to the principles and policies in this Plan, then it should not expect the vision in this Plan to be realized. 7. A strong effort should be made to achieve improved intergovernmental cooperation within Benzie County. This Plan recognizes that land use and infrastructure decisions of each governmental unit have, over time, an impact on the character of the entire County. However, County government only has the ability to achieve part of the vision embodied in this Plan. A partnership founded on mutual respect and mutual support in achievement of the vision of this Plan should guide the development and implementation of new Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-3 �relationships between the County and local governments in the County and between the County and adjoining counties in the region. Improved intergovernmental coordination, communication and cooperation are essential to success of this partnership. 8. The vision in this Plan must be achieved without violating protected property rights. Many of the principles of this Plan will require changes in County and local regulations. As these changes are made, it is essential that constitutionally protected property rights not be violated. It is also important that special consideration be paid to the legitimate desire of large landowners who may have their "retirement" locked up in their land, to be given options for capturing the development value of their land, even if more dense development upon it is not a permitted activity. Principles #2 - #5 directly relate to #1. Principles #6 - #8 are essential to achieve #1 - #5. Thus all principles are interrelated . They are all oriented to achieving the goal of sustainable development in Benzie County. They recognize that a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment and that these need not be mutually exclusive. They are structured to achieve a balanced growth and environmental protection strategy that also protects the scenic character of the County. Balanced Growth Strategy Preservation of scenic character in Benzie County is both dependent on and supports most of the economic base in the County. The scenic character is comprised of the natural environment, farms and the built environment. Thus, protecting scenic character, the natural environment and economic development must proceed together-or one or the other (or both) will suffer. The solution lies in pursuit of a balanced growth policy. Balanced growth will require housing not only for comparatively wealthy seasonal residents, retirees or two income commuter families, but also for the elderly, young families and other persons on low fixed incomes. New businesses will be needed to meet the needs of the growing seasonal and permanent populations. Where these new homes and businesses are located will dramatically affect the future character of the County. If the current trend of single family homes lining county roads is continued, the landscape will become suburbanized. Many of the large open spaces will be chopped up and sprinkled with homes. Most open space would then be in yards, rather than a part of the current scenic landscape. This will diminish value of the landscape to tourists and create a huge public service burden over time. Cost-effective public services are nearly impossible with a scattered land development pattern. Figure 5-1 illustrates key aspects of a balanced growth strategy for Benzie County. Following are key policies to implement this strategy: • The County shall revise zoning and related regulations to curtail sprawl and strip development, and to encourage a compact settlement pattern. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-4 �• • • • • • • • • • • • • The County shall cooperatively work with local governments and assist citizens and property owners in the County to achieve this strategy. The County shall support actions that enhance the long term viability of the agriculture, forestry, recreation and tourism industries. Rural areas of the County shall be zoned with a very low density based standard to prevent over development. Maximum lot sizes should be used to encourage clustering and the retention of open space. The County shall support creation of carefully planned and sited industrial parks and other job centers to accommodate the growing need for local employment. New residential, commercial and industrial development in the county shall be encouraged provided it is: a) in locations with public seNices adequate to meet its needs, b) environmentally friendly, c) consistent with the density, character and development in the area, d) consistent with local plans and regulations and e) consistent with this Plan and applicable county, state and federal regulations. An economic development position shall be established to actively promote existing businesses and new business development in the County and to facilitate financing for expansion of existing business and infrastructure in the County in a manner consistent with this Plan. The County shall seek to ensure that new development pays its own way in terms of public seNices and does not unreasonably create a future public seNice obligation that is not met by the new development or is unfairly charged to existing residents; except where a community explicitly decides to subsidize it. The County shall seek to ensure that new public facilities are constructed to guide future growth based on annually updated capital improvement programs prepared by each unit of local government and the County. All CIPs shall be consistent with this Plan. The County and local governments shall establish urban seNice district boundaries and not permit intensive new development outside these boundaries until adequate public seNices are available to that area, unless the private development is completely self-sufficient in terms of adequate urban seNices. Local jurisdictions should cooperatively work to upgrade the quality of emergency response equipment on an on-going basis and to maintain equipment in close proximity to population concentrations. A maintenance, road improvement and inter-modal connection strategy, including spending priorities, shall be developed for County roads. Improvements to pedestrian circulation, bike paths, bus seNice and airport seNices shall be made consistent with adopted plans for long range improvements of these transportation seNices. Prepare corridor plans and establish standards for development along M-115 and US 31 to protect the rural character of these highways including but not limited to use of overlay zoning, buffering screening, and conseNation easements. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-5 �• • • • • • • • • • Road capacity shall be maintained and congestion and safety problems prevented through the use of access management tools. Public health and safety shall be protected by enforcing sanitary regulations and by providing the most effective emergency response service practical. The County shall identify affordable housing needs and ensure plans and regulations are prepared and implemented to meet those needs. Incentives should be offered to encourage affordable housing in and adjacent to existing mixed use centers in the County. The County shall make an effort to coordinate the provision of jobs and transportation so that a jobs/housing/transportation balance is achieved that results in reduced transportation demands and a greater chance for cost effective transportation services, including transit services. New subdivisions and site condominium projects shall include provision for bicycle and pedestrian circulation between residential areas, town centers and important natural features. The County shall revise zoning regulations to protect agricultural operations from incompatible adjacent land uses where there is a long term commitment to preserve agriculture in an area. The County shall prepare, adopt and implement an agriculture and open space preservation plan that fairly addresses the equity concerns of large landowners. The 2000 area of public land in Benzie County should be retained as a future minimum and holdings should be consolidated over time through fair trades, sales and purchases. Fragmentation of private lands adjacent to State and Federal lands should be strongly discouraged. The establishment of new, compact "Villages" or "Village centers" in rapidly growing rural townships near Grand Traverse County should be studied and encouraged if feasible and warranted. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-6 �Figure 5-1 BALANCED GROWTH STRATEGY PROTECT RENEWABLE RESOURCE LANDS ENCOURAGE COMPACT DEVELOPMENT WITH COMMON OPEN SPACE INDUSTRIAL PARK NEW JOBS '\ PUBLIC SERVICE ., BOUNDARY ·,"-. '· ENCOURAGE NEW BUSINESS ACTIVITY WITHIN EXISTING VILLAGE THAT REFLECTS VILLAGE CHARACTER DISCOURAGE STRIP DEVELOPMENT AT EDGE OF VILLAGE ~ - . · r; ., ~ · \, ~r,:., /.4 . '· •. , . ', . ', ' \ Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-7 .... . .... ······· ,••• ••••• ...•· BOUNDARY ~ . ···•·· : ······ ! ···•··· ·-~: �Environmental Protection Strategy The other side of the balanced growth strategy is the environmental protection strategy. This term embraces protection of renewable natural resources like agricultural and forest land, as well as the air, water, and other sensitive natural features in the County (like wetlands, floodplains and sand dunes) The greatest threat to these resources is from poorly planned or sited new development. Residential development poses the greatest threat because there is so much more of it over a much wider area. It is important to guide new development in a way that works with nature rather than against it. Where there are legitimate conflicts between proposed new development and an important sensitive natural resource, and reasonable and prudent alternatives exist, then the new development should yield to the sensitive environmental feature and be built elsewhere. Where long term sustainable economic or public safety and welfare benefits outweigh small environmental impact, then the new development should be allowed to proceed with appropriate mitigation measures. In all cases, planning and development regulation should be oriented to preventing pollution, impairment or habitat destruction. Figure 5-2 illustrates key aspects of an environmental protection strategy for Benzie County. Following are key policies to implement this strategy: • Watershed management plans shall be prepared to protect the soil from erosion and water quality for all watersheds in the County. • A groundwater/wellhead protection plan shall be developed for each municipal well in the County. • New residential development in the County shall be encouraged to be largely built in existing cities and villages or in small clusters on non-prime resource lands in order to minimize negative impacts on farm and forest land. • Existing agriculture or forest land uses shall have priority over new residential uses, and farming operations should be encouraged to continue in areas zoned for agriculture or forest as the principal permitted use. Such areas should not be rezoned to residential use as long as agriculture or forest remains a viable use of the land. • New development shall be designed and constructed to avoid sensitive natural features and comply with applicable federal, state, county and local regulations. • The extensive and diverse sensitive natural features in the County shall be protected where pristine and restored where damaged. • New development shall not pollute or degrade the quality of surface water or groundwater. • County and local ordinances should be adopted or amended to provide protection for sensitive features including wetlands, floodplains, sand dunes, high risk erosion areas and land bordering lakes and streams. • Imperviousness overlay zones, setback and vegetative buffer requirements, performance standards along water bodies, soil erosion and sedimentation Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-8 �• • • • • • • control ordinances and stormwater management ordinances shall be adopted and enforced. Best management practices shall be used to protect soil, surface water and groundwater quality as land use change occurs. Uniform local zoning and land division regulations shall be promoted and enacted where feasible county-wide to prevent the fragmentation of farm and forest land unless there is no other reasonable alternative available to preserve the renewable resource. A county-wide purchase of development rights program and/or a transfer of development rights program shall be created to provide reasonable alternatives for farm and forest landowners to capture development value without converting the land to development. Planning for the Dry Hills area (in the southwest portion of the County) shall encourage preservation of its rural and scenic character, including agriculture and managed timber resources. Wildlife corridors and linkages between open spaces shall be a primary consideration in the development of new county-wide and local plans. The County shall coordinate and assist in the development of a network of greenways and recreation trails consistent with the Northwest Michigan Greenways Plan. New lakefront public access sites shall be carefully sited to minimize environmental degradation and managed to prevent overcrowding of the lake surface and nuisance impacts on abutting properties. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-9 �( LINK OPEN SPACES NEW DEVELOPMENT: Compact Close in to village PROTECT RENEWABLE RESOURCESFARM & FOREST LAND m z < :;o 0 z :!!: m z -I )> r ,, -c cc· :;o C: 0.., -I (!) m <;'1 C")N -I 0 z en -I ~ -I m G) PREVENT LAND FRAGMENTATION OF LARGE PARCELS DEVELOPMENT RESTRICTED -< �Strategy to Protect the Visual Character of the Landscape County citizens have strongly indicated that they do not want growth to spoil the scenic character of the landscape. They do not want it to take on a suburban or urban character. They want the forested, lake and riverine landscapes to be preserved for the benefit of present and future generations. Almost everyone feels a right to see, enjoy and help protect these resources. As a result, protection of the unique rural character of the County must be a fundamental part of all future planning and development decisions. The Grand Traverse Bay Guidebook illustrates various ways in which new development could occur in order to protect the visual character of the County. Figure 5-3 further illustrates key natural landscape features that need protection if scenic quality is to be preserved in Benzie County. Following are key policies to implement this strategy: • The County and local governments shall encourage new development to be designed consistent with the principles in the Grand Traverse Bay Guidebook and any additional design guidelines adopted by the County or a local Planning Commission. Some of the key design guidelines follow: • Most new dwellings should be built in or contiguous to existing small towns in the County instead of on large rural lots. • New development outside of existing small towns should be designed to maximize preservation of open space and minimize visual impact from public rights of way. • Clustering or very low density development should be used wherever there is an opportunity to protect open space or minimize impact on a sensitive natural resource . • Landscaping and plantings should rely predominantly on naturally occurring species on areas visible from roads and other public rights of way. • Naturally occurring vegetation should be used to the maximum extent possible. • Design guidelines should be provided for rural property owners promoting forest block concepts. • Communication towers and wind powered generators should be designed to have minimum visibility from road corridors. • Sign ordinances should be adopted that prohibit billboards but provide for business identification and communication of other essential messages through alternate means, including small and cluster signs. • A system of "Rural Roads, Heritage Route and Federal Scenic By-ways" should be explored and if designated, maintained into the future for their scenic/aesthetic attributes. • Junk and dumping ordinances shall be vigorously enforced. • At night, the stars should be visible in the sky-not obstructed by diffuse light from the built environment. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-11 �I Design rural development to minimize visual impact z )> ~ C s!rr- )> "Tl Z-· ccc CJ) C: o@ )> CJ1 "'CJ I mw "Tl m ~ C Cluster now rnral development to preserve open space Retain or plant buffers of naturally occurring vegetation along roads Place most new development contiguous to existing small towns Minimize visual Impact of new development along road corridors through design guidelines Minimize Impervious surfaces and pass runoff through vegetation before it reaches streams and lakes :;o m CJ) �Strategy to Protect Visual Character of Small Towns The physical features of the city of Frankfort and the villages in Benzie County are a critical component of the rural scenic character of the County. New development that is encouraged to take place in and adjacent to these small towns must both complement and fit with the existing character, or it will damage the scenic character of the community and the County. Figure 5-4 further illustrates key visual character elements of small towns to protect in order to have them continue to complement the features of the natural environment around them. Following are key policies to implement this strategy: • The County and local governments shall encourage new development to be designed consistent with the principles in the Grand Traverse Bay Guidebook and any additional design guidelines adopted by the County or a local Planning Commission. Some of the key design guidelines follow: • Historic districts in the various historic settlements within the County should be established. • Design guidelines for historic preservation should be devleoped. • In building, sign and other construction, materials such as wood, stone, or brick should be encouraged instead of metal, plastic or concrete. Muted and earth tones, rather than bright colors, should be encouraged to best blend with the natural landscape of Benzie County. • The number and size of signs should be minimized. • Utility lines should be buried or routed away from the street. • Service drives and alleys should be used to limit the number of curb cuts. • Parking lots should be paved and landscaped with naturally occurring vegetation. • Parking should be placed behind or beside buildings, but not in the front yard of commercial or industrial businesses. • New buildings in small towns should blend with the predominant architectural period and style, be of a similar mass and shape, use compatible materials and colors, and use lot sizes and street layouts similar to those already in the small town. • New public buildings should be built within or immediately adjacent to existing cities and villages in the County and should be designed to blend with the vernacular architecture of the area. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-13 �Figure 5-4 VISUAL CHARACTER ELEMENTS LANDSCAPING TO SCREEN PARKING LOTS SIGNS USE WOOD, STONE OR BRICK INSTEAD OF METAL, PLASTIC OR CONCRETE, AND LOW-INTENSITY LIGHTING UTILITIES Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-14 �Strategy to Address Issues of Greater than Local Concern Many of the major issues identified in Chapter 3 are issues of greater than local concern. Figure 5-5 illustrates key issues of greater than local concern that deserve a coordinated intergovernmental response if the quality of the landscape and the quality of life in Benzie County are to be preserved and enhanced. The fundamental principles presented in this Chapter recognize that intergovernmental cooperation is critical to implementation of the strategies in this Plan. The following key policies are also essential: • The Benzie County Comprehensive Plan shall be used as the general guide for preparing plans of various County agencies, local plans, capital improvement programs, land division and zoning regulations within the County. • The County Planning Commission shall review all proposed township plans, rezonings, capital improvements and land divisions for consistency with this Plan and all County regulations adopted consistent with it. • The County Planning Commission shall assist with and coordinate planning, zoning and infrastructure decisions with all units of government within the County, with all County, state and federal agencies operating within the County, and with all units of government that operate in jurisdictions which abut the County in a manner consistent with this Plan. • The County Planning Commission shall regularly share planning, land use and infrastructure information with all governmental units within and adjacent to Benzie County through a variety of formal and informal communication means. • The County Planning Commission shall continue to request, facilitate and welcome input from other local governments and governmental agencies, citizens and stakeholder groups working within or adjacent to the County prior to adoption or amendment of plans, projects, programs or regulations. • The County Planning Commission shall establish and implement procedures to prevent and/or resolve disputes related to land uses of greater than local concern. • The County Board of Commissioners should actively support the County Planning Commission, County Planning Department and other governmental units in the pursuit of the principles and policies of this Plan. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-15 �Figure 5-5 ISSUES OF GREATER THAN LOCAL CONCERN PROTECT CORRIDOR PROTECTION OF FLOODPLAINS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT BUFFER ZONE GRAVEL PIT INFRASTRUCTURE EXTENDED SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 5-16 �CHAPTER 6 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Introduction As important a benchmark as this Plan represents, the initiatives proposed in this Comprehensive Plan will not implement themselves. It will take the concerted efforts of citizens, elected officials and local and county administrative officials to bring this Plan from concept into reality. It will take continued support and commitment for many years. However, the goals of this Plan and the policies proposed to implement it offer the promise of a much better future than that likely to occur if recent trends continue unchanged. Benefits to all groups will be numerous and most visible in terms of lower infrastructure and maintenance costs for public facilities and retention of the scenic character of the landscape (so cherished by residents and visitors). Many indirect benefits will also occur. These include improved access to information needed for decision-making and better cooperation among units of government. The central ingredients to successful Plan implementation will be: • Commitment by the County Planning Commission, citizens, the County Board of Commissioners and support from local units of government. Implementation of the Comprehensive Plan will require the County and local governments, businesses and citizens to drop some old habits and adopt some new approaches. This is not always easy to do. However, the desired vision will not be reached without commitment by all involved. • A better educated citizenry and local officials. While many citizens and officials want trends to change, they lack the knowledge to make them change or don't understand the cause and effect link of actions they take on an ongoing basis. Information about more appropriate residential development patterns, the fiscal and land use constraints of extending urban services, farming methods, forestry methods, property rights, scenery and open space preservation, natural resource protection and other tools to sustain the quality of life in Benzie County need to reach citizens and officials or they will not understand why and how local decision-making must change. • An up-to-date, accessible data base and mapping (GIS) capacity at the County level. Local plans and development regulations will be easier and less costly to prepare and maintain because the information in the County GIS System can easily be updated and displayed on maps. By working in partnership with the County in a manner consistent with this Plan, local governments will be able to justifiably provide for an appropriate range of land uses in their plans and zoning regulations. This could eliminate the continued scattering of commercial and industrial uses in inappropriate locations while improving the success of businesses established in appropriate locations. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-1 �Focusing on Priorities It is easy for a Planning Commission at either the County or local level to become distracted with ongoing tasks or ad hoc, controversial issues. Still, the Commission needs to prioritize its tasks. Time needs to be set aside for high priority items. These include the preparation of an annual report and work program for the next year, an update to the capital improvement program and the five-year Plan update. These are discussed below. Annual Tasks An annual report on all activities undertaken by the County Planning Commission with a special focus on actions taken to implement the Plan should be made to the County Board of Commissioners. A proposed work program that identifies priorities and projected expenses for the next year should also be prepared and submitted in time to be included in the annual budget process. The Planning Commission should also assist the County Administrator with the preparation and annual updating of a capital improvement program. Periodically, and at least once each five years, the Comprehensive Plan should be thoroughly reviewed and updated by the County Planning Commission. Top Priorities The Planning Commission can not be expected to accomplish all of the actions listed in the Background Reports. Many of these can only be accomplished by other agencies or groups. It is key that discussions begin with those groups so that they understand the goals, find agreeable common ground where there are differences and obtain a commitment to the action. One approach to establishing priorities is to use the following standards: • Make a high priority those actions that are the precursor to other steps. One example is the action to establish watershed planning groups. This needs to happen before water quality monitoring (on a watershed basis) and watershed management planning and implementation can occur. • Those actions that are assigned to a particular group are a high priority. • A lower priority may be those actions that do not assign a group or broadly identify the "County," as the responsible party. • If an action does not list a responsible party, it remains a lower priority until a group or agency steps forward. The following activities should be the key priorities of the Planning Commission for the next five years: • Educate all local units about the vision, goals, objectives and policies of the new County Comprehensive Plan and provide technical assistance in the integration of these elements into local plans and zoning decisions. • Educate all citizens about the vision, goals, objectives and policies of the new County Comprehensive Plan and provide technical assistance in the integration of these elements into property owner development and redevelopment efforts. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-2 �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • Update the County Zoning Ordinance to be consistent with this Plan. Directly use this Plan in the analysis and review of proposed rezonings, zoning text amendments, and new or amended master plans submitted to it for statutory review and approval. This means recommending approval for actions consistent with the Plan and denial or modification for actions inconsistent with this Plan. Exercise review authority in ways to improve local decisions by guiding decisions toward integrated and coordinated solutions based on the core policies in this Plan. Provide training and technical assistance to local governments on general planning, zoning and capital improvement programming. Upgrade the GIS and provide maps, GIS analysis services and related technical assistance to local governments and governmental agencies in the County. Monitor local and County agency decisions and periodically inform local governments and the County Board of Commissioners on the status of efforts to improve land use decision making in Benzie County. Provide technical assistance and guidelines on alternative approaches to deal with identified land use and infrastructure problems. Join efforts with others outside the County to modernize planning and zoning enabling legislation and to authorize new tools to better manage growth and preserve open space. A County-wide Agriculture and Open Space Preservation Plan should be developed and implemented . This Plan would prioritize lands for open space preservation, identify and implement tools for acquisition of title or development rights from willing sellers and set up funding mechanisms for implementation. It would also develop strategies to help insure the financial success of Benzie County farmers. Design guidelines should be developed and promoted by the County Planning Commission that illustrate how to protect rural and scenic character and open space values on private residential, commercial , industrial, public and institutional properties. An example is the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook that illustrates a preferred development approach that protects scenic quality, open space, water quality and sensitive environments. Residential development standards should be prepared that set aside open space and employ vegetative buffers along roadsides and where there are sensitive environments, greenways and potential trail and wildlife corridors. These standards should be adopted as part of site plan review, cluster ordinances, conservation subdivision ordinances, site condominium ordinances and planned unit development ordinances. Watershed planning groups and watershed management plans should be established for each watershed in Benzie County. Preparation of a county and local capital improvements program. Preparation of a county subdivision control ordinance. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-3 �• • Development of a county-wide affordable housing plan and implementation strategy. Periodically update the Background Reports that provide the technical foundation for this Plan. Dealing with Issues of Greater than Local Concern Local jurisdictions frequently deal with issues that have implications beyond the jurisdiction (both intra-county and inter-county). Public interests that are broader than simply local interests include (but are not limited to) those in Table 6-1. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-4 �Table 6-1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Issues of Greater than Local Concern Protecting the Environment and Natural Resources Watersheds and water quality Wetlands protection Floodplain protection Land pollution (ex. arsenic along trails) Soil conservation and stormwater pollution (e .g. Arcadia Bluffs) Air pollution Groundwater pollution Oil and gas pollution Noise pollution Water pollution of inland lakes (esp. Platte Lakes, Crystal Lake) , rivers and streams Protection of sand dunes Wildlife corridors and fish and wildlife habitat protection Protection of unique and endangered species Sustainability of privately owned forest land Water surface under control of multiple local jurisdictions, especially as relates to keyhole development Use of public access sites Maintaining a "sense of place" where that sense is the major attraction for tourists and the service sector economy. Siting Public Facilities or Providing New Public Services • Solid waste and recycling • Emergency services (fire, ambulance, police) - to achieve greater efficiency (involves the U.S. Park Service, and DNR) • Transportation/roads • Mass transportation (greater than county service area) • Trails (siting of) - federal, state, local, and property owners • "Regional" park facilities (very large, e.g. pool or hockey rink - needs a large customer base) • District library and district boundaries for libraries • Mental and other health facilities • Provision of senior services - location of facilities, including handicapped services • Extension of utilities Maintaining a Sustainable Economy and Promoting Economic Development • Real (livable) wages, job opportunities for young adults and families with children • Lack of seasonal workers - lack of an intermediate job base • Harbors (Frankfort and Elberta), Platte River free flow • Adequate lifelong educational opportunities for all citizens • Adequate affordable housing for middle and low income persons. Land Use • LULU's (locally unwanted land uses that meet a regional need, such as gravel pits, junk yards, landfills, communication towers, etc.) • Large scale development (resorts, shopping center, airports, etc.) • Strip development along main roads • Density in some rural areas that is too high to cost effectively service and a current zoned density that will exacerbate this problem. • Compact settlement pattern vs. dispersed settlement pattern and the associated impacts on infrastructure extensions or establishment of infrastructure • Siting affordable housing • Lack of similar regulations and enforcement across jurisdiction boundaries • Compatibility of land uses along jurisdiction boundaries regarding zoning and land use issues • Loss of open space • Regional focus on open space preservation and farmland preservation • Protecting important viewsheds and rural corridor views Other • A sovereign nation within the County making independent land use decisions • A nonresident (largely seasonal) population that (for the most part) does not vote locally, but does pay taxes locally • Lack of a tax or fee of users of state resources here • lnterjurisdictional equity issues • Intergenerational equity issues • Sustainability. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-5 �In many instances, these issues of greater than local concern revolve around common environmental features (which do not respect municipal boundaries), infrastructure, and the needs of special populations. It takes a basic change of attitude toward other jurisdictions to effectively deal with these issues. It takes recognition that the citizens of both (or several) jurisdictions face the same potential loss or gain. It takes acceptance that the other jurisdiction is not in competition or opposition, at least not on every aspect of the issue. It takes the ability to exercise mutual respect in areas of overlapping responsibilities and mutual support where responsibilities are separate but compatible in pursuit of common goals and a common vision of the County. By jointly engaging the issues, common ground can usually be found. It is the common ground that is most often used as the basis for effective interjurisdictional cooperation. Role of Key Players It will take the efforts of many different groups to implement the Benzie Comprehensive Plan. Key among them are the local planning commissions and governing boards, the County Board of Commissioners, the County Planning Commission and the County Planning Department. The framed text on Table 6-2 on the next three pages lists the traditional roles and responsibilities of local planning commissions, local governing bodies, the County Board of Commissioners, the County Planning Commission and the County Planning Department. These traditional roles are proposed to be continued, but some changes are also proposed to strengthen the ability of these entities to take actions to implement this Plan . These changes are summarized in the text following Table 6-2. A more detailed description of these changes is found in the Intergovernmental Cooperation Subcommittee Background Report. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-6 �Table 6-2 TRADITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS County Board of Commissioners The County Board of Commissioners must take the lead in order to initiate planning in the County. It's basic statutory and administrative responsibilities are as follows (not all of these are currently being performed): • Create County Planning Commission and thereafter periodically appoint qualified and interested persons to serve on the Planning Commission. There should be at least one person serving as a liaison between the two bodies. • Periodically hold a joint meeting with Planning Commission to go over issues of common interest. • Adopt zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations and any subsequent amendments. • Approve funding for the planning/zoning program each year including funds for training and continuing education of commissioners and staff, and for public education on planning and zoning. • Approve hiring of consultants recommended by the Planning Commission . • Take action to support the goals, objectives and policies in the Plan. • Ask Planning Commission to prepare an annual report of activities and a proposed work program for the next year, in enough time to be considered in the budget process. • Ask Planning Commission to review proposed capital improvements for consistency with the Plan prior to the County Board adoption of a capital improvement program. County Planning Commission The County Planning Commission was created by the (then) County Board of Supervisors on April 12, 1976 pursuant to the requirements of the County Planning Act, PA 282 of 1945. It also has the responsibilities of the County Zoning Board under PA 183 of 1943. Currently, the County Planning Commission is responsible for: • Preparing and maintaining a plan for the development and protection of the County. It will adopt the Comprehensive Plan as a replacement for its 1993 and 1974 Plans. • Preparing and proposing amendments to the County Zoning Ordinance. • Making recommendations on proposed Township plans and/or rezoning or text amendments. • Attempting to prevent incompatible planning and zoning along governmental boundaries. • Reviewing and commenting on proposed new public lands, facilities or improvements for consistency with the Comprehensive Plan . • Review and comment on proposed PA 116 Farmland and Open Space Enrollments. • Preparing the County Overall Economic Development Plan. • Preparing and maintaining the County Solid Waste Management Plan . • Reviewing federal grant applications. • Receiving, storing and sharing data from the Michigan Resource Inventory Program. • Providing information and education services for the U.S. Bureau of the Census. • Serving as County Council for the Resource Conservation and Development Program of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. • Receiving citizen comments on local planning and zoning issues and acting upon or referring those comments as appropriate. • Coordinating planning and associated development regulations with other governmental units and public agencies. • Learning about and staying up-to-date on the responsibilities of the Planning Commission and on various tools available to implement local plans. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-7 �Traditional Responsibilities of the Local Government Decision-Makers (Continued) Local Governing Bodies The local city or village council and township board of trustees also have specific planning and zoning responsibilities. These include: • Appointment of qualified persons to serve as members of the Planning Commission/Zoning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. • Adoption of ordinances recommended by the Planning Commission for implementation of the comprehensive plan, including when supported by the governing body, a zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations . • Providing an adequate budget for the Planning Commission to carry out its responsibilities including keeping the plan and zoning ordinance current, and receiving proper training on their roles, responsibilities and new tools and techniques for improving the community. • Providing adequate staff and financial resources (including setting fee levels) for proper enforcement of adopted regulations. • Conducting required public hearings prior to acting on zoning, subdivision or infrastructure development matters. • Receiving and acting upon citizen complaints related to planning and zoning issues and as appropriate, referring matters to the Planning Commission for action. Local Planning Commissions Planning commissions in cities and villages in the County are organized under the Municipal Planning Act, PA 285 of 1931. Township planning commissions are organized under PA 168 of 1959. Some of their principal responsibilities include: • Creating , adopting and maintaining a local comprehensive plan to guide future land use change and to serve as the legal basis for the local zoning ordinance. • Creating , maintaining and administering responsibilities under the local zoning ordinance (for those municipalities with local zoning) adopted pursuant to the City-Village Zoning Act, PA 207 of 1921 or the Township Zoning Act, PA 184 of 1943. • Advising the local governing body on proposed rezonings, text amendments, plats, land divisions, capital improvements and related planning and zoning decisions. • Responding to the recommendations of the County Planning Commission and/or the County Planning Department on planning and zoning issues. • Making recommendations on special projects or delegated responsibilities (e.g. zoning ordinance enforcement) • Working with property owners in order to try and achieve good development (or redevelopment) • Educating citizens on the values and benefits of planning • Receiving citizen comments on local planning and zoning issues and acting upon or referring those comments as appropriate. • Learning about and staying up-to-date on the responsibilities of the Planning Commission and on various tools available to implement local plans. County Planning Department The County Planning Department is a service agency of the County designed to provide assistance to the County Board of Commissioners, the County Planning Commission, to local governments and property owners in the County. Specifically its responsibilities include: • Assisting the County Planning Commission in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities under the County Planning Act including assisting with the preparation and maintenance of a County Plan and coordinating local planning activities in the County. • Providing technical assistance and technical information to the County Planning Commission, local governments, local planning commissions, the County Board of Commissioners and other County agencies , and to the general public. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-8 �Traditional Responsibilities of the Local Government Decision-Makers (Continued) County Planning Department (Continued) • Providing review and analysis of the consistency of proposed new public facilities with the Comprehensive Plan for consideration by the County Planning Commission. • Analysis of proposed township plans and amendments for review by the County Planning Commission. • Analysis of proposed townsh ip zoning ordinances, rezoning proposals and proposed amendments for review by the County Planning Commission. • Representing the County on various committees , groups and task forces . • Maintaining and providing staff support in the development and updating of the County Solid Waste Management Plan. • Administering the County Zoning Ordinance. • Administering the County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance. • Coordinating planning, zoning and infrastructure decisions with various county, state and federal agencies. • Preparing the County Overall Economic Development Plan. • Preparing and reviewing state and federal grant applications. • Responding to special project requests of the County Board of Commissioners and other agencies. • Making reports to the County Board and other agencies on issues of planning or special interest in the County. • Developing and maintaining a computerized geographic information system for the County. • Receiving, storing and sharing data from the Michigan Resource Inventory Program. • Serving as the primary repository for socioeconomic, census, environmental and other data concerning the County. • Providing information and education services for the U.S. Bureau of the Census. • Developing and implementing budgets and work programs for Department activities. • Staying abreast of contemporary planning and related research, and new laws and regulations . Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-9 �New Roles of the County Board of Commissioners The first new responsibility of the County Board of Commissioners will be to reconstitute the County Planning Commission . This will require amending the ordinance creating the original Planning Commission to include the duties and responsibilities described below. It will be important for the County Board of Commissioners to endorse the County Comprehensive Plan, and thereafter approve any major amendments to the County Plan. No other action will more graphically demonstrate continued County Board support for this important growth management tool. As County Planning Department staff responsibilities grow, so must the number of qualified staff to meet those needs. There will likely be necessary, increased funding requirements. Opportunities will continue to open to provide maps, and other services on a fee basis. These should be explored as supplemental revenue resources, but not at the exclusion of completing other required responsibilities. Consideration should be given to establishing a creative program of local financial support, and in-kind professional services to local governments who desire to modify/update local plans or development regulations to be in conformance with the County Plan. Professional services, maps and data from the County Planning Department could go a long way to helping local governments do the best possible job with local planning and zoning programs. This type of carrot (or even better, local financial support) will probably do more to speed plan implementation than any other single action. New Roles of the County Planning Commission The County Board of Commissioners would amend the ordinance creating the County Planning Commission to include all the traditional responsibilities of a County Planning Commission as well as some new duties. In reorganizing the County Planning Commission, the County Board of Commissioners would also delegate the authority permitted under section 4a of the County Planning Act (MCL 125.104a). The County Board would adopt an annual capital improvements program (CIP). The CIP would involve merging all local CIP's along with a strategy for prioritizing proposed projects along with definitive financing plans for the improvements to be constructed in the earlier years of the program for those County programs on the list. This activity would be performed by the County Planning Commission with assistance of the County Planning Department. Decisions on new County public facilities would be made by the County Board of Commissioners, but only after receiving a recommendation by the County Planning Commission as to consistency with the County Plan and the current capital improvements program. Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-10 �The County Planning Commission would organize standing subcommittees composed of individuals qualified by experience, training, or interests to assist in the consideration and solution of problems of greater than local concern. The subcommittees would be charged with advising the Planning Commission (before it acted) on any issue of greater than local concern as so assigned by the Planning Commission. Staff of the County Planning Department would assist the subcommittee within the parameters of the task assigned by the Planning Commission and within the time and other resources available. New Roles of the Local Planning Commissions and Governing Bodies All local governments would have a local master or comprehensive plan that was consistent with the County Comprehensive Plan, and was updated at least once each 5 years. All local zoning ordinances would be consistent with the local plan and would also be updated at least once each 5 years. Local planning commissions would coordinate plans and zoning regulation closely with those of adjacent jurisdictions. Stronger involvement by the governing body will be needed in preparation and maintenance of the local comprehensive plan as the governing body would also approve the plan following adoption by the local planning commission. Local administration and enforcement of zoning ordinances will need to be improved . It could be contracted to a private party, or shared between several local governments or even contracted from the County. Local planning commissions, working in concert with their governing body, would participate in the preparation of (and thereafter annually update) a 6-year capital improvement program (CIP). Where a township did not have adequate financial resources, it would consider dropping local zoning and falling under County zoning. If it could, it would still maintain a planning commission and advise the County Planning Commission on planning and zoning issues in its township. New County Planning Department Roles The County Planning Department would provide expanded technical assistance services to local governmental units in support of actions to implement the County Plan. The County Planning Department would be permitted to offer these services on a fee or other basis pursuant to guidelines proposed by the County Planning Commission and approved by the County Board of Commissioners. A multi-year plan for the data center should be developed and annually updated, along with the necessary protocols and referencing mechanisms to ensure proper maintenance of the data and other library materials in the data center. Receiving, storing and sharing data from the Michigan Resource Inventory Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-11 �Program and providing information and education services for the U.S. Bureau of the Census would be special elements of the data center function. Tools to Implement the Plan The basic tools for implementing the Comprehensive Plan are the County Zoning Ordinance, the local Master Plans, capital improvement programs and development regulations (including zoning ordinances, land division and subdivision regulations and other, similar regulations). Not all local jurisdictions in the County have all these tools in place. County and local regulations should be updated to conform with the policies in this Plan. Following an initial update, plans and local development regulations should be updated on a regular basis. Mechanism for Updating the Comprehensive Plan It is very important that the annual priority-setting and budgeting sessions of the County and local Planning Commissions be institutionalized. An annual report on actions taken to implement the Plan should be made to the County Board of Commissioners (and by local Planning Commissions to the local governing bodies), along with adoption of any necessary amendments by the Planning Commission. Periodically, and at least once every five years, the Comprehensive Plan should be thoroughly reviewed and updated. Concluding Thought This Comprehensive Plan represents thousands of hours of input by citizens and local government officials in Benzie County over the past several years. The circumstances it is intended to address did not occur overnight and they will not be resolved overnight. However, this Plan sets forth another option to a future that will inexorably be created if existing trends and uncoordinated decisions continue. Existing trends are fueled to a very great extent by existing plans, regulations and institutional relationships. To create a future different from existing trends, then current plans, policies, regulations and institutional relationships must also be changed. Perhaps the catalyst for that change is for the preferred vision of Benzie County, and what it takes to get to that vision, to be part of the "story" of Benzie County that every resident, of every age, knows by heart. We all know that George Washington was considered one of the great founding fathers because he couldn't tell a lie. So if all Benzie County residents know that clustering, conservation subdivisions, urban services districts, farmland preservation, design guidelines and vegetative buffers are necessary for Benzie County to remain scenic, there is a greater chance that Benzie County will remain scenic. Station2:\winword\Benzie\benzchp6implementation.doc (edits 4-10, 5-12 caf) Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan 6-12 � 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 Benzie-County_Comprehensive-Plan_2000 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benzie County Planning Commission, Benzie County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-10 Title A name given to the resource Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan Description An account of the resource The Benzie County 2020 Comprehensive Plan was prepared by the Benzie County Planning Commission with assistance from the Planning & Zoning Center in October 2000. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Benzie 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/debc283b1d6d6c220ee250fae8940a4b.pdf abe7d760d04aef035347762231a256ed PDF Text 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 Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) 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 </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 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-03 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 it la nl de 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/. Title A name given to the resource Lumen animae [folium 167] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_167Berengarius1482 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berengarius de Landora Description An account of the resource One leaf from Lumen animae by Berengarius de Landora and edited by Matthias Farinator. Printed in Strassburg by the Printer of the 1481 "Legenda Aurea" on March 22, 1482. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. [GW M16917; ISTC ib00341700] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Strassburg: Printer of the 1481 "Legenda Aurea" Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la 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 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1482 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Farinator, Matthias (editor) Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2cf8f8878e332da6c7967d0f59f67440.mp4 e282cac6652f71e49682d9ff1021320e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/35ca14acb54013b9e929d04dd8dd9ea2.pdf d0b09e03a13d41376bd9af7586026725 PDF Text Text Bergeron, Christopher Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Iraq War Interviewee’s Name: Christopher Bergeron Length of Interview: (2:03:40) Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo Interviewer: “We’re talking today with Christopher Bergeron of Rockford, Michigan and the interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. Chris, start us off with some background on yourself and to begin with, where and when were you born?” I was born in 1972 in Anniston, Alabama. My father was a–– recently back from his third tour in Vietnam–– soldier and my mom was Women’s Army Corps, and that’s how they met, at Anniston. Got married and I was there a year later. Interviewer: “And now, was your father’s stay in the Army–– was he a career guy?” Yeah. My dad stayed in the Army. He had a 26-year career, retired out of Fort Benning. My entire childhood we bounced between Germany and different locations in the Alabama/Georgia area. Final place we bounced to, right before I was going into high school, was Fort Benning [in] Columbus, Georgia. Dad got out and then went right back to work for ‘em as a DA Civilian and did another 24 years working with the 75th Ranger Regiment out of Benning. Interviewer: “DA Civilian?” Department of the Army. He did all of their cryptologic communications and deployed with them. He actually deployed more as a DA Civilian than he did when he was on active duty. Interviewer: “How much time did you spend in Germany?” So we were there [for] two tours. First one was when I was really young, we did three years. But the second tour was more those formative years. I was there from the time I was nine till fifteen, so pretty good second tour. My parents loved Germany so we kept extending. We extended until the Army made us go home. (2:11). �Interviewer: “Where in Germany were you living?” The second time was Baumholder, which is a tiny town probably about 60 miles due east of Trier–– that area in Luxembourg. Interviewer: “I guess I’ve heard people talk about Baumholder not always in favorable terms.” There’s always been a running joke that people would rather go to Vietnam–– when Vietnam was on–– than go to Baumholder and it has to do with where the location of it is. For me as a kid, I loved it. There were castles, there were bomb shelters by train stations to play in. We played “War” constantly on the Military reservation because we were right there in the housing area. So that was a good childhood and it was kind of, a little bit, Normal Rockwell because it was a small German town so you actually went to the market each weekend and when you bought a Christmas tree, you drug the Christmas tree home in the snow. So that was the reason my family wanted to stay there. There were a lot of people that didn’t like it just because there wasn’t a lot of–– it wasn’t Americanized at all like home. It was a very small German town and it’s up on the top of a hill where it rains constantly so it’s kind of gloomy. But like I said, it’s different strokes for different folks. I loved it there. Interviewer: “Did your family travel around a lot?” We were really fortunate, yes. My mom was Assistant Dean for one of the student colleges over there by that point and so we had an expendable income that we traveled all over Europe as children. I mean we were–– I’d say every other month we were on the train going somewhere and so. Italy, France, my parents loved Holland so we were constantly in the Holland area. Interviewer: “Did you learn German?” No. A typical ugly, American on a military base. Nobody learns a foreign language. I know enough to get around in a bahnhof, order a beer, count to a hundred, that kind of stuff but that’s just what we learned in school, but no conversational German. (4:07). Interviewer: “Then where did you finish high school?” Came back and went to Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia and entered the Marine Corps right after high school. Interviewer: “Your father had been in the Army.” �Yep. Interviewer: “So how do you wind up in the Marine Corps?” I had been raised around the Army my entire life and I just–– I knew I wanted to go in the Military, but I wanted to do something different, and the Marine Corps was different. Parents weren’t big fans of me going to the Marines when I entered. They really expected me to go into the Army but after a couple years they were like, “Yeah, he fits in that hole better than he would have in the Army.” Interviewer: “So when do you actually join the Marines?” So July of 1990, I think it was three weeks after I graduated high school. I joined the year prior but it was in the delayed entry program waiting my entire senior year until I graduated to go to boot camp. Interviewer: “Now, when you enlisted at that point in time and we’re now in the era of allvolunteer military, were you able to request any kind of training or assignment, or was that all on hold” No I had requested–– they used to do what’s called a QEP contract, which is if you signed for six years you basically got to pick the exact job you were going to do, and I signed up to be a tanker when I went without my father to the recruiting depot and I’ll never forget coming home and telling my dad I was going to be a tanker. He–– I mean–– darn near picked me up by the scruff of my neck and took me back to the recruiting station and said, “He is way too smart to be a tanker. I know how he did on the ASVAB.” He made the recruiter basically pull the paperwork up and he says, “If you want me to sign that paperwork, we’re going to renegotiate what he’s going to do.” Dad picked that I was going to go into logistics. So he says, “There’s a future in logistics, there is not a future in tanks.” It was kind of good to have a father that was–– knew how the military worked. Interviewer: “So now where do you gotta go for boot camp?” I went to Parris Island and it was fascinating being in boot camp. I was there when Saddam invaded Kuwait, so the first four weeks was like normal boot camp. I guess that had been going on for many years and then it was–– they rolled the TVs into the squad bays, “We’re going to war” was the big thing, and boot camp kind of changed overnight. It became a little bit more of an intense experience. We were hearing the stories that we were all going to be made Infantry and that we were going back to the Vietnam times and it was kind of surreal, I guess is the easiest way to say it. (6:39). �Interviewer: “Let’s wind back and go back to that first thing. Describe the Parris Island facility a little bit. Kind of where is it, what’s it look like?” Kind of funny because we used to [go] to Holiday Inn, Hunting Island–– which is right next to Parris Island–– when I was a child. I had no idea those two things were so close. But, I can tell you that Hunting Island where I used to camp and being ten miles away from that is nothing like Parris Island. [Parris Island] is kind of like you get on the bus at Charleston Airport, they tell you to shut-up and put your head down, you get to the gates at Parris Island and the drill instructor comes on and is like, “Life as you know, it’s ended. You’re all going to be Marines and put your heads down.” It’s almost like they don’t want you to see how to get off the Island. Then you arrive at, you know, forming, and you run out to the yellow footprints and boom you’re there. It’s such a small place but at the same time, you’re confused the whole time you’re there. You really don’t understand the layout of the thing until you're about to graduate. Sometimes I think that’s probably by design. I didn’t know where the causeway was off the Island until I graduated. Interviewer: “Because if you visit as a tourist it’s a little bit different because you’re driving up the causeway, you can see all of that. So, what time of day do you arrive?” Almost always at night and we showed up, I think it was, ten o’clock. About ten o’clock at night. Interviewer: “And do they keep you up all night or most––” We were up all night. We hit the yellow footprints, we immediately went into the forming section, waited in a room for about four hours until they got a couple more bus loads there, formed us into platoons, and we immediately started drawing equipment and dragging our seat bags to a forming barracks and at the forming barracks you just basically waited until the entire platoon was together. Took us–– I think–– two days, and once that happened we were turned over to the drill instructors and training began. (8:30). Interviewer: “Now, for people who don’t know, explain the yellow footprints thing.” When you come into Marine boot camp, they immediately want to get you in the idea of forming into platoons and forming into lines, so the second you get off the bus you’re told, “Find a set of yellow footprints and put your feet on those footprints.” Ten seconds after you get off the bus, you’re learning the position of attention and how to stand at attention and how to talk to your drill instructor, how not to talk to your drill instructor. And it’s a pretty intense, very immediate indoctrination. So they don’t waste any time getting you turned into Marines. Interviewer: “And what sort of mix of people did you have with you? Were they all pretty much your age, were there older ones?” �For the most part it was, I’d say that 18 to 22 year old demographic. There are a couple old guys and that’s what you call them, “the old guys.” Each platoon seemed to have one or two guys that were that odd bird that was 27/28 years old. Usually called “Pops” or something like that, but yeah. It was pretty much everybody and when it came to–– you had every ethnicity, every bodytype. You had the big guys, the little guys, I mean you had everything. The only thing you didn’t see there was there was not–– the Marine Corps just doesn’t allow a lot of heavy set people in there. So it’s pretty much a bunch of in-shape, you know, pre-in-shape, young males. Interviewer: “And the first four weeks what do they have you do? Before things got crazy, what happened?” (9:59). The first four weeks is all marching. It’s basically learning how to work as a team. Mainly through close drill, understanding how to field-strip a rifle, cleaning the squad bay, it’s just a lot of marching. I mean that’s just the easiest way to explain it. You march, you march, you march, and that’s what you do that first four weeks. After those four weeks is when you transition into rifle range. You usually do two weeks of rifle range to get your basic qualification down with the M16, then you do like a week of mess and maintenance. Mess and maintenance is they take platoons off the line, out of training, for a week and they do all the things that need to operate the base for the other recruits. We went to weapons company–– actually, we were already there for rifle range and we ran the chow hole for a week. So we were the guys that were the backbone of running the chow hole for an entire week. That was our maintenance. Interviewer: “How long was the whole bootcamp?” It was 12 weeks in all. After mess and maintenance we did–– it was a four week–– they call it basic combat training, and that’s all out. Basically you’re camping the entire time, you’re out in a two-man shelter or fighting holes and it’s your introduction to Marine Corp combat. Interviewer: “Now, did your own military background kind of help you at all, adjust to that bootcamp?” It did and it didn’t. I did three years of high school ROTC and also just growing up around the Military, so from an understanding how the Military did things, to understanding basic combat stuff, I was already there. But, at the same time I had already “led” I guess, a little bit, from ROTC, so I had to erase some of that and go back to just being a straight follower because I got out over my skis, we’ll say a couple times, with drill instructors, trying to be more than I was. So that led to some of that–– but that’s just normal growing pains. I mean different people–– everybody has a different experience at boot camp. (12:08). Interviewer: “And at that point in time, how did they discipline people who got out of line?” �Everybody’s gonna tell you it was like Full Metal Jacket, you know? I can honestly say there were moments that were similar to Full Metal Jacket in my platoon, especially after we knew we were going to war. Not trying to hype it or exaggerate it but there were people that were punched, there were people that were slammed into the stanchions. My drill instructor–– my heavy drill instructor–– you usually have three drill instructors. You have your senior drill instructor, you have your basically everyday drill instructor–– who’s a young, learning drill instructor, and then you have what’s called a heavy [drill instructor]. The heavy is the guy that, he’s just kind of like–– he’s the mean guy and he gets everything done. Our heavy ended up relieved the following platoon and kicked off the drill field for abusing the recruits. Interesting story, he went to be the CG’s driver, they liked him so much, he told the story of why he was thrown off the drill field. The CG reinstated him the following year, he was promoted up the Gunny and I ran into him right before I retired and he was a Master Gunnery Sergeant. So he had found a loophole to get out through the backdoor because they loved him so much. He actually ended up pushing recruits up at Quantico on the officer side of the house, later in his career and retired a Master Gunnery Sergeant out of–– I called him up one day. So I’d heard his name and it’s one of those things, you hear your drill instructor's name, years later it freezes you. One of the guys was talking–– he was Motor T Chief–– and one of the guys who said, “Hey I’m talking to Master Guns–– I was talking to Foshi yesterday.” And I froze. I was a Major and I froze and I said, “Drill instructor Sergeant Foshi?” They said, “Yeah.” He was on the drill field. I said, “Yeah. I know he [was] on the drill field.” And I picked up the phone and I called him, and he said, “Master Gunnery Sergeant Foshi.” I said, “This is recruit Bouganville.” They called me Bouganville because they didn’t like pronouncing Bergeron. And he says, “Bouganville. How are you doing?” I said, “I’m a Major now.” He goes, “Huh, did pretty well for yourself.” So it was rough. I mean boot camp was no joke, especially after there was this idea that we were no longer a peacetime Marine Corp–– we were training for war. (14:36). Interviewer: “Now at this point, 1990, were there any of these drill instructors left who had been to Vietnam or were they all––” No. No, in fact on the entire Island only people I can remember that were in Vietnam were some of the senior officers. You saw some Vietnam campaign ribbons but–– and the Sergeant Major of boot camp was a Vietnam veteran. In my first unit we had a couple of Vietnam veterans, but it was getting to the point where they were Master Gunnery Sergeants or Sergeant Majors. [Those] were the guys left from Vietnam. Interviewer: “As it was we took most of the Marines out of Vietnam earlier than most of the Army unit so there’s––” Yeah. �Interviewer: “–– that pushes the clock back that much further. But at the same time you’ve got–– but you know once Saddam goes into Kuwait now you have this sense of urgency now. So when do you finish your boot camp?” I finished boot camp, a three month process, immediately left. We got I think three days or four days leave and then we had to report for MCT–– Marine Combat Training–– at Geiger. Every Marine goes through basic Marine Combat Training. Basically they take the first four-weeks of the basic infantrymen scores and everybody does it. Then the people that are going to be Infantry, they stick around and I think they do another eight weeks. We go on to whatever our job speciality is gonna be. Interviewer: “So where is Fort Geiger?” Camp Geiger is right next to Camp Lejeune. So it’s attached to that complex on the other side. Interviewer: “Because you’re in North Carolina now?” North Carolina. Interviewer: “So how does that–– the combat training you're getting–– now, how does that differ from what you had at Parris Island?” Parris Island was kind of throw hand grenades, learn how to climb under wire, learn what to do when a flare goes off, that type of stuff. It’s very, very basic stuff. When you got to MCT you were integrated basically like a Marine rifle company is. You had squads. You–– for the first time–– had squad automatic weapons, so you were being formatted with the weapon systems that a standard Marine rifle platoon has. So, one guy had a 203 grenade launcher and when you’re at boot camp everybody’s got an M16 there. You go to the range and you shoot all these other weapons, but they’re not integrated into the unit. Everybody’s carrying an M16, so that was the big shift. You’re also starting to learn the heavy weapons systems, Marine Corps does a really good job of the “every Marine is a rifleman” concept. So it doesn’t matter what you’re going to be, you will know basic infantry information. Are we as good as Infantry? No. But you can always turn to a Marine and say, “Get on the line, dig a fighting hole, and get ready to repel the enemy.” Every Marine can do that, so they do a really good job with it and that’s what MCT was. (17:22). Interview: “So then how long is the MCT?” Four weeks. �Interviewer: “That’s because four weeks there and if you were doing infantry, then if you were Infantry then you’d stay a lot longer. But now you move onto your more specialized training.” Yeah. Exactly. I went out to Norfolk to the Amphibious Embarkation School and that’s where I became a Logistics Embarkation Specialist. It was a four-week school. That school, at the time, was abbreviated by a week because there was a real need in units because we were getting ready to do a major movement to get more of us logistics and embarkation kids out into the units and into the field with existing units. Interviewer: “So what do logistics and embarkation people do?” Logistics guys do everything. You’re kind of a jack-of-all-trades. You’re in charge of organizing–– from the organizational side–– all of the movements. You’re in charge of–– everything kind of falls under you that doesn’t fall under a combat role. So we could say, “Beans, bullets, and band-aids.” If it fits in one of those categories, it falls under logistics. You’re in charge of doing those things and doing the movement piece of it. So, chow halls, medical, all that stuff falls underneath logistics. Interviewer: “So what did you do actually? Three weeks of training––” We did four. We did four weeks but it was supposed to be five, but we did four. Everything that we did in school, is not that. All the logistics stuff you’re gonna learn is kind of OJT once you get out of there. The things they taught us were the specialized movement piece. How do you interface with the air force and load an airplane? How do you load a train? How do you load flatbed trucks? How do you plan the loading of ships? We learn basic trim, stress, and stability. You know, we’ve got to put the tanks on the bottom and got that type of stuff. You’re gonna spread load the decks and with airplanes you learned how to load aircraft so that you had a center of balance. So there was a lot of–– I wouldn’t say advanced math but a lot of heavy math. Basically, trying to figure out moments in an airplane so that based on the weight of all the equipment the airplane is balanced as it takes off, that type of stuff. (19:21). Interviewer: “They’re sort of orienting you so that when you join a unit, you’re coming in at the bottom and they pretty much show you what to do.” Yeah. They’re giving you all of the base skills that the unit is not going to have time to teach you, that are also skills that have to be formalized. The Air Force piece of it–– there’s a requirement before you’re allowed to do Air Force load plans, where you’re certified to do them. And we were actually–– we received our certification there at the school that–– we were �certified, signed a load plan–– that, yes, this is a legal load plan to give the Air Force to load the airplane, that type of stuff. Interviewer: “So when do you finish that?” Finished that in December–– it was mid-December. When we were done, they gave us–– I think–– two days to get everything together there at Norfolk before they sent us directly to our unit, so we didn’t give any leave there. I was sent to H&S Battalion Second for Service Support Group at Camp Lejeune and that was another–– [I] show up at my unit and showed up with four guys that had been–– two of ‘em had been in my platoon at boot camp, two others were at the same time at boot camp. We all went through school at the same time and when we all showed up there they looked at the four of us and said, “Go to supply, draw everything you need, you’re gonna get four days of leave, get your butt back here because we leave on the 31st of December for Saudi Arabia.” So, it was kind of like–– it was like whiplash shock. I mean, none of us expected that a bunch of, you know, brand new Marines coming to the fleet–– we we’re like, “Okay, yeah. We’re going to go to some unit, we’re gonna wait around for a while, they’ll all be gone when we get there or they’ll be getting ready to go out the door and they won’t take us.” But no it was, “Welcome to the show.” (21:08). Interviewer: “Let’s start the show. December 31st––” December 31st went to the airfield in Cherry Point, got on a civilian airliner and flew for 16 hours to an airport right next to Jebel Ali, Saudi Arabia. Landed there, got there–– we got into our tent on New Year’s Eve or–– no–– New Year’s Day now. Within 48 hours we were in the port starting to download ships that had been sent months earlier. So that first whole four weeks was getting everything, organizing all the equipment, getting it ready to push forward, figuring out where we were going forward, and honestly, being just thrown directly into the fire as a logistics guy, you know. Immediately executing everything you’d learn in school and trying to learn on the fly and we had good Sergeants, we had good NCOs, but we were used as what we were capable of doing. So a lot of standing around with a clipboard counting… counting humvees or going down into the ships and when we–– when you send gear over in civilian ships that aren’t designed for military gear, you do a lot of blocking and bracing which is basically two-by-fours and four-by-fours everywhere to stabilize the deck so when you pull into port all that stuff has to be ripped out. And it’s just one big working party–– guys swinging sledge hammers and tearing mountains and mountains of wood out to free up all of the stuff to get out of the ships. Interviewer: “So do you take your turn with the manual labor?” �Yeah. That was basically eight hours of manual labor, or four hours of working on the port doing other stuff and then repeat that each day. So usually a 12-hour day is what–– Interviewer: “Now what were the physical weather conditions like at that point in time?” Beauty of being in the desert in December is that it wasn't that bad. During the day we were getting up into the 80s but during the evening it was nice and cool, and a lot of guys preferred to be on the night shift because it was just a really nice working condition. You weren’t dealing with the Sun, it was really buggy there–– which was really strange, you know. You get to Saudi Arabia, you’re expecting just desert and you don’t understand that parts of of the world that you’ve always thought of–– you know you get this Omar Sharif view of what Saudi Arabia is, and then you get to a coastal area in Saudi Arabia and realize this is kind of a swamp, it kind of stinks, and it’s full of mosquitoes and bugs. So that was an awakening but it wasn’t bad. I mean it’s–– we’re getting three square meals a day, got a place to sleep, got guys with you that you’ve been with since boot camp, but there was that apprehension of what the heck’s gonna happen. What are we going to do? And I think at that point when you’re at the low rungs of the Marine Corps, you have no idea what’s coming down the pipe. You’re just kind of doing what you were told to do, so it was interesting too. (24:06). Interviewer: “Were there kind of rumors about what the Marines were going to do? Were you going to go land some place?” There were rumors that we were going to get back on ship and we were all kind of confused by that. Why would they–– why did we bring everything here to get back on a ship? You always get that the corporals running around that are in the know, you know, “We’re doing this, we’re doing that.” We were told we were doing everything from invading Iraq and going straight to Baghdad, we were going to be the lead force going into Kuwait City, you name it. I think I heard every rumor that you could hear and you didn’t know what to believe, and quite honestly I don’t think anybody probably below the rank of captain knew what was coming down the pipe. Everything was pretty close hold at that point. What we knew was, you’d know when you got there–– that was kind of the feel. We were going to push north and we were going to go into cantonment sites right along the border, and that was the process that first couple of weeks in there–– and that’s what we did. We–– after–– we got everything off the ship, we started pushing gear north. The main MSR from Jubal Ali went up to a place known as Mashab and then from Mashab you push out into the desert and there was DSC [something], and what we were doing was working our supplies. Now that I’ve seen the postmortem–– you know–– what happened, years later, being able to study and understand finally exactly what we were doing. It was a huge logistics push, we worked for General Krulak when he was a one-star, he was in charge of us. Ended up becoming a commandant years later, but we were doing a huge logistical push that had not been done–– it was a style of warfare that we hadn’t seen before where we were gonna push the logistics �basically up to the front line, because we weren’t worried about them coming across that front line. That way when the Infantry and the Amor moved forward we would be that much closer with the fighting support that they were going to need for that initial push that was going to go. And I think that’s when we figured out that we were going to be the guys that went into Northern Kuwait and Southern Iraq is basically where the push was for the Marine Corps. The Army moved farther out west and swept into more of Central Iraq during the fighting. (26:28). Interviewer: “Now one thing–– what was the infrastructure like? Did you have functional roads or did you have to build roads?” No that–– well the road going to Mashab was a functional road. It was a highway that went upnorth but as soon as you punched west it was a road that we were basically in the process of building., which is another thing that made it really interesting. We were doing–– a lot of the convoy operations that were being done were being done with civilian tractor trailers and with foreign labor. So I know me, personally, the night the air war started I was–– I remember being in the bunker and the next morning I was leaving and taking my own convoy. So here’s a PFC being given three trucks, three guys that don’t speak English, told “Drive north to get to this spot, and then when you get there you’re going to go west until you see ‘this.’” Honestly, that was the way it was there. There was so much gear being pushed forward that the manpower that you were able to assign to it was shoestring. I mean a 19-year-old kid in a truck, three guys who don't speak English, and saying, “Drive north.” That’s honestly what they were doing. So the night the air war started we were all in the bunkers because they’d fire a couple scuds. We all got in the bunker, turned on the radio, and listened to George Bush’s–– the President’s–– speech about how the air war had begun. The next morning I got into my truck, went north, and I can still remember we got all the way north we started–– I found–– we found the turn. There were actually Marines there that we’re guiding you go that way, so kind of pushed out into the desert and then one of my trucks went off the road about ten miles down the road and got stuck in the sand. So it was kind of like, “Okay.” There were flares going off out in the distance–– didn’t know what that was, 19-year-old kid, I have nobody I can talk to. So it was kind of like, “Okay, we’re just going to sit tight until the morning until somebody else comes by, flag somebody down, and we’ll get towed up the road.” (28:27). Interviewer: “So you had no radio yourself?” No. No radio. No, the neat thing–– not neat thing, the bad thing–– that worked out too is I had been assigned two Pakistani drivers and an Indian. And they were not big fans of each other–– they wouldn’t even eat together. The Pakistani guys kept giving the Indian guy a hard time and it got to a point where I was basically trying to just calm them down, because it was the Indian guy that [had] driven off the road so there was this just national tension between them. It was just a bad thing. Finally got everything calmed down and next morning I noticed that there was a small �DSC, a small camp, that was pretty close to us, pretty close in the deserts. Not real close, but I realized that after I started walking, but I walked about three-and-a-half miles to a small medical outfit that was out there and they got me into a humvee, drove me all the way down to where my unit was which was another 40 kilometers down the road. I was able to get a wrecker to come back and get my truck towed out and get [it] up the road to the DSC. You just don’t think of things like that, but that’s what would happen with a 19-year-old kid. Interviewer: “So basically they–– you weren’t even missed?” No. But I think it was because we had so much going on, that it was like, “Okay.” You can’t get lost, you might get stuck, but you can’t get lost. It’s–– there’s only two roads, so eventually you will get there, we will find you, and we will come along and recover. (30:03). Interviewer: “Now you had mentioned, or you talked about scuds, and those were ground to ground missiles that the Iraqis were launching at us and they were doing that before the start of the air war?” So they did it as soon as the air war began. So that night, as soon as we started attacking them, they started lobbying scuds. So we didn’t–– we heard a Patriot go off from the area we were in, I didn’t see anything but we could hear that something had launched. Interviewer: “Yeah and the Patriot's the American anti-missile system.” Yeah. Interviewer: “A lot of that was famous at the time in the news coverage but if you didn’t watch it or were too young, you wouldn’t know. So that’s all going but most of that–– most of those guys were kind of firing at major bases and larger targets and so once you’re kind of out towards the desert someplace–– not your problem?” No. Interviewer: “So you get your convoy out to join the unit, now do you bring more convoys or––” No. It was kind of like a one-way thing. You were going to where you were going, so you each were assigned to bring a piece of it up there. There were units–– my unit wasn’t–– my unit was kind of like we were the headquarters unit. So we were supposed to get where we were going. The motor transport units, those units, they were kept shuttling back to bring stuff up. �Interviewer: “So once you were out there, how long did you sit there?” About a month before the grand rush started. So we were out there in the desert for about a month. We had been there in time, kind of, don’t remember exactly when–– it all kind of bleeds together–– but we did have the–– there was one time where the Iraqis launched a small thrust into the Mashab area which was pretty close to us. We were close enough to see the flares going up from the units that night. We were all thrown in our fighting holes, told that we were gonna get gassed so everybody was putting their gas masks on. We were a support unit so our fighting holes were terrible. They were all about two-and-a-half feet deep and we never thought we were going to have to use them, so that was interesting. I can still remember we were sitting in the fighting hole–– it was me, and PFC Carney–– he was one of my friends from boot camp–– and General Krulak and a sergeant major went walking fighting hole, to fighting hole in the perimeter and he says, “Well we heard there’s enemies,” telling all of us what was going on and he got to us and he said, “We’ve been told some tanks have broken through.” The Army Tiger Brigade was working behind us out west at the time, they ended up moving that unit out in front of us so that we were never in any danger. I remember Carney looking and saying, “Yes sir. What am I supposed to do to a tank with this?” And the General says, “Don’t worry about it. We’re going to figure it out before they get here.” So that was pretty interesting. It was one of those funny moments in a war where a PFC says something that’s–– in hindsight–– that’s really, really funny. (32:56). Interviewer: “Now, Krulak–– I mean there was a Krulak who was high-ranking in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.” Major Krulak was his father. Yeah. We had Chuck Krulak and Chuck Krulak is a really interesting dude. He’s one of those guys that knows everybody underneath his command down to the smallest guy and remembers your name. He was really able to really interface with all the way down to the young Marine level, probably the reason he made it all the way to commandant in the Marine Corps. Yeah, he was a stellar guy, but he had his quirks too. Krulak was about as tall as I am, so he was one of those Marine generals that was–– you know–– right at the fivefive/five-six height, and he would have a platform built wherever he was. Even out in the desert, he has his office in a conex box and he actually had a platform that his desk was set up on, so that when he stood up he was as tall as–– taller than–– everybody in the room. We all said that he had a Napoleon Complex. But he was a really, really good officer. Interviewer: “Now aside from that one little bit of excitement, how did you spend your time sitting out there in the desert?” (34:03). I mean day-to-day operations was organizing all of the things that were coming up and down the MSR. So supporting the G Units–– the General Shop Units–– we were just below the general’s �headquarters, and what our job was basically was to take care of the general’s headquarters. So anything the general’s headquarters needed we were the ones that supplied them with it. From supplies to movement, all of the motor transport assets that they needed–– that type of stuff. We ran the channel haul, everything there on the DSC. So we were basically the housekeeping agency for the facility that the general staff was using. Interviewer: “Now, did you have problems keeping dust out things or were––” Oh yeah. Dust was everywhere. In fact, it wasn’t just the dust. We had been up there about a week-and-a-half and we got one of the worst torrential rain storms that the area had seen, even the weather guys were like, “This just doesn’t happen, this is like biblical.” What we had done is we had–– because of the worry about artillery and not having concrete to build concrete barriers– – everything was in pits. So we would dig these huge pits with dozers and we’d put everything at the bottom of the pit. Well when you dig pits in the desert and you get a torrential rainstorm–– I can still remember waking up morning, we’re hearing the rain, but waking up and opening your eyes and seeing your shower-shoe–– your flip-flop–– float by and realizing that there’s a foot of water in the tent. That type of stuff, so we lost–– I can’t tell you how many computers, what that did to the electrical grid because we had wires that were just open wires that were running everywhere. It was chaos for about a week just trying to put things together after the rainstorm. The mud was worse than the dust. Interviewer: “Now eventually, the fighting actually starts. The Americans launched their attack, so what happens with your unit at that point?” (36:01). At that point–– that was interesting too because we were close enough to the frontlines that we could hear the carpet bombing that was taking place on the frontline. It was every night for several days before the big attack started, and when they went through–– on the breach line–– they dropped a 10,000 pound fuel air-vapor bomb right before they pushed through and that was something else. We knew–– we had actually gotten word that that night they were gonna drop the big bomb. It’s–– the fuel air-vapor bombs are really good at basically destroying things that are dug in, so it blows up your mines, it blows up your barbed wire, and they dropped one of those right on the breach line. And once everyone pushed forward, we started punching convoys right behind them, supporting those units. So basically running ammunition, running all those types of supplies that they needed to go up there. The farthest my unit ever got was, was just right there at that breach line, but we were constantly sending convoys into the breach and following the combat units that were pushing forward. All the way up–– I took several convoys up to the Northern area of Kuwait and one convoy into Kuwait City. Interviewer: “Now, as you’re doing this are you still using these civilian trucks or use––” �No. By that point we were using all military equipment, so we weren’t–– all our, the same trucks are basically just to get us there in the desert quickly, but from that point it was–– all our maneuvering was done with military assets. So mainly LBS is logistical vehicle systems–– look like big heads–– so we still use them today, really good trucks. Five tons, that type of stuff. Interviewer: “What do you remember about going into Kuwait?” I still remember–– I think the thing you can’t forget is the oil fires. There’s really something crazy about being in the Sun in the desert and then hitting that line of smoke and having everything go to what it’s like to be outside at midnight, within a matter of minutes when you get underneath it. And the sound, the roaring sound the burning wells make is just something that's really fascinating. I’ve got some really good pictures of all of us sitting on the back of the truck with the oil fires behind us before we punched into it. It was–– it was fascinating Now Kuwait City, that was a real experience. So getting in there, seeing a city for the first time–– that was a major metropolitan city–– before the war started and seeing it completely just tumbleweed kind of. It was like an apocalyptic–– there was nothing going on. A couple fires burning here and there, very few people in the streets. We were running our convoys up to a unit that was right on the outskirts. We actually had–– the Kuwaiti Army took Kuwait City, the Marines didn’t, but we were directly supporting the Kuwaiti troops that were taking Kuwait City. We did get into the City some, supplying them and supplying our troops that were on the outside. And we actually had an afternoon after we pushed up there, and because everything had happened so fast, the City wasn’t–– there weren’t people. There weren’t security checkpoints everywhere yet, it had just fallen and we had an old man that came out and invited us in for tea. [He] introduced us to his family and I’ve got pictures where we actually sat down with this Kuwaiti family and they brought everything they could to us. There were American flags everywhere, they were so happy to see us, they wanted to feed us, they wanted to give us tea, introduce us to all of his sons, you know. And his daughter was there, and I still remember that he was talking about how they had kept her hidden the entire time because they were worried the Iraqis would get their hands on her. So that was neat. I’ve got a picture of her with the hat on and she’s holding the rifle and she’s got one of the guys flak jacket on, and got some just really cool keepsakes from them. (40:04). Interviewer: “Did you see anything of the Kuwaiti Army?” Just them walking. They had pushed to the northern side of the city, we were kind of in the southern side of the city at that point. The fighting was over by that point, it was over and I think 48 hours in Kuwait City and that was about it. That was as far as I got in and then within three weeks we were already starting to move stuff back. Interviewer: “Because there’s already a cease fire pretty quickly” �Yes, yeah. I mean once the Iraqi Army tried to push itself out of Kuwait City and the air power hit it and that was the end of the Iraqi Army. That was the end of the offensive, they were done from a military perspective. Interviewer: “So then you basically–– so you went into Kuwait City and when you go back out to your base camp again from there and then you just kind of sit there?” Sit there for a couple weeks while they figure out how they’re going to phase everybody out–– who is going to get phased out. So we were there for a couple more months and I think we left in May–– basically the reverse of everything we had done. We went down to Kuwait, checked all of our equipment in and put it in big lots, got everything packed up, went through the whole agricultural process of washing everything and then started back loading everything on ships. Then, once all of the majority of our unit was loaded onto the ship, it was kind of like just waiting in the queue for a flight back home. Interviewer: “Now, when you went home did you do another non-stop or did you––” So, yeah. We did non-stop–– well, no. We popped into one place for fuel but it was literally a pop-in for fuel and got off the airplane, and then right back on. I think we stopped in Ireland so– – which was nice. I do remember getting a beer. First beer we had had in a long time. Interviewer: “Now you’re back in the States, where do you go from there?” I was with that unit for another seven/eight months, then they put me with a brigade service support group for which was going to do a Norway operation. So I went through cold weather training up at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Learned how to walk around on skis and snow shoes and haul sleds and basic infantry stuff in mountain warfare. Did that for about a month, then we went to Norway. Did Teamwork ‘92 with the Norwegians and the Brits, which was fascinating being above the Arctic Circle. I mean one year you’re in Saudi Arabia, the next year you’re training and above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. [I] did that operation for about a month and I was really fortunate in that because I was a logistics embarkation guy. Everybody else had to go back on the Navy ships, I got to go back on a civilian roll-on/roll-off freighter and actually drive through the Fjords and come on the RORO ship which was–– it was good living, so it was a civilian ship. Life was good. And it was just beautiful to sail through the Fjords. (42:56). Interviewer: “And what time of year were you in Norway?” We were in Norway in February/March. Interviewer: “Okay, so it’s still pretty dark a lot of the time but there is light by there?” �Yeah there is some light. Interviewer: “Were you near a town or anything?” Bardufoss, Tromsø, and Bodø were the three towns we operated out of. Interviewer: “Kind of–– sort of in a very far North Atlantic coast of Norway up there.” Yep. Interviewer: “And was that an area with–– did you have–– was the water warm enough that it was open or was it––” Yeah, it was. The Fjords, because of the salt water, they don’t ice as much and the Fjords are so deep that I think it stabilizes the temperature some. But yeah, it was free sailing for everything. We actually did amphibious assault above the Arctic Circle in March. So, when we actually–– you know–– LCU’s whole nine yards, just like Marines do but doing it in Norway. Interviewer: “And what impression did you have of the NATO troops you were with?” Really good people, the Norwegians especially. Norwegians are one of the most proficient, welltrained armies I’ve ever worked with, especially when it comes to mountain warfare. They’re just awesome at what they do. We were playing OP four–– we were the good guys, they were playing the aggressors. I can still remember us just getting set up and having–– they used little snowcats basically, like a snow machine painted white and they came pouring out of the tree line on snowcat. Shooting us up with blanks so it was–– they were really good at what they did. And it was an interesting military to work with too because at the time they had females integrated in their infantry units, but their platoons would be an all-female platoon and an all-male platoon. So that was interesting being around female infantry because it was something that wasn’t even an idea at that time, in the Marine Corps. The Brits were always great. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the UK many times in my career and they’re really professional soldiers. (44:59). Interviewer: “Then you get back again and–– we made it into 1992 at this point you’re there–– from there where do you go?” I left there–– it was time for me to rotate out–– so I left my first unit and I went right across the New River there from Camp Lejeune, basically across the street, [to] New River Air Station. I became the embarkation NCO for 263, which is a CH-46 echos water, sea nights–– which is what the Osprey replaced and [it’s] a great unit for a young guy to be in. I’m a really good swimmer, always have been, so immediately upon getting there the CO of the unit came in and �said, “Welcome to the unit. Can you swim?” I said, “Yeah, I can swim.” He goes, “Get to the pool tomorrow because we’re gonna make an aircrewman.” I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like, “You’re gonna fly on a helicopter.” So you know, shoot machine guns and I was like, “Yes, sign me up. Yay, flight pay.” Even though I had my job that I was doing for the unit in logistics, I was able to get trained up, become an observer and a gunner on the 46th. By the time I was done–– several hundred hours–– had over a hundred hours on MDGs, so flying at night and then did two deployments with that unit as a logistics guy and then my secondary job being an observer/gunner. (46:26). Interviewer: “Now the CH-46, that’s an old model helicopter. They used those in Vietnam, right?” In fact, we had helicopters in our unit that we were able to track the history back to Vietnam. Then we had planes that still had bullet patches in them, from Vietnam. So yes, they were very, very old airplanes. The running joke on just about any Marine helicopters [was] if it isn’t leaking, get off because something’s wrong, it has run dry. It was–– in fact, I got one chance in my career to go to HMX-1, which is the helicopter unit for the President because I had a friend up there and actually walked through their line and [saw] some of their helicopters. And just looking at the press versions of the 46s that were flying, it was a night and day difference. I mean ours–– everything was exposed on the inside of the skeleton of a 46 that was actually in the fleet, so every wire you could see. You went on the press versions and they have these nice white covers over everything and it was totally different, but yeah it’s a fascinating airplane–– very old airplane. Interviewer: “And you talk about–– you had two deployments, talk about those.” First deployment was in Somalia. We went out on the USS Wasp, went down, got to do a crossing the line ceremony and become a Shellback so that was really cool–– with the Navy. Interviewer: “So the Wasp is an aircraft carrier?” Yeah. It’s an LHD which is a miniature amphibious aircraft carrier. It has a well deck so they can do landing ships and has an air complement on top of it. Interviewer: “Okay, so was the air complement helicopters?” Yes, helicopters. We had four heavy-lift helicopters–– the 53s. 12 of us, which were troop movers, and then we had three Huey’s and I think four Cobras. Then we also had six Harriers on the back of the.. 6 jump jets. (48:10). Interviewer: “So that’s a jet–– the regular aircraft, but it makes a vertical takeoff.” �So they take off forward on that platform because if you take off forward, you can carry a lot more ordnance up there. You burn a lot less fuel but they do come back and recover vertically, so there’s no need for arresting wires. Interviewer: “So you have a fairly substantial flight tech but it’s not as long as on a fleet.” No, I think they’re 250 feet shorter than I think it’s 840 feet, roughly the size of a World War II battleship–– I mean not a battleship but a World War II aircraft carrier, Essex class. Interviewer: “So that’s a pretty good size––” It is a good size. Interviewer: “And what were you doing in Somalia?” This was when Somalia was going through its civil war period. We were the second Marine force that had been there. We had relieved the West Coast guys that went in there first. Lowintensity type stuff, making sure the Embassy was taken care of, getting stuff in and out of the Embassy. Most of our runs were in and out of the Embassy compound. We had reconnaissance elements when we were first starting to look for Farrah Aidid and try to bring him in. I remember there was movement afoot. I remember the MEU commander said that we want to get a deed and put him in our brig, so that was kind of the mindset we had when we were down there, was that we were gonna take some of these bad elements out of the country. We never did it. We also did a lot of training with foreign troops there. The Dutch rank were in Kismayo--we would go down and train with the Dutch, just integrate them with our helicopters, us with their Infantry. We also used Kismayo–– the southern airfield–– so our pilots could do a lot of training. It was a controlled airfield so we were able to go in there at night and do night-flight operations–– that type of stuff. It was really, really low intensity stuff. Couple bullet holes in a couple airplanes during the entire tour so nobody was ever injured. No, it was kind of funny. You’d go out and fly in Mogadishu and just be flying the night pattern, just getting pilot hours and as your planes would go towards the shoreline you would come back [and] you’d see tracers come out from the coast and just go in the water. They were shooting at the lights but we were so far out to sea that there was–– it couldn’t hit us. But–– just not like they understand trajectories or anything like that. (50:28). Interviewer: “Now, did you have any dealings with any of the Somalis yourself or were you always––” �I got into Mogadishu a couple times but not–– no. In my capacity being with the Air Wing, there was no integration. We had some infantry troops that were in there that were holding the port facility and reinforcing the Embassy–– those guys did a lot more of that type stuff but we didn’t. We were supporting getting them in-and-out mainly. Interviewer: “How long did you spend there?” We did two-and-a-half months there and then it was decided that we were going to go up and do a major operation in Kuwait–– just a training operation [to] show force. We got up there, we started our offload. I think we got about a day into our offload and that was when the Pakistani nationals who were working in Somalia were ambushed the first time. They lost–– I want to say– – they had 30 or 40 killed in an ambush in Mogadishu. We did an emergency backload immediately and went, basically, back down to put a stability [like] presence in that area again with the Marines. We stayed down there about another month-and-a-half and then we were relieved by the Army units that came in. Interviewer: “Now, do you go home from there or––” We went home. We stopped at a port call in the Mediterranean on the way out, to just kind of unwind and then we straight back to Camp Lejeune. So we’re there for about a year-and-a-half and it was basically repeated back on the Kearsarge this time, which is just a different name, same class as the Wasp. We went straight to the Adriatic–– that was when Bosnia was first kicking off–– and we basically poured it in the Adriatic and spent almost the entire deployment in the Adriatic. The only thing our unit really did there was–– we had Captain O’Grady from the American F-16 Pilot that was shot down. We were the squadron that went in and grabbed him in the evening. (52:23). Interviewer: “What do you remember about that incident or how much of that did you know at that time.” I was actually working the flight deck at the time, so the 53s–– it was their mission, they have much longer legs than the 46 do. They were the guys that were gonna go in. They went in, did everything, we had 46 waiting in case something happened to them basically as a recovery force for the recovery force. We always planned in depth and secondary plans, but of course none of that was needed. I remember him getting to the fight flight deck and I can remember he was pretty beat up when he got to us. He was with us for about–– it was like 24 hours before they flew him off and took him back to Aviano. It was the big–– you know, you always trained to do all these things. I mean one of the major operations for MEU is what we called TRAP: Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Pilots. So you train this stuff all the time, it was neat to get to see it get �executed and see it executed at that level with that level of success for one of our down aviators. So it was a big feather in the cap for the unit. Interviewer: “Now when you’re back home–– when you’re in the States and you’re in the Camp Lejeune complex, what’s life like there for enlisted Marines?” It’s really good. I mean, by that point–– Jacksonville is a huge town. You’re close enough to Wilmington that you’ve got a little more of a laid-back, non-military town that’s really easy to get to. It’s a great place–– beaches are everywhere, the beaches are beautiful. So, really enjoyed it. (54:04). Interviewer: “Did you live on-base or off-base?” I lived on-base then. I didn’t get married until I got down to–– till I met my wife on the Bonhomme Richard years later. So, I was in the barracks most of the time. Interviewer: “Did you have a car at that point?” Oh, yeah. Driving back home to Georgia pretty regularly and that type of stuff. It was pretty laid back, it was just normal military life. Being in the Air Wing was a lot easier than being in an infantry unit, you know. We aviators–– they–– really stick to this many hours of work, this many hours of rest because of crew rest and because I was a crewman, that was another good benefit of being a crewman, you know. I was expected to get an eight-hours sleep at night and it was that kind of stuff, so it was a good life. Interviewer: “Now how do you–– when you were on these deployments–– how much of your time were you spending as a crewman as opposed to doing logistics?” It was about 50/50. It was–– not everybody in the unit could be crewmen because of the swimming requirement. Getting through the swimming requirement, especially back then, was really tough and a lot of guys wanted to be crewmen but they just couldn’t swim. By becoming a crewman you were, kind of, set a part in a way. You weren’t expected to do as much of the other work. You were–– you had kind of an elevated status, so that was a good thing too. I still did everything I could in the unit and I was still integrated in the unit, but it was different when you were a person who was a crewman and had a day-job. That’s what we kind of called it, “My day job is… but I’m a crewman.” Probably about 50/50 workload wise. Interviewer: “So what rank were you at at this point?” Sergeant by that point. I had picked up Sergeant shortly after getting to 263. �Interviewer: “Okay, and so now when does this assignment come to an end?” Right after that second deployment. I was back home about two months and I was sent to Beaufort Air Station to join the Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, which is a groundside unit. But when I got there the monitor had messed up. They already had two sergeants there, so my boss said, “Don’t unpack your stuff. You’re moving somewhere else.” He called around and there was a unit that was getting ready to deploy to Aviano. There was a F-18 squadron and they were really interested in having me, so they transferred me over. I went right back to an active squadron and started getting ready to do an Aviano deployment with them. So to Aviano, Italy right back to the Bosnia AOR. (56:47). Interviewer: “Now you’re with F-18s?” Yeah, but I got my aircrew wings but I’m not flying. I did a little bit of flying while I was at Beaufort with the search-and-rescue unit that was down there because it was 46s and I came and I was already qualified, but that–– back to my regular logistics job. Interviewer: “So what was life at Aviano like?” The most beautiful freaking deployment that I did probably in my entire career. The pilots went out and flew in Bosnia. We went and skied at Corcovado everyday. It was good living. Because Aviano, being where it’s located, the Air Force didn’t want to rotate units through for the length of time that they really needed to be there. They considered it “austere conditions.” We had tents that had cement floors, that had air conditioners, that I mean–– sergeants–– we were living four to a GP tent, which is a pretty large tent. We basically had our own room, we had regular barracks furniture, we were getting hazardous duty pay because that AOR was hazardous duty at the time. We were in Italy but it was heavy duty, go figure. So life was good, life was really good. We weren’t in any danger of anything so we were basically just supporting the pilots that were there–– keeping our side of the airfield running. Life was awesome. Interviewer: “How long did you stay there?” Full six months. I would have gladly stayed longer. (58:12). Interviewer: “But now you also at some point get to Tunisia? Another deployment?” That was during that deployment. We went down to Tunisia for a month-and-a-half for a training exercise with the Tunisian Air Force. It’s a bilateral exercise that was done pretty regularly at the time–– not done anymore because we don’t have the same relationship with the Tunsian government we used to, but basically we would go down and fly up for them to help train their �pilots. So, we would come down and fly as aggressors and just a joint training operation. I loved it because it was a very small detachment out of the unit that went down–– we only took four aircraft. Once we got in there the Tunsians provided us with everything, so it wasn’t a whole lot to do once we were set up. Basically, let the pilots fly–– kind of like Aviano was–– but for me being a World War II buff, we were able to get in the car, drive down to Kasserine Pass, explore battlefields down there, see some of the World War II sites that most people don’t get to see there in Northern Africa. And there’s lots of Roman ruins all over Northern Africa–– in fact, I’d say some of the better preserved Roman ruins are there in Africa. It was a good history tour for me–– I got to see some fascinating stuff. Interviewer: “From there you go back to your––” From there I went back to Aviano and went back to the States. [I] was there for about three or four months, and that was when I got selected to Staff Sergeant. Because I was selected to Staff Sergeant, they were gonna move me and I’d gotten orders–– I wanted to go on embassy duty because I was single and you have to do basically another kind of tour when you’re at that rank level. You’d have to be a drill instructor, a recruiter, or go to embassy duty. I really wanted to go to embassy duty. I loved to travel, had been overseas as a kid so that’s what I wanted to do. [I] got sent orders to go to the Embassy duty staff at Quantico–– which is not embassy duty. That is sitting at Quantico and manning a desk for three years, and it was kind of a dead-end job for my MOS. So I pulled some strings, called some senior guys that I knew and said, “Look they’re shafting me. What can we do?” One of the Colonels–– I’d graduated under for the staff sergeant course for embarkation that I’d gone to that year–– I called him and he says, “Would you like to go sea duty?” I said, “I’ll take sea duty in a heartbeat over going to [Quantico].” So I went–– they assigned me to the Bonhomme Richard, which was another LHD that was being built in Pascagoula, Mississippi. And I was the first Marine that was sent down there in the detachment. So [I] went down to get the ship ready. Met my wife down there and just had a really good tour. We got the ship built, took the ship all the way around through the Straits of Magellan and back up San Diego. We got to port in Chile, we got to port in Brazil, and while we were going around Chile was when I was notified I was selected for Warrant Officer. It was kind of bittersweet because I really wanted to be a Warrant Officer because there’s a lot of privilege that comes with it, but it was kind of like I’m not gonna get to go to the Pacific for deployment–– because that was the whole reason I really wanted to go that ship is I’d been in the Marine Corps now for seven years and I was one of the Marines who’d been to Okinawa, still had not been to Korea, still had not been to all those famous Marine Corps places–– but that just wasn’t in the cards. (1:01:39). Interviewer: “Now explain the Warrant Officer business. First of all, what is a Warrant Officer?” �In my specific MOS–– in the logistics and embarkation MOS–– fields in the Marine Corps that require a speciality level of expertise that people consider on par with higher education, I guess is the best way to explain it. They want to pull people from the enlisted side out of those and make them officers–– give them the authority that officers have and that’s what the Warrant Officer program is. You take an enlisted man, you say, “We’re gonna put this bar on you because of your level of technical expertise,” but the one thing about that–– when you do that–– that’s what you’re going to be for the rest of your career. Kind of restricted to that one job speciality, but you really get all of the advanced training, [and] then comes with that is responsibility. It’s a really small fraternity within the Marine Corps. It’s smaller as you go up, but it’s a really unique group. They call us “Mustangs” because you’re prior enlisted–– there’s a level of respect that you get from the enlisted guys because you’re an officer but [also] because you come from where they come from–– that’s just different from the regular officer corps. It’s a great job, I mean you are now integrated in a staff at the officer level and it’s pretty amazing that overnight you go from being an enlisted guy [who’s] asking permission to do things to being on a staff, making decisions for other people to do things. So, that’s a pretty eye-opening–– that transition is really interesting for a lot of people. (1:03:12). Interviewer: “A side issue you mentioned, that you had met your wife when you were training for this crew and she was a sailor. So she had a lower rank than yours––” Nope, same rank. Well, she was one lower but [it] didn’t really matter. Interviewer: “Basically, were there rules about who could fraternize with whom?” In the Navy ship, back then, the rule was because E6s–– even though I was an E6 and she was an E5–– because E6s in the Navy are considered “non-chiefs,” below that rank. Because I was another service, even though I was on the same command, nobody cared. So as long as we weren’t messing around on the boat, doing things we weren’t supposed to do, that kind of stuff, nobody cared. And Christina was at the end of her tour anyway, so she actually ended up getting out of the Navy two weeks before I became a Warrant Officer, and we ran off to Vegas and got married right after she got out. She actually came back on the boat and pinned my bars on me as my wife, which was interesting. Interviewer: “So now you’re a Warrant Officer, do you get pulled off the Bonhomme Richard now and you’ve got to go to Warrant Officer school––” Got pulled off, sent to Quantico to go to Warrant Officer basic course–– which is a three-month course. It’s basically the three months of the six months course that the Lieutenants do. We don’t need to do the entire course, because they’re teaching Lieutenants about the Marine Corps–– we already know that stuff–– so everything we would already know as Marines, they basically take �all that out, but all of the officer stuff that we don’t know yet, we just get that portion of that. Just like boot camp and MCT turns you into a basic rifleman, the basic course at Quantico is supposed to turn you basically into a basic infantry platoon commander. So you’re supposed to be able to fight a Marine Corps platoon, so you’re right back to doing combat stuff and the majority of what you do is basic combat stuff. (1:05:05). Interviewer: “So how old were you at this point?” I was 27. Interviewer: “You were in good enough shape to do what they wanted you to do?” It was a transition, because that is the one thing when you start getting into the staff NCO ranks in the Marine Corps–– not all of us, especially me being an Air Wing so much. I wasn’t as fit as I probably should have been. That was probably the biggest hurdle for me when I got to the basic school, getting back into that level of shape. But, it comes pretty quick when you’ve got that peer pressure on you, you just grin and bear it and get back to it. Interviewer: “Then once you complete the training, now what do you do?” Went to my first unit as a W1. I went to Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 at New River to be the embarkation officer there. Interesting time also for the Marine Corps–– we were starting to put jets into Taszár, Hungary to support Bosnia operations. When I got to my first unit, that is what I was basically tasked with; getting units within my group deployed into Hungary. Didn’t get to go to Hungary–– really wanted too–– just wasn’t in the cards. But, that’s what I did for the entire time I was there. That was a pretty–– that tour was interesting. We went and did an operation in Turkey, got to do operations in Honduras and Nicaragua but they were all small stuff–– building schools, partnership operations. Interviewer: “Now, did you get to go on those?” I did. The Turkey operation I got to go on and the Honduras and Nicaragua operations I got to go on. They were one-month long–– you go down, do what you do, and get back. Interviewer: “Did you have much interaction with the locals when you’re doing that or are you still isolated?” No, we were interacting with locals pretty close. In fact, I was one of the first ones down and the Embassy flew me into the wrong airport. So I got to the airport and they said, “You’re in the wrong place.” I said, “You bought the ticket.” They said, “Yeah we messed up. Go get a rental �car, put it on the Embassy tab, and drive down.” I’m like, “Wait a minute. I’m by myself in a country I’ve never been in before, and you want me to get a rental car and drive through the mountains of Honduras and find you?” And they were like, “Yeah, no problem. It’s just one road.” That was kind of surreal, you know, driving through the backwoods of Honduras on my way from the city, but going to Tegucigalpa and then finding Soto Cano Airfield, and then doing all the planning and getting all the Marines in there–– but it was a fun operation, it was. The Marines getting into the jungle was different for the Marines, getting the equipment in the jungle. We actually brought all the unit into Honduras and then we had to use barges to barge them into where we were working in Nicaragua–– so that was an interesting feat, but no. It was just the standard everybody was friendly, everybody was glad to see us. We were building a couple schools and a small medical facility for a small town. (1:07:54). Interviewer: “And what were you doing in Turkey?” Turkey was just–– it was a military pre-positioning test, where we would take gear that we had positioned all over the world, go into a beach, set it all up, show we can do it, pack it all back up, and leave again. So just a normal NATO exercise that was done back then. Interviewer: “Then having done that, you go back again to the States and now what do you do next?” I got selected to W2 and–– Interviewer: “So that’s a promotion?” A promotion. Promotion to Warrant Officer 2 and immediately with that in my field, basically, comes a ship tour. You go and you integrate yourself into a Navy crew on an amphib ship, and you’re the liaison for all Marine matters on that ship. And I went to the USS Ponce site, which was an LPD–– smaller than the lost class. It’s a landing ship, it has two spots back for helicopters, but it’s mainly an amphibious assault ship. Interviewer: “What were you doing with that?” I did one regular MEU deployment with them, which was basically the same thing I was doing but this time I was on the Navy side of the house. We took Marines out, we did the last of the great–– of what we call the old med cruises, and when we were in our last month, about to go home, was when the towers came down, September 11th. We were actually off the coast of Sicily when it happened. My wife shot me an email and said, “A plane crashed into the towers.” And immediately we were all thinking, “Okay, yeah. Some Cessna flew into some tower somewhere.” Then we–– I think it was about ten minutes later–– we got a flash message that the �Pentagon had been hit. So, that’s when everything went crazy. We didn’t have television at the time–– you had to steam a certain course for the satellite to link up, so we went out to where we could steam a certain course, got the TVs up and running, and we got the TVs up and running right as tower one came down. So that was just really–– I can just remember being–– and we just watched TV for two days trying to figure out what was going on. And the mood on the boat was, “Is this deployment going to turn into a combat deployment? Are we immediately going over?” And the decision was made [of] no, that’s not what we’re doing, we’re bringing you home. So we went home from that. Got home, didn’t get involved in the Afghanistan stuff at all that was going on. The Marine Corps was kind of held back from that–– it was mainly an Army operation at that point, and then Gulf War II started ticking up. So, I was supposed to transfer off the boat and go back to a ground unit finally, and actually take a break because I had done my sea tour, I had done all these deployments. I was supposed to go somewhere on campus, you know, Cherry Point in North Carolina and then it was the day after Christmas, we got called to the ship and the CO told us we were leaving in a week-and-a-half for the Gulf. “We’re gonna go pick Marines up, we’re gonna go fight in Iraq.” After that meeting I went up to him, I said, “What are you doing with me? I’m supposed to leave next week.” He said, “You’re not leaving next week, your replacement is not coming. Call your wife, tell her you’re not going to checkpoint–– those orders have been rescinded–– and get ready to go.” We had just had our son, he was a couple months old, and we had already started looking at houses to transfer to and I had to go and tell the wife we’re stuck here and she was like, “Do you even know where we’re going when you get back–– whenever you get back?” And I was like, “No idea.” So it was kind of like in a couple days get on a boat and you just had no idea. Everything was up in the air. She made the most of it, she always does. She’s a tough lady–– one of the reasons I married a sailor. (1:11:39). Interviewer: “Yeah. I mean, she’d been in there, she understood something of how the Military works and this kind of stuff can happen. So what assignment do you get?” We were part of ATF East so we went down to Camp Lejeune to pick Marines up. ATF East was the seven ships that pushed from the east coast, there was ATF West which was pushing from the west coast. Interviewer: “And ATFs are amphibious task forces?” Amphibious task force–– they’re put together only in time of war. We took as many Marines as we could carry. It was really crazy because basically all the rules we had for loading ships, we threw out the window. I had gear that was what we call “athwartship stowed.” Basically humvees stowed sideways on a ship, which is something you don’t do. We had everything blocked and braced in because it was basically [you] can’t leave everything on the shore–– everything’s getting on the boat. I had a really good CO, his parents were–– one parent was a Marine, one parent was a sailor–– and he was all about the Marine Corps. He was like, “Chris, �we’re not leaving any of their gear on the boat. Just figure out a way to get it on. I don’t care if we’re legal or not, get it on the boat.” [I] got everything on, really good Marines on the boat, got integrated quick. Everybody was really focused about what we were gonna go do, but we didn’t end up doing an amphibious assault. We took everybody to Kuwait and dumped them off, took all of our ammunition off the ship for it to be pushed forward, and then they told us–– we didn’t know what we were gonna do, you know, what our follow on task was going to be, we didn’t have Marines anymore. And found out we were gonna be a mine-sweep operation. We were gonna be in a mine-control ship for the Al-Faw peninsula–– that area where the rivers empty out into the Persian Gulf. We’re assigned all our mine-sweeps, they put some sea dragons–– large Navy helicopters–– on us that actually tow magnetic poles through the water to find magnetic mines. We got dolphins on our sister ship that we were controlling. They didn’t have a Combat Cargo Officer, so I was actually sent over there to help install dolphin tanks. It’s something you just–– never in a million years–– think you’re even gonna be–– it’s something that’ll ever even cross your path. But I actually got to work with Marine Mammal Systems guys out of San Diego–– don’t even know if we have that unit anymore–– but it–– (1:13:50). Interviewer: “What was the purpose of the dolphins?” The dolphins are mine-finders. Seaworld used to have a military affiliation with the Navy in San Diego, and they trained sea lions as any ship–– so any swimmer. So the sea lions–– actually we had two sea lions in Bahrain that would protect all our ships–– they went down and made sure nobody was putting anything on the boats, there were no scuba divers in the water. It’s basically a Rottweiler with fins, is the way the Navy would explain it to us, and you’d see these big sea lions jump out of the water and get fed fish, and then they’d jump back in the water and go search the bottom of the boats–– fascinating. But we got the dolphins, and the dolphins are trained to go out and find metal objects on the bottom of the ocean and come back and let the divers know where they are, so [the divers] can go down and disarm the mines. Because that was the big word, that they were going to mine that entire area. They did do some mining but not nearly what we thought they were going to do. But, just a neat thing to work with dolphins. Interviewer: “And you also mentioned you’re working with NATO troops at this point.” We were. We actually got a complement of British divers on board. The Brits were going to go in and seize the Al-Faw peninsula. We got some Polish commandos–– the Grom commandos–– which are Polish Special Forces. They were going to go in and see some of the oil platforms that were up there in that area. They basically came to us because we were one of the farthest north units, so they came to us to do some of their reconnaissance. They were able to come out to us, use our services to figure out what they were doing, before the big push started. So, I got to get involved a little bit with the planning with the Brits of how they were going to invade the island. That was really fascinating, helping a foreign military. That was a part of what an embarkation �guy does. We do all the planes and trains and all that, but we also a large part of our job is being trained to plan amphibious assaults. You know, understanding how cargo needs to be faced ashore, understanding combat loading, understanding timelines for when things are going to be taken, that type of stuff. (1:15:51). Interviewer: “Now, do you leave before the actual invasion of Iraq starts? That starts in March––” We were right off the coast when it started. We were still doing that operation the entire time. We stayed through the entire war, until our Marines–– we actually put our Marines back on the boat and took them back home when the whole thing was over. But we did mine-sweep operations the entire time there in the Northern Gulf. Interviewer: “Did you ever have any kind of opposition where you were?” The most interesting thing that happened to us up there was, what we think were some Saddam suicide boats, that were supposed to come out and hit us. The interesting thing that happened to them is, whoever these Iraqis were that tried to come out to us, they went into Iranian waters before they came out to us and the Iranians got a hold of them–– and the Iranians made pretty short work of them. There was one silkworm missile, which is an anti-ship missile that was fired dead reckoning. Basically, the Iraqis were afraid to turn the radar on, so they basically just pointed it at dead azimuth and shot it out into the Gulf. They actually ended up–– I think it hit a mall in Kuwait City, that’s where it actually landed. But that was interesting because basically the missile flew right through our box in the middle of the night, and we had no idea it happened. It was one of those things that Skipper goes, “Hey, a missile landed and we’ve got the launch indicator.” And we went over to the chart table and we looked at it like, “Huh. It flew right by us last night.” So that was the extent of the intensity of what we saw, so nothing big. We’d have Iranian boats that would come out and challenge us every now and then, which is normal stuff in the Persian Gulf. They love to come out and just play games with us. And because of the towing of these special helicopters–– basically the helicopter has to come back to the boat and land, and as it’s doing that it is still attached to this huge, the best way to explain it is, it’s a giant magnetic telephone pole, so that thing has to be recovered and pulled into the ship. And this whole thing is a restructured maneuvering condition for the boat–– and it takes a lot of time–– so keeping the Iranians away from the boat and keeping them from fouling our path through the ocean, that was a big part of it. Small boats running around and just getting rid of them and that type of stuff. That’s just what they do. (1:18:11). Interviewer: “And so how many months do you think you were out there?” We ended up–– I think it was a five-and-a-half-month deployment for us by the time it was over. �Interviewer: “Now when you come back from there, what’s next for you?” I finally got off the boat, but I didn’t get off the boat the way I thought I was going to get off the boat. I was sent down to Camp Lejeune, and I was supposed to go to an artillery regiment and the reason they were going to send me to an artillery regiment–– also a unit that’s not supposed to deploy–– and by that point my ticker was–– I had had a lot of deployments, a lot more deployments than most people. So I was relieved to find out I was going to an artillery unit. Before I got there, there was me–– at that time I was W3, I had just put W3 on–– and there was a brand new W1 that was coming in that was supposed to go to a new regiment. They were standing up 8th Marines because the fighting in Iraq was getting more severe, so they had brought 8th Marines back out of mothballs. And I found out a month after I got there that I got traded for beer at the O Club. So my boss, Colonel Gerghainis at the time–– ended up being General Gerghainis–– he went to the division commander and said, “Hey, I heard you sent me a W1.” He said, “I don’t want a W1. I’m standing a unit up from nothing, I hear there’s a W3 coming into 10th Marines.” And he said, “Yeah, but you don’t rate a W3.” He said, “I don’t care [that] I don't rate a W3.” And Gerghainis is a guy that got what he wanted, so I ended up reporting to 8th Marine Regiment, which was a surprise to me when I got down there. But I couldn’t have gone to a better place–– of course, it meant more and more deploying. As soon as I sat down there they were putting Marines in Afghanistan for the first time, so the boss put me in charge of that. He said, “Go figure out how to get my Marines in Afghanistan.” So I had to go figure out the airport system that the DoD had set up using–– we were using Kyrgyzstan at the time–– Manas, Kyrgyzstan to push forces through. Marine units hadn’t done that before. We do things a little differently than the Air Force and the Army, so we had to basically go to all these different hubs [like], “This is how we do business. How do you do business? How can we get these guys in there?” It was about two months of figuring that whole thing out and getting that unit in place before I came home–– it was a mini-deployment, if you want to call it that. I really enjoyed it because it was one of the coolest moments for me in my life because my father was deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan at the time with the Rangers. I actually got to go meet up with dad in a combat theatre, sit down at chow hall, have dinner with my old man, and take one of my most treasured photographs I own–– is a picture of me and him together with Hindu Kush Mountains behind us there in Bagram. (1:20:44). Interviewer: “Now you’ve been to Afghanistan.” Yep. I have been to Afghanistan. I had come home from that and we went on what was called ACM which is the Air Contingency MAGTF. It was a unit that had never been used before–– kind of like the Army Airborne has a battalion that’s always within 24 hours of being able to be deployed anywhere in the world. The Marine Corps does the same thing, and the reason why the Army does it one way and we do it another is the Army is going to give you an entire battalion of airborne troops that can sustain themselves for 30 days. If you need more than that, then you �come to the Marine Corps–– we’ll give you an ACM. An ACM can be tailored to whatever the situation is for ground troops, for support troops, or for aviation troops. We can get the first elements of that anywhere in the world in 24 hours, and then the follow on troops will all close within ten days. So you can have a regimental sized force in ten days instead of a battalion that can do 30 day ops. Everybody always told us, “Don’t worry about ACM. ACM never goes anywhere. Never seen an ACM deploy,” and I was like, “Hey, I’m here” so it’s going to deploy, and it did. Aristide got pushed out of power and within 24 hours of him getting on an airplane in Port-au-Prince, we were getting Marines on airplanes to go over and take over Port-au-Prince and run the city. For the follow-on forces that eventually came in there–– the French came in there and took over the northern half Haiti, we took over the southern half of Haiti, and we did operations there for four-and-a-half months until we turned everything over to the Brazilian government. The Brazilian brought their troops in and they did sustainment ops down there. (1:22:30). Interviewer: “Now is this sort of like a UN operation?” It was under the auspices of the UN–– that’s the, and it’s kind of a weird operation, it started out as kind of a NATO thing and then it ended up growing into a UN thing when we got the Brazilians in charge. We needed to extricate ourselves from it, only because our ops tempo for the US Military was so high. Brazilians were looking for a mission to do–– as a growing military, it was something they were interested in doing. It was just–– the Marine Corps has a long relationship with Haiti, so does America. The Marine Corps has probably been there six times, so whenever unrest happens in Haiti we send the Marines in, everything calms down, we come back home. The main reason we do that is because if you don’t calm Haiti down, then all the Haitians get on their boats and they all come to America. That’s the real reason why we go and calm Haiti down when we have problems; there’s always this mass exodus and there’s a large loss of life whenever that takes place. In Haiti–– I’ve been to Somalia and I’ll tell you Somalia is a very rough place to be–– but honestly, going to Haiti is such an education because something in this hemisphere that is at that poverty level is mind-blowing. To anyone who ever gets the chance to get down there, it’s a place that you’ve got to see to believe. You literally can take off in the Dominican Republic on a helicopter and start flying towards Haiti and when you get to the Haitian border the trees stop because everything on the Haitian side of the border has been turned to charcoal and burned for heat. That’s the level of poverty you’re dealing with, and that’s the reason why you hear about mudslides and all these other problems they have. It’s a rough area to work in–– the people that work there are doing the Lord’s work without a doubt. It’s mainly missionaries, but it’s a rough country. That’s what we were trying to do–– was just calm down. There’s a lot of gang violence and our big mission was to just suppress the violence that was going on in Port-au-Prince and the areas of the Southern claw that we were responsible for. (1:24:37). �Interviewer: “How successful were you as far as you could tell?” Really. I mean Haiti is one of those places that once authority shows up, it settles down pretty quickly. The people that are the troublemakers there don’t want to make trouble with people that are organized militaries. They usually are making trouble because there’s just not much organization that is in Haiti. Haiti is Haiti. I have been told that by Haitians. Haiti is what Haiti is, Haiti will always be Haiti. In Haiti you have one percent that has everything and 99 percent that has absolutely nothing and that’s just the way the country works. It settled down pretty quickly, by the time we turned it over to Brazilians it was pretty quiet and back to normal. Of course, that was pre-earthquakes and everything else that happened down there recently. Interviewer: “Now you get to go back to the States and you’re still with the 8th Marines at that point?” Yep, still with 8th Marines. We immediately entered back into the deployment cycle for going to Iraq. It was–– Gerghainis came and told us, “Look guys, yeah we just got back from Haiti but we’re going to deploy on the same timeline that we were originally gonna deploy.” So everything that we were supposed to do in 12 months, we’re doing in six months. He was such a great commander, he said, “Basically guys, we got a plate full of food, eat as fast as you can, if you don’t eat all your vegetables just make sure you come to me and tell me what vegetables you didn’t eat.” He was a very down-to-Earth, country boy from North Carolina and “we will get there” was his whole thing. (1:26:10). Interviewer: “So what does a unit have to do to prepare for deployment to Iraq?” Everything. At this point everything had become–– we always said “very corporate.” You had to go over to March Air Force Base where they had set up all the facilities for training people leaving for Iraq. You had actors that were acting as bad guys, civilians, that type stuff. So you’re entering an environment that felt like Iraq. You were doing all that “pre”–– that was most of the pre-deployment training. Going to the rifle range, getting all your rifles sighted in. We went out and did a CAX–– basically a miniature CAX–– which is a combined arms exercise done at 29 palms so you can practice integrating aviation fires, artillery fires, ground training maneuvers so you’re not killing people in friendly fire. It’s a really big thing. It’s a lot of training that has to be done and we basically had half the time that most units get to get it done. There was a lot more stress–– we had all just come out of Haiti. Me–– I’m just this constantly going jackrabbit since I have been in and immediately going into that was kind of a grinder. We got ourselves through the pre-deployment training, got deployed, and that was right–– I think it was two weeks before we deployed–– found out I was going to be made an LDO Captain. Interviewer: “What is an LDO Captain?” �An LDO Captain is an even more elite technical officer than the Warrant Officer is. LDOs are regular officers that are–– you can go from Captain all the way to Lieutenant Colonel with no college. Basically you’re in Warrant Officer training and you’re in enlisted training, then they just go ahead and say, “Bless you. You’re a Captain.” I’m taking your Warrant Officer off you one day and putting a Limited Duty officer on. But, it’s a Captain bar just like all the other Captains where you're the same rank, same abilities. The only difference with us is we can never have command. A regular Lieutenant, a regular Captain, can have company command or battalion command, we can never do that. We are stuck in our staff job for the rest of our career. Because I was promoted Captain I was supposed to come out of the unit, but Gerghainis looked at me and said, “You’re not going anywhere.” I knew that he was going to rotate out too, halfway through the deployment over in Iraq, and I asked him, I said, “Look, I’ll go. I have no problem going. I’ll tell my guys I’m going, we’ll push this whole ‘I’m going’ thing, but when you leave Iraq I want to be in your cargo pocket.” And he promised me–– he said, “Chris, you’ll get out. You won’t have to do a full year. We’ll get you out of there a couple months early.” And they did. They got me out–– got a replacement for me. But, we got into Iraq in January–– (1:29:01). Interviewer: “Of what year?” I think it was ‘07. I can’t really–– Interviewer: “Well in Spring of ‘07––” Yep. Spring of ‘07. Interviewer: “It says in Spring of ‘07 you were selected to be LDO Major.” That was ‘05. Interviewer: “I have February ‘05 it says deployed to Fallujah.” So we were post the second Battle of Fallujah. The city at that point, it was still tightly controlled access in and out. We basically got everybody out we could, put a wall around it, made all the bad guys go away, and then slowly let the civilian population return, trying to control–– make sure–– no guns were flowing back into the city. That worked at varying levels of success, but we took over from the units that had done the Battle of Fallujah. The big thing we were responsible for was basically rebuilding the city that had been destroyed in certain sectors–– because of the fighting. We did a lot of moving money–– moving money and distributing money, engineering projects to get the city back on its feet, trying to set up a police force there, trying to set up different levels of government there to get the city functioning again. That was our main task–– �was that area. We had three infantry battalions and one reconnaissance battalion that was on the south side of the city. It was just managing those units. Interviewer: “Were you based outside of the city?” Right outside of the city in the main Fallujah complex, which is a large direct support base [about] five kilometers from the city. Interviewer: “Did you have Marines who were stationed in the city itself?” Yes. The city was separated into three sectors and an infantry battalion had each of those sectors. All of us–– even though we lived out of the city–– we spent a lot of time in the city because we were in direct support of the units that were there. So for us we were going back and forth constantly, moving in and out of the city. Interviewer: “Do you have much contact with any Iraqi forces at this point or were they kept separate?” We did. We were bringing in–– in fact that was a large part of what my unit individually did–– we were bringing in the 4th Brigade, which was a unit from Southern Iraq. It’s really interesting it was done that way because the people in Southern Iraq were very different from the people in Northern Iraq–– religiously. You know, one group is Shia and one group is Sunni. We had a Shia heavy force that we were bringing into the city of Fallujah–– which I still don’t understand the reasoning behind that–– but we were bringing the 4th Brigade in and we were training the 4th Brigade at the same time. I had a lot of really good relationships. I actually interfaced directly with their logistics department–– it was Major Omar, at least that’s what we called him. He was their S4–– their logistics guy. I spent a lot of time with him talking about how we did things and a lot of time eating chicken. Whenever we went over there we’d sit down, dine with them. We always ate Iraqi food which was actually really good. Naan bread and chicken, it’s great. It was interesting to get to interface with them, especially with me having been in the First Gulf War and the Second Gulf War–– I’m just kind of interfacing with a person that was the enemy at one point, but they’re not enemies at that point. It’s a really interesting relationship. In fact, we were teaching really basic logistic stuff to them and a lot of us felt bad in a way about it. It’s kind of like these guys are professional officers, I mean Omar had fought in the Iran-Iraq War and I asked him one day. I was really honest and I said, “How do you feel about the stuff we’re teaching you? Is it beneath you?” And he says, “No, no, no. You came in here, you beat us twice. We can learn some things.” It was just really–– it was very cheery. I would love to know where he is now with everything that has gone on. It was getting that unit stood-up and as they were getting stood-up we started integrating them into our infantry battalions and turning over portions of the patrolling and that type of stuff to them and the police we were training. It was �trying to get the country turned back over, that was the idea. Back to the forces of the country. (1:33:11). Interviewer: “Was there much violence at this point?” Yeah. It was low intensity, asymmetrical combat constantly. A lot of IEDs. IEDs were the biggest thing we dealt with. Dealt with VBIEDs at some point. Probably the worst day we had there–– I can’t remember the day off the top of my head. I mean, I remember it like a movie but we had female search teams that we were putting at the various gates of the city out of respect for the Arabic culture–– we wanted females being searched by females. Our unit had gotten in a habit of moving these people around on a schedule, which is always bad. We weren’t thinking of it like that–– I think there was a little bit of hubris that was going on. We were kind of in charge. We were moving in large convoys, we’d be fine, and we had a VBIED hit one of our female search teams one night. It was a civilian vehicle. It had several artillery shells, we think, in it. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew exactly what vehicles to hit and that was the first time we had lost females in our command. Interviewer: “These VBIEDs–– Vehicle-Borne––” Vehicle-Borne IED. So basically a suicide truck or a suicide car. That was the moment–– we had up to that point we had lost about 20 males, but that was the first time we had lost females. Which it’s a really interesting dynamic. I can tell you that even General Gerghainis who–– the guy’s a rock. I mean he’s just a stone, you don’t think anything would ever faze him. But I think the fact that he had college aged daughters at the time–– it hit everybody hard. It even hit the CO hard. Did a lot of soul-searching about the way we were doing things. We started looking at complacency in every way that complacency could possibly take over. That became the word of the day: complacency will kill you. The unit definitely had a major push to undo all of that and get back to the way we were supposed to do business. That was probably the worst day. I lost one of the Marines that was working directly for me–– he had a family. [It] kind of hit my wife too because she was the coordinator for all of the wives for our unit for our section. This was before we had really figured out how to do casualty operations. We were still, as the Marine Corps, getting used to how we organized the wives and the rear around casualties–– the wives, back then, were doing things like helping to run memorials. That was when the Marine Corps figured out this is not the way to do things. You can’t have young wives doing this kind of stuff with her husband still deployed. So the Marine Corps actually went through a whole shake-up of the way that system was done–– out of the stuff that was going on with us, which was good. But yeah, that was probably the hardest day for the unit over there. (1:36:12). Interviewer: “Other things from that deployment that kind of stand out in your memory?” �Funniest thing that happened on that deployment was when I first got there. I think I had been there about two weeks and General Gerghainis called me into his office and he said, “Chris, I need to move several million in Iraqi dinar. How do I do it?” I was just kind of taken aback and I’m like I don’t even know how to calculate what we’re talking about. I told him, “I’m not a Swiss banker. I physically need to go to the money that we are gonna move with a scale and a tape measure and figure out what we’re talking about.” He said, “I can get you into one of the banks in Fallujah where the money’s stored.” I said, “That’ll work.” So, we went into a bank vault and actually took bricks of cash–– Iraqi denominations–– measured them, weighed them, and figured out how much each denomination was, how their money was organized. Then we went back to the Embassy and said, “We can do this but give us exactly what we’re getting. Tell us how many bills–– what are we getting?” We ended up figuring it out and we–– of course–– thought we were talking about like a carload of cash. In the end we were talking about a 20-foot ISO container of cash. It was a lot bigger than what we thought we were going to be dealing with. Then at the time, the MSR between Baghdad and Fallujah–– I mean it’s famous; the Green Line there is the highway to hell. You don’t want to be out in the Green Line, it’s one of the most IED places in the world. Taking that much money down there, there was no way we were going to do that, so we figured we had to fly it. We called our Marine air and they said only a heavy lift can do that and heavy lifts weren’t allowed to fly into Fallujah because we had lost one and it killed almost 20 some-odd Marines. So we ended up with the Army as our only option, and I called up the Army–– they were called the sugar-bears–– up in Balad and I told them what we were going to do, just out of the blue, and they were like, “So you want us to move a million dollars worth of cash for you guys, from Baghdad into Fallujah?” I was like, “That’s exactly what we’re doing.” They said, “We only have one thing we want to ask you to do.” We said, “What’s that?” He says, “All the guys on the mission, we want to lay in the cash and take a big picture.” We were like, “Knock yourselves out.” So we actually pulled the cash out of the trucks there in Baghdad and let them all get a picture with all this money. We flew it in–– it took several helicopter loads to get it all in–– and then the rest of my job became distributing that money. Each week we’d take so much money into the city, and in random places, and we would distribute it to the businesses that had been destroyed and damaged. That was probably the most interesting thing I had to do. (1:39:04). Interviewer: “Now, are you going and meeting with the business owners and handing them the money?” Basically. There was a process where they would come to an area we had, they would say what was destroyed, then there would be an engineer and an Iraqi government official that would go out and verify–– two-person integrity–– what had been destroyed. Yes this person was the owner and then the payment would get made and when the payment was made, they would basically tell them the day before so there was no time to plan anything against us. We [then] would go meet the people and dole the cash out. I was just responsible for getting it there, I didn’t have any �of the other concerns. It was really interesting. There was a lot of money distributed there to rebuild that city. Every building we broke, we paid for. Kind of an interesting thing in warfare. I think it was probably one of the first times that was ever done. Interviewer: “There were equivalents of that in Vietnam and in other places, but probably on a different level. When do you get to leave Iraq?” I left Iraq in October–– when the Colonel left, I left. Headed back to the states and went to my next unit. I was supposed to go to the 26th MEU, which is also a deploying unit, but at that point in my career I didn’t have a choice. You have to go to MEU if you want your career to continue. Interviewer: “That’s a Marine Expeditionary Unit?” Marine Expeditionary Unit. Basically going right back to the ships. I went there and had a great CO, great XO, great experience at 26 MEU and did one deployment with them. The deployment was to the Middle East. The good thing about that deployment was because of my rank at the time, I was involved in all the planning operations so I didn’t spend a lot of time on the ship–– probably half my time was on the ship, half my time was living in hotels in Kenya or Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait City. So doing all of the planning for all of the exercises that the unit was going to do. A lot of time in Jordan, which I really love. Jordan is one of my favorite countries. It was a good deployment, but it was another deployment. (1:41:17). Interviewer: “But this one is not–– you’re not really to a combat zone versus––” Oh, no. We were considered–– everything in the Persian Gulf is considered a combat zone and received combat pay, but it wasn’t. We weren’t doing combat operations at the time. It was all training operations, meeting the training goals. While everybody else was up in Iraq doing what they were doing, we were the ones training with all of our partners. Interviewer: “What were you doing in Kenya?” Kenya was–– at the time we had special operations forces that were operating out of Northern Kenya. We were training with them and we were training with the Kenyan military. That was just another training opportunity that was there. We were kind of at the time, that was when the Marine Corps was starting to stand-up AFRICOM and starting to get involved in Africa again–– seeing Africa as a future venue that we were going to need to train in. That was one of those initial get out there, shake hands, we had one of our infantry companies train one of their infantry companies and had a big party at the end. We all got together and shot off rifles together. Kenya was fascinating, I loved working in Kenya. �Interviewer: “I guess at that point there’s probably concerns about increasing Islamist activity in various places.” Exactly. You were dealing with Boko Haram and those agents up there in that Somali/Central African Corridor at that time. Interviewer: “How long was that deployment?” That was only a couple weeks of the six months. Interviewer: “Kenya was a couple weeks, but it was six months total?” It was six months. (1:42:51). Interviewer: “And then–– so you go back home again and––” Go back home again and I got selected for Major and I’m supposed to go and take a break again– – and every time in my career I was supposed to go to unit where I was supposed to not be deployable, I would go to the unit and that unit, for the first time in its history, would be deployed. Or for the first time in the last decade, be deployed. I went to the Second Marine Air Wing there at Cherry Point. My job was to control all movement for the wing but not to leave Cherry Point, but that was when they decided they were going to put an entire wing headquarters into Iraq. So, here it comes again: going to do another deployment, but there was a caveat. They needed to also put a unit into Afghanistan. My boss at the time, she wasn’t thrilled with her options for the people she could send to Afghanistan because none of the officers she had in the unit had any experience with expeditionary ops. They were all staff guys at their level, so she kind of looked over at me and said, “I know this isn’t your job–– that you’re a movement guy, you’re not a basic logistics guy but me and the General have decided you’re going to be the one to go to Afghanistan and we’re going to take the other guys to Iraq.” It’s like they get to go to the land of the big chow hall because they have no experience, and I get to live in a tent. In one way you’re flattered, but in the other way you’re kind of like it just keeps happening over and over again. Anway, great boss that I was going to ATF East with. He was a Cobra pilot–– Wally Watkins–– just an amazing man. A good group of officers I got put together with, it was a really interesting mission. We were going into southern Afghanistan–– this is before the Obama surge into Afghanistan. We kind of knew something was going to come and we were going to grow that force but we were the initial unit that went in there. It was just one very small Marine air combat element, which is what I was a part of. We had a couple of Cobras and a couple of 53s–– large heavy lifts and attack helicopters. Then we had one Marine battalion that was spread out over a huge AOR. I mean you had one battalion of Marines that were basically covering the state of Tennessee. Basically, there were a couple guys in Nashville, a couple guys in Chattanooga, �and that’s just the way AOR was at the time–– doing what they could to tamp things down. They interfaced heavily with the British because the British controlled Helmand province at the time. We were just doing small level, asymmetrical, small-intensity conflict, IEDs, that type of stuff. Starting to understand how we’re going to stand-up the Afghan military, how we were going to stand up the Afghan police force, and trying to get those things started there in those regions–– and keeping them calm enough to where we could start creating these sustainable organizations within Afghanistan. But it grew very quickly into something else. We realized very quickly that that wasn’t going to happen and I think that’s when the administration decided now we need to surge troops in and we went from being a very small operation with one battalion to having a full regimental sized MEB–– what we call a MEB–– Marine Expeditionary Brigade. (1:46:18). Interviewer: “When are you actually there because Obama doesn’t take office until ‘09?” It must have been–– am I off? No. It was Obama because he had just come into office. It must have been ‘09. Interviewer: “Yeah.” Yeah, it must have been ‘09 timeframe because it was one of the first operations, I know, that he approved. It would have been right after he took over. Yep. The decision was made that in the summer we were going to surge from what we were to something much larger. Because of that, we were based on Kandahar originally–– which was a NATO ISAF base. We had forces from France, Denmark, everybody in there. Poles, Brits, but we weren’t going to fit so we had to figure out somewhere else we were going to live. Kandahar went from being a very small airfield to having the same air traffic as Heathrow, almost in a year. One of the most complicated airspace zones anywhere in the world. We knew we were going to have to move out bringing in an entire aviation. We were gonna bring in four squadrons so we started looking [at] what we were going to do. The Brits had a base called Camp Bastion–– it was out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. It was sitting on a really nice aquifer, so it was one of those rare places out there that had really good fresh water and we went out, we looked at it, and they had a lot of territory that was out to the side of it that was completely unused. We decided there was enough area out there to build an entire Marine base and also build an ANA–– Afghan National Army base. Then the Afghans had a base, we had a base. We could train the Afghans and we could start integrating them in and that’s what we did–– we brought all of the Marines out there. I remember when they called it Camp Leatherneck–– I think it’s been completely taken apart now–– but I remember when it was 110th and by the time I left it was a city. (1:48:18). Interviewer: “Now, you’re there with an Air Wing?” Yeah. �Interviewer: “So what is the Air Wing supposed to be doing?” The Air Wing is supporting all of these units that are all over the place. We had to build multiple bases for air support. The distances you’re talking about, we called it tyranny of distance. The legs were so long, you’re so distributed in a place like Afghanistan. One: everything is so hard to get in to the country. It’s a landlocked nation, nobody around it’s friendly towards, completely friendly towards what you’re doing. Logistics just becomes the hardest nut to crack. You can, you know, bullets on foreheads? Easy thing. Trying to get things in the right place, getting people supported? That became the big push. What we realized really early we were going to have to do is build satellite sites everywhere. You were going to need to put fuel here, have small runways here, caches, small supply caches pushed forward as much as you could push them forward. That’s what we got into the business of doing. We started building small bases all over the AOR. The first one we pushed out was Base Dalaram. Dalaram was a huge facility in the end, but it was hard. It was hard living. That sand composition down there was terrible, there was no water almost down there, so all the water we were having to bring in. The first Marine battalion we put in there, I still remember the General coming back and telling us, “I just looked at a Marine battalion that the entire unit is in thermal shock. They are not combat effective, they won’t be combat effective.” And that was the day they determined that the whole push–– we had to fix Dalaram. We had to fix the Dalaram problem. All of the logistics we started getting, we started forcing into Dalaram to try to fix. We were just surging so fast [and] Marines have this very expeditionary idea that “I can go anywhere, I can fight anywhere, I can do anything,” but there are some distances and some temperatures and some environments that you just can’t throw a unit into and expect to be effective. We were learning that the hard way. (1:50:26). Interviewer: “Well with things like the climate, I mean did people acclimate over a period of time? Or what do you do?” When the surge happened they went and found whatever units weren’t deployed to Iraq and they said, “Within weeks you guys are deploying.” So, they sped up the whole pre-deployment training process. It was a bear to get these guys converted over and get ready. The idea was we were gonna put those battalions out there and then we were gonna put them in these spots, condensed, behind wire. The whole idea was once we got enough logistical power into Helmand province, they wanted to do–– and we did–– the largest airborne assault that had been done since Vietnam. We were going to integrate British helicopters, [and] our helicopters. We were going to go where we had put all of these Marines and all of this stuff, and in one night we were gonna take three Marine battalions and put them out in the field in all these trouble spots. Literally the mujahedeen went to sleep, the next morning they woke up and there were Marines in their backyard and the Marines had already dug themselves in and they were there to stay–– and that’s what we did. That was what the idea was. I mean there were guys that were pushing sites out–– platoon and company level sites were being constructed in 24-hours. They would show up and �they would immediately start bob-wiring, digging in, and boom. The next day you had a fire base and we went from having three sites to having probably 18 or 20 sites in 24 hours–– that we were supporting and trying to take over, trying to get our presence everywhere so we could calm the area down. (1:52:00). Interviewer: “Now by the time you did that did the troops become acclimated?” Yeah. They had, but it was hell and there’s no other way to explain it. It was tough. I mean even the conditions that we were living in at Leatherneck were conditions that Marines just–– Marines had gotten so, by that point, used to going on a deployment like Iraq and an officer has half of an ISO container that’s air-conditioned. It’s kind of like a little–– it’s a room. It’s a hotel room in the desert, self-contained, and this was going back. Way back. I remember when I got to Leatherneck we had 18 officers in a GP medium tent with no air-conditioning in bunk-bed cots. Those were field grade officers, you know, these were guys that were used to having much more space–– so it was rustic. Back to basics. Interviewer: “How much longer did you stay there after you sent those battalions?” I was kind of a holdover. I was the only one from the original unit–– actually me and the doctor were the only two that were kept there. That was because they didn’t have back fills for us and we were already so integrated into the logistical system–– her and I–– that they were like, “No we need to keep those two. We’ll rotate them out later.” I ended up doing–– doc ended up doing seven months in the country–– and I did eight months in the country before I came out and finally found a replacement for me. Interviewer: “So when do you get back home?” Got back home and kind of went back to my normal day job running the wing for about six months. Then they decided they were going to rotate our unit back over there to Iraq but this time they decided, “ Chris isn’t going.” They were good to me and they said, “No. You’re gonna stay back and you’re gonna be one of the few officers we leave back to run the wing while the wing is forward deployed.” So I got to stay back during that deployment, came up to the end of my tour. While they were gone they brought in a replacement for me and I went to Blount Island command down in Florida. First time, good deal. First time the Marine Corps was honest with me and said, “We’re gonna send you to a good deal” and I went to a good deal. So I went down to Jacksonville, Florida to Blount Island command–– which is where the Marine Corps runs all of its military pre-positioning from. The Marine Corps keeps around 24 ships all over the world at different sites in the Pacific and Diego Garcia’s where we keep a lot of them. We also have caves up in Norway and all of these facilities have all of the equipment we would use if we deployed. That’s one of the reasons why the Marine Corps is able to move so quickly, because �we honestly don’t need to move the equipment the Marines have. We just need to move the Marines and marry them up with the same equipment we have pre-positioned all over the world. I was in charge of managing that pre-positioning system for the Marine Corps. (1:54:59). Interviewer: “Now would you go to the places?” Yes. I got to go to Diego Garcia which was fascinating. Beautiful atoll out in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I didn’t get to go to Norway because that wasn’t my bailiwick––well I was in charge but not of the caves–– of the shipping. I was also made the operations officer for all exercises in the Middle East because of my experience with the Middle East. I was going and leaving home but I was only leaving home for three/four weeks at a time, and most of that living was hotels. It was actually interfacing with government officials, foreign militaries, and planning exercises in Jordan, UAE, and Bahrain. A really good tour for three years. Interviewer: “So now they have finally given you a good assignment, but not too long after that you leave the Marine Corps.” Yes. Interviewer: “How does that happen?” I did three years there and I was coming up for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, which is the max rank you can have in the job field I’m in. As you get–– as in any business, things pyramid–– as you get closer to the top. There are fewer and fewer slots and because there are fewer and fewer slots, it’s kind of a “one guy goes, one guy comes in” so where you are going to go and what you are going to do is kind of pre-scripted based on when you’re promoted. I knew that when I was coming up for promotion the job that was becoming open was at headquarters Marine Corps at the Pentagon. I talked to the guy that had the job at the time and I said, “Hey, is that what’s in the cards if I end up getting selected as Lieutenant Colonel?” He said, “Yeah.” Well, what he told me was, “You’re either going to the Pentagon or there is a chance you could go to Okinawa.” At the time I had school-aged children, Okinawa wasn’t really–– we wouldn’t want to take kids over there that were going to do their senior year and then try to figure out college from overseas, so that was off the table. The Pentagon was just a bridge too far for us as a family. My wife, by that time, was a working accountant for the government–– had a really good government job and like I said, school-aged children did not want to go to D.C. To have the standard of living that we had gotten accustomed to in the Marine Corps, we’d have to live two hours outside the city–– three hours of commuting everyday. (1:57:12). Interviewer: “Commuting in the D.C. area, yeah.” �And the traffic too. Well the traffic and then the security that the Pentagon has now. Just getting through Pentagon security is a 20/25 minute affair every morning. It just wasn’t what I wanted at that point in my career. It was just that decision time–– sit down with the wife and say, “Hey, been in 24 years. If I don’t show up tomorrow they have to give me 60 percent of my money anyway. I can just retire.” We just made the decision that it was time to hang it up and it was time to get out of the Marine Corps and transition and do something else. Interviewer: “Because part of it for you is because you were a Limited Duty Officer, you had very few options. Now as you were moving through, speaking once you became a Warrant Officer and then were roping up there, did everyone ever recommend to you that you go and get a college degree so you can become a regular officer?” No. That is possible, but it’s just not something–– in all of my time in the Marine Corps, I knew one that did that. Now I knew a lot of guys that went to school that were Restricted Officers and I knew several guys that got degrees. But to get converted over and made a regular Officer, there’s a lot of hoops. Basically it’s a Secretary of the Navy decision to do something like that. It’s not a normal thing that’s done. There’s just no need for it. Plus, when they’ve trained you to this level–– it’s almost like being a pilot. I’ve spent all this time turning you into this technical Superman in your field, so why would I take you out of that and put you in the regular military and give you some other job. Interviewer: “I guess I see it more in people who are in the Army, but the Army is a much larger organization.” Yeah. The Marine Corps is so small that like I said, as you get near the top it literally becomes that there’s seven jobs at that rank, and you know all of those guys. You’ve been friends for years and you know who’s shifting where and it’s just a zero-sum game at that point. There’s nowhere to hide or disappear into or extra billet. It’s just–– it is what it is. (1:59:11). Interviewer: “So when you decide to get out, how do you wind up in Michigan?” My wife’s with the Defense Contract Audit Agency. We were in Florida–– she’s originally from Minnesota. Like I said, I grew up in Germany so the one thing we knew is we just wanted to come somewhere with four seasons. We both like to ski, so it was–– she went to her agency and said, “I want to go North.” Which they were kind of amused by because everyone in government agencies wants to go South. For some reason they all want to go to Florida or California. Christina was like, “No. I want to go to the Midwest.” They said, “Sure. Knock yourself out” and they looked around and they had an opening in Grand Rapids. My wife came home and said, “How do you feel about Michigan?” I said, “Where?” “Grand Rapids.” I looked it up. Military family, used to shuffling around, looked at it. It’s got a University where I can go back to school. �It’s known as “Beer City,” it sounds like a good place, let’s just go. We’ve been here for four years and I’m almost done with my degree. We’ll probably–– we’ve got our oldest in the Army right now and our youngest is about to graduate and when he graduates he’s looking at going to U of M and once we get him into school, we’re really considering going back to Europe now. With my wife’s agency she could actually travel overseas and maybe we just go overseas for a couple years and then figure it out from there. Interviewer: “Normally when I close out an interview it's usually with people who were in for two, three, four years, you know. I’ll ask them how they think their time in the service affected them or what did they take out of it. Of course, for you it’s a whole career. If you kind of wanted to sum up the whole thing, what would you say about the experience?” (2:00:58). I came in at a point where I was really fortunate I had a father that had some insight, who understood the military that said, “No. You need to go somewhere that has potential for growth. It has upward mobility because you’re that kind of guy that in that environment will bloom very quickly.” He was absolutely right. I caught a job field that was growing at a huge rate so that accelerated everything for me. There was never a promotion where I wasn’t eligible–– where it wasn’t almost automatic, which is unheard of in most branches. Especially in the Marine Corps with me in a small service. Not a lot of people–– there’s not that much open upward mobility, so I was really fortunate and I know that. I mean getting to go from PFC to Major and retiring at Major pay is huge. It’s a worry I don’t have, that a lot of other people have. On the first of the month, a big check shows up. So yeah, you put a lot in. I did all of that deploying, a lot of time away from the family, but now there’s just this level of security that–– it’s just worth it. Also, when it came to going back to school, I came back to school for two reasons. One, I always wanted to go. My brother went, my parents were both educated, and I always felt like I wanted to go to school but I knew I wasn’t ready to go to school when I was a teenager. I just didn’t have the maturity level for it–– that’s why it was a given I was going in. Now that I’ve come back, it has done two things for me. One, it’s helped me integrate back into being normal–– I guess is the way to say it. When you’re around the same people for 24-years–– the same mindset–– I think not enough veterans recalibrate and one of the best places to recalibrate is at school. Going back, being exposed to the whole-wide-world, everybody again, learning to operate in that environment, learning to talk like a civilian and not like a Marine. And you’ve got so many things going for you. Just because of your work ethic, school is not hard in any way. I mean just because I know how to task organize, I know how to plan my time, and it's–– yeah. Interviewer: “I’ve got a class I could use you in right now.” So yeah. It’s been really good. I’m actually looking to possibly go into teaching at the University level in the long run, so down the road. �Interviewer: “Well it makes for a pretty remarkable story and you certainly tell it well. Thank you very much for taking the time to share it today.” (2:03:40). � 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 BergeronC2337V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bergeron, Christopher F. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-10 Title A name given to the resource Bergeron, Christopher (Interview transcript and video), 2073 Description An account of the resource Christopher Bergeron was born in 1972 in Anniston, Alabama to two members of the service. In July of 1990, three weeks after graduating high school, Bergeron began his Marines career by attending boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina. Eventually, Bergeron went out to Norfolk where he attended the Amphibious Embarkation School and became a Logistics Embarkation Specialist, after which he went to Saudi Arabia for the first time. It was during this same time that Bergeron went into Kuwait. He then returned to the States and was quickly deployed to Norway for a different operation. Bergeron then had a deployment to Somalia during their Civil War period and was there for two-and-a-half months before returning to the States in Jacksonville. He was deployed as a Sergeant to Aviano, Italy, Bosnia, and Tunisia. In his next deployment, Bergeron was selected for Warrant Officer and shipped to Quantico for his Warrant Officer courses. After this promotion Bergeron was deployed to Turkey, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Immediately after returning from this deployment Bergeron got selected to W2 and got sent to another ship tour towards the Persian Gulf. By this time the invasion of Iraq had started, and Bergeron stayed for a five-and-a-half-month deployment. Upon his return to America, Bergeron was quickly shipped off again, this time to Afghanistan. After that, he was shipped to Haiti to help with the violence there, and headed home to soon find out that he was going to be deployed to Iraq. At this point, Bergeron was selected to be an LDO, a Limited Duty Officer, and was stationed near Fallujah. After that, he returned to continue his career with MEU where he was deployed again. This time Bergeron spent time in Kenya, Dubai, and Kuwait. After this six-month deployment Bergeron was then selected to be a Major in Afghanistan. After this deployment Bergeron was then sent down to Jacksonville, Florida to Blount Island. It was at this point when Bergeron went on another tour for three years, this time visiting Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain. However, soon after this Bergeron was selected for the highest rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Unfortunately, it was at this point Christopher Bergeron decided to end his 24-year Marine Corps career. He and his family moved to the Grand Rapids area, where he decided to go back to school and is looking to eventually teach at the University level. 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 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 application/pdf video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1944320e2b026994349c893cab9dfab7.mp4 d247433f99251adeccc64568c173556e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/99f87986991e0eedc8d7d114ae42add9.pdf 7c63dbdb3ceb94ded284fcf9505bee17 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Ronald Bergin Length of Interview (00:42:55) Background (00:00:00) Born April 20, 1927 Served in WWII in the Navy as a seaman, 1st class Enlisted in the Navy because a lot of his friends died in the Army Had to join early because at age 18 you’d be drafted in the Army Training (00:02:00) Enlisted in 1944 18th birthday in April of ’45 so he had to sign up beforehand Was taken a month before graduating, still got his diploma Went to Great Lakes for 8 weeks of basic training Went back to California after a week of rest The rest of Bergin’s friends were given ships but he wasn’t Took combat training in California Had dropped the Atomic Bomb after combat training had finished Thought they would be going home, instead picked up the 4th Marine Division in Okinawa and go to Japan for the Occupation Got as far as Guam and was dropped off; never went to Okinawa Was on a troupe transport, very small, Liberty Ship; 1200 men in his unit Took 16 days to go over; got into some rough storms Barely any room; had to stay below deck, wasn’t allowed Spent first three days in storms, a lot of seasickness; taking on a lot of water, too �Almost went up to Alaska, a lot of mines set there When radar picked up signal of one, gun crew had to take care of it No more men were needed in Japan so they were dropped off in Guam Finished the rest of his overseas duty in Guam Guam (00:09:50) Not many living quarters, assigned to an abandoned camp Very hot and muggy climate Lived in tents the whole time he was in Guam The supply base was the second biggest after the Japanese took Subic Bay in Philippines Supplied the whole 7th Fleet in the Pacific All jungle there, large caves; the Japanese lived in these caves and would occasionally attack Bergin’s fellow soldiers A lot of insects and reptiles there The camp itself was rough, a rough way to live • Facilities for showers were always malfunctioning • They eventually built barracks, but that was after Bergin’s unit left Built floating docks, a huge harbor Guam has a lot of coral reef surrounding it, so the harbor rectified this No fresh food: powdered eggs, milk, etc. Everything was in tents There was a fungus from the jungle that affected a lot of men, they got used to it; a lot of infections, as well Was a company reporter (00:18:35) In boot camp, had a newspaper; had taken journalism in high school Paper was called the Great Lakes Bulletin, came out every two weeks �• Interviewed men; a lot of famous ball players, also a lot of high school kids • Bergin was considered one of the oldest even though he just turned 18 When in Guam, also wrote for the paper there Kept him out of guard duty Played a lot of ball: baseball and softball (00:22:10) Held a lot of tournaments for swimmers Movies every night; outdoors Didn’t have to worry about entertainment at the end of the day because you’d be too tired to do anything There were different areas where pool could be played There wasn’t much to do Communication was hard, but would write letters (00:25:07) • Many of the men in his unit were unmarried, so they mostly received letters from family • Ships usually brought the mail because the planes were being used for combat Going Home (00:28:43) Went back on a large ship; a luxury liner converted into a troupe transport Calm weather all the way home; made the trip in 11 days Landed in San Francisco, California, stayed there for two days then flew to Great Lakes to be discharged A lot of jobs were open About 10 million men had been in the service So men had trouble going back to a “normal” life Worked in the Engineering Department in Consumers’ Power (00:32:22) • Very busy, many farmers wanted electricity • Enjoyed doing it very much �Held Japanese prisoners in Guam (00:34:21) Two classes of prisoners: • Japanese Imperial Marines: under lock and key all the time; solitary confinement, prone to committing suicide before capture • Also held ordinary prisoners • Held 30,000 prisoners of the ordinary prisoners just as the war was ending • Didn’t let the Japanese Imperial Marines go Integration (00:36:50) Blacks had separate barracks, bathroom facilities, chow halls, etc. • Bergin thought this was silly Would still train together In all branches of military, this practice was pervasive When Harry Truman became president, he integrated Bergin’s base; 20,000 men Took one night to do this, on a Sundays morning • Would eat together, have the same bathrooms, but barracks were still segregated No problems occurred, except for an incident with seven southerners (00:40:02) • Went up to several blacks and tipped over their trays • MP’s took these seven men out, never saw them after that • Within a year, they integrated the barracks One of the biggest that happened, it was turning point in history � 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 BerginR Title A name given to the resource Bergin, Ronald (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bergin, Ronald Description An account of the resource Ronald Bergin enlisted into the Navy in the year of 1944. He was to be sent to Japan for the Occupation, but his company was instead sent to Guam. He describes the condition of the camps in Guam and the how their camp was used to test President Truman's idea for integration between blacks and whites. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Davenport, Ben (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-05-03 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2f47559c9afa7e56de3f91d2e984d208.mp4 0639f8766cf19015c1987ecf2ff594f0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/34ddf3ab583a0906ea1303b410dba200.pdf a9f1da2f4cc6524187c432b30c234a08 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Len Berkenpas World War II Total Time: 0:43:15 Childhood and Pre-Enlistment (0:00:20) • • • • • Born in 1925 in Byron Center, MI Family was involved in farming Attended Byron Center Christian School until 8th Grade and then Byron Center High School, but did not finish. Father tried to get him a deferment for the service, but because his family had 6 other boys, he did not get the deferment. Was sent to Detroit, passed his tests, and was drafted into the service. Training and Active Duty (0:03:55) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Trained at Great Lakes Naval Station in 1943 for the Navy. This was his boot camp. He did not pass his swimming tests after Boot Camp, and this disqualified him from serving and he was sent home. The Navy made him take swimming lessons there so he could pass basic training. However, he applied to be a ship’s cook and became good friends with the pool attendants, so he didn’t really take any lessons. This was at US Naval Air Base Livermore, CA. (0:06:40) Was shipped across the country on a troop train from Detroit to San Francisco. (0:09:05)He was the cook at the Naval Air Base Livermore, CA. Shifts were 24 hours on 24 off. Attained the rank of Third Class Ship’s Cook. Stayed on the base and cooked. Soup was served at every meal, and some canned food and fresh food were used. (0:14:23) They sometimes used prisoners on the camp. They would use them for tasks like pealing potatoes. The biggest crowds of men they had to serve were around 3000. (0:17:30) Men would sometimes run into Livermore or San Francisco or for recreation. They had busses that ran back and forth. (0:21:50) Their base was not integrated. Never had any black sailors. There were some Jews on the base but that was about it. He reported to a Lieutenant and the other command structure above the Lieutenant. He applied many times to get off the base, but he was unable to during the war. However, he was assigned to the USS Iowa after the war was over, however he never went out to sea. �• (0:28:10) He was discharged in early 1946. He hitchhiked from San Francisco to Byron Center. Post-Service (0:35:40) • • • Stayed and worked on the family farm for 3 years and got married. After he left the farm, he got many different jobs. Ended up Box Board Packaging Corporation in Grandville, MI making corrugated cartons. He stayed there for 39 years. � 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 BerkenpasL Title A name given to the resource Berkenpas, Len (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berkenpas, Len Description An account of the resource Len Berkenpas was born in 1925 to a farmer in Byron Center, MI. Was drafted into the Navy in 1943 and worked as a cook at Naval Air Base Livermore near San Francisco, CA. He did not spend any time on a ship at sea. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-06-30 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1f2f7b73f721eae1f96d954f01ec48f0.m4v 6e33bb8cf61ddabf427b9359a9c9e660 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/521d894a22b253c624837d7d6fbdb1cb.pdf beb3ea29e53c702e454084e025fdf91b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee name: Robert Berles Length of Interview: (00:57:15) Robert Berles (57:15) (00:15) Background Information  Robert was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan  His father was a sales manager in Grand Rapids and built their home in 1931  He paid $10,000.00 to have the house built and it last sold for $160,000.00  Robert went to Aquinas College and was drafted during his sophomore year in 1943  He was not happy about being drafted and did not like the idea of his future being held in someone else’s hands  Robert was interested in a Navy program and traveled to Detroit with a friend to get more information  The program would allow him to finish his sophomore year and continue with school after his time in the service (7:15) Training  Robert began taking training classes at Western Michigan University on July 1, 1943  They went through one year of physical training and classes  Robert though it was similar to boot camp, but without the negative drill sergeants  After one year of training Robert was reassigned and began taking supply classes for five months  He was commissioned in September and assigned to the AP 168 War Hawk Troop Ship  They left from San Francisco and traveled to the Admiralty Islands (11:30) Island Base  The base was very rugged and Robert would have preferred to remain on the ship  He was only 20, about 8 years younger than all the other officers he was working with  Robert witnessed many kamikaze attacks and had been “taught to hate the Japanese”  They invaded Luzon on January 9, 1945  The ship was hit by a kamikaze later than day and 61 men died (17:20) Leaving the Pacific  It took the ship 26 days to get back to Manus Island near New Guinea  Robert worked with a priest to provide services for the dead � Many were still worried about kamikaze attacks (23:05) Dry Dock in Manus  Robert was ordered to clean up the ship and help fix the damage from the attack  No one wanted to help him clean the area where the bodies were stored at the bottom of the ship  They had been stored there for a month and the smell was terrible  The arms fell right off of the first body that Robert tried to move  He had to cut off all their thumbs to use later for identification  The bodies were buried at Manus Island, where they had a short service  Only 19 of the 61 bodies had been identified (32:00) Back to the US  The ship headed back to the US for more repairs  Robert later helped secure Okinawa, where he was thankful that the kamikazes were no longer attacking  He also worked in Guam once the war had ended, where they helped transport soldiers back to the US  They were also bringing back businessmen back to China and working with the Chinese embassy in the US  Robert played a lot of poker in China and used the money he won to buy jewelry for his mother (36:40) Japan  Robert visited Nagoya, Japan, which was completely devastated  He went to a naval base near Tokyo and had just gotten his appendix removed, so he was not able to do much physical activity  Robert felt lucky with his experience in the service, but that there is generally much waste with regard to money and human life  He felt that he received more from the Navy than he had ever given to the service (38:25) Manus Island  Robert had been playing cards on the ship with a guy from Grand Rapids when a ammunition ship blew up right next to them  There were 300 men on the ship and all of them died, which Robert found to be another example of waste (40:55) The End of the War  Robert continued to work on the ship for one year after the war had ended  He was working on the ship altogether for 22 months  They had been taking new soldiers out to the Pacific and bringing other home  They later decommissioned the ship in Seattle  Robert had wanted to go to law school, but ended up getting his Master’s Degree in Social Work �(48:00) Social Work  Robert began working with children at Saint Johns in California  He also had been training probation officers during the riots of 1952  Robert spent one year as a parole officer and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric clinic  He also started and ran a halfway house (52:40) Appendicitis  Robert remembered working on the ship and feeling very ill  They had been in a typhoon during his surgery and the deck was completely flooded  A crash knocked all the tools on the floor and they had to be washed and sanitized all over again during his surgery � 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_BerlesR Title A name given to the resource Berles, Robert A. (Interview outline and video), 2007 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-06-28 Description An account of the resource Robert Berles was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was drafted in 1943 during his sophomore year at Aquinas College. Robert volunteered for a Navy program after receiving his draft notice that would allow him to finish his sophomore year before his time in the service, and also allow him to finish up college afterwards. Robert began officer training at Western Michigan University, where he attended classes all day long and physically trained. He served on a troop transport ship in the Pacific, and his ship was hit by a kamikaze off Luzon, the aftermath of which he describes in detail. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berles, Robert A. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy 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 video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/90f5cb9436f3f894717656dc60bfd9d7.mp4 8bafd23988a84fbf4c68195db7345230 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/076396f6b3039d955f02d8bef64b45ff.pdf 4ce7f6b04579d756361f69c5ba63c862 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interviewee’s Name: Fred Bernhardt Name of War: World War II Length of Interview: (00:40:00) Background  Born 2/6/1927 in Grand Rapids, MI. (00:14)  Went to Union High School. (00:24)  Enlisted at age 17 in the Marines, during WWII. (00:28)  Most of his friends enlisted. So many of his friends enlisted that he would not have many friends at home. He and a friend both enlisted in the Marines. (00:41)  Enlisted early March, 1944, the earliest he could enlist. (01:04)  About a month later, he had to have a physical, which took all day. (01:40)  The Marines avoided putting all the men from a particular region in the same unit. The reasoning for this was that if an entire unit was wiped out, the losses would be too great for the area. (02:06)  Sent to San Diego, Camp Pendleton for two months. (02:10)  He decided on the Marines after seeing a movie, possibly Guadalcanal Diary. (02:24)  He enlisted to avoid the draft, as draftees could not decide where to enlist. He needed parental permission because he was only seventeen. His parents reluctantly consented. (02:45)  After Camp Pendleton, he was sent out on a ship, and was not informed where he was being sent. (03:02) Training  Training was difficult. (03:30)  Had to wake up at 5:00 AM, attend roll call, and do drill-work, then the rifle range, which was exceptionally important. (03:34)  Practice at the range involved shooting at targets from various distances with an M-1 rifle. Men were divided into grades: Marksman, Sharpshooter, and Expert. He managed to attain the highest grade of Expert. (03:57)  After the rifle range, they were sent to practice with grenades, then automatic rifles, and then they were ready. (04:10)  Drill instructors were very strict and tough. The two months at Camp Pendleton were the roughest two months of his enlistment. (04:33)  He had an advantage over many of the men. He had been in ROTC for a year in high school, and knew the commands and formations. Other men had a hard time learning the formations. (04:53)  They did battlefield practice exercises with weapons, such as grenades, mortars and machine guns. (05:30) Deployment  Sent out on an APA troop transport, the SS Langford. It was a new ship. (05:44)  It was a thirty-day journey. (06:06)  The stopped at Pearly Harbor to refuel. (06:11)  There wasn't much left of Pearl Harbor. It was still a wreck, and had not yet been re-built as of 1944. (06:16)  Other parts of the Hawaiian Islands were all right. (06:37)  He was sent to Saipan. (06:50)  The trip was his first experience on a large ship. He became very ill and sea-sick. He was on �three ships during the war, and was only sick the first time. (07:02)  From Pearl Harbor they went to the Marianas. (07:23)  Stayed at the Marianas briefly, they were nearly sent to Iwo Jima. (07:32)  The battle on Saipan was mostly over, but there were some stragglers left. (07:56)  The Japanese troops were terrified of the Americans, and would often preferred suicide over capture. (08:07)  He helped some native (not Japanese) civilians hiding, because they were scared. (08:44)  His unit had to find hiding enemy troops. (09:06)  The Japanese Army did not treat the natives of the Marianas very well. (09:13)  He was on Saipan for about five months. (09:34)  They patrolled the islands. Once an island was secure, the air force would set up a base. The Marianas were vital for the “island hopping” strategy. (09:46) Atom bomb/Nagasaki  One day, his commander called out names for guard duty. (10:30)  [DVD freezes] (10:30-10:50)  They were instructed to shoot if any Japanese came by without the password. (11:03)  At the time, he thought the guard duty was just an exercise. He had been put on similar missions before, and did not believe the situation was very important. Later that day, the atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. (11:30)  He found out that he had been guarding the bomb. This took place the summer of 1945. (12:09)  He had arrived in Saipan around May or June. The bombs were dropped later. (12:24) Tinian  He was at the battle of Tinian briefly, but then back to Saipan, then to Okinawa, and then back to Sai-Pan. He was on Okinawa to set up a base for about a week.  The Marines would secure a beach, and then the Army would take over. (14:26)  Preparation for the battle involved a very detailed debriefing. They were shown maps, given a history of the area, informed about the geography, and of their objectives. They were also given an estimate on the number of Japanese civilians which were present. The Navy would begin the operation by bombing and bombarding the target. (14:57)  He watched the bombardment from a troop transport. They were sent in on tracked amphibious transport vehicles. (15:27)  He came in during the second wave of infantry. (15:51)  There were many explosions going on in the area. (16:10)  The Japanese resisted at the beach. (16:19)  It was a very rough ride. (16:50)  The landing craft came high in at a high speed. The front end dropped out, and the Marines ran out for the nearest cover, while being shot at. (16:57)  They were targeted by mortars and machine guns (17:14)  The Navy continued to shell the hills. The shelling was not successful as the Japanese entrenchments were too strong. (17:21)  The beachhead was only about twenty yards long, but very deadly as there was no cover. (17:41)  There were thousands of Japanese infantry in the hills. (17:57)  His objective as an artillery observer was to find a target—such as tanks or important equipment. (18:21)  He was then to radio the range to the instrument personal. (18:37)  The Navy would then fire one shell, to see how close they came. (19:03)  If the shot missed, he would provide closer coordinates, and so on until they scored a hit. Once a hit was scored, he was to instruct them to fire at well. (19:22) � He was supported by infantry, but did not have a gun himself. (19:45)  There were tanks at Saipan and at Okinawa, but not at Tinian. (21:02)  He did not stay at Tinian the entire time. Tinian was a less intense battle than Saipan and did not require naval artillery as frequently. He was only in the area for a day or two. (21:26)  Other men in his division stayed longer, to help secure the area. (22:17)  The Marines took high casualties. (22:30)  His unit had to call in reserves. (22:30) Okinawa  There was a delay between Saipan and Okinawa. (23:30)  The Allies needed Iwo Jima to proceed on Okinawa, which had air strips. (23:46)  He was not involved at Iwo Jima, but was nearly sent there. (24:06)  The pre-combat debriefing was similar as for Tinian. (24:40)  The information was given on the boat, a few days before the operation. They were not informed of their mission until just before it was to take place. (25:16)  His unit was in Okinawa for a few days, and then pulled back. Another unit took over. (25:34)  He had the same role as at Tinian, that of the artillery observer. (26:02)  He would provide the distance from the guns, not from his own location. (26:41)  The artillery was usually accurate, and sometimes hit the target on the second shot. (27:09)  He saw Ernie Pyle at Okinawa. (27:22)  The Marines were in the hills; Pyle was with them and taking notes. He had a uniform similar to a Marine, but his helmet had the word “correspondent” on it. (27:22)  The hill was being shelled, and the Marines told Pyle not to approach, and to take cover. (27:57)  Pyle kept coming, and was killed by a mortar shell. (28:11)  He had never talked to Pyle, and only heard it was him after the fact. (28:13) [Ed. note: Pyle was killed on Ie Shima, a small island near Okinawa, and by a sniper rather than by mortar fire.]  Correspondents were unusual; he only saw a few of them. (29:12)  He was at Okinawa for about a week. (29:27)  He saw very little of the natives, they took very few prisoners. Most of the Japanese troops preferred death to capture. (29:37) More on the Atom Bomb  At the time, he didn't know he was guarding the atom bombs. He was very confused afterward; he could not comprehend the scale of destruction. (30:11)  He had thought they were going to invade Japan. (31:37)  When the war ended, the men experienced “great joy.” (31:51)  There was no drinking allowed in the Marines, and there was no real way to celebrate on the island. Most of the men resorted to yelling as a celebration. (32:05)  A week or two later, he was sent do occupy Japan, as part of the treaty provisions. His unit occupied Nagasaki. (32:45)  Nagasaki had been reduced to rubble. Some parts were left standing, but there were no people. (33:06)  They used tents on the ground and tried to camp away from the bomb site, in a forest or on the beach. (32:33)  There were two to four men to a tent. (34:00)  He was in Nagasaki for about two months. (34:08)  Then he was sent to Isahaya, then Obama for the remainder. (34:16) Obama  Obama had been a resort during peace-time. (34:04)  There was a hotel, and various entertainment businesses. (34:50)  There was a nearby town called Unsen, which had a large sulfur spring. The sulfur spring in �                Obama was smaller. (35:01) The spring water was piped into the hotel. (35:30) His job was to make sure there was no trouble. (35:31) There was usually not much trouble to worry about. (34:45) He was part of the MP force. He trained for the position for about a week. (36:01) He was to watch the American troops, make sure they didn't get in trouble. (36:10) The Japanese police were very good at keeping order. They were a reliable contact if any Japanese civilians caused problems. (36:36) The American MPs had no power over the civilians. (36:39) He got to know many of the civilians very well, as they were very friendly. (36:24) The Americans were often invited into households for Japanese holidays, especially their New Year. (37:10) He was very surprised at their pleasant reception among the civilians. Discharged Japanese soldiers were very hostile however. (37:43) The civilian population was mostly relieved the war was over, and many of them had been opposed to the war. (38:12) Many Japanese citizens spoke English, which helped as most of the Americans did not speak Japanese well. (38:45) He remembers the civilians as friendly and helpful. He felt sorry for them. (38:51) He learned a lot about himself, learned discipline, and met many nice people during his career in the Marines. (39:25) Believes the Marines have the most rigorous training of any branch of service. (39:45) He was very glad the war was over. (40:04) Disc Two (36:31) (00:30) Marine Photographer  There were picture sets available to all those in the division for a price [this was discussed because Bernhardt bought a set of photos from Saipan from a Marine photographer, and this set is included in his file for this project—Bernhardt also states that he was in one of the pictures, which was how he met the photographer]  Service men were not allowed to have a camera and there was nowhere to purchase film  Fred was able to purchase a nice German camera from a man in Japan  He patrolled Japanese towns all day and was then allowed to go sightseeing with his camera once his shift was up  They stayed in a nice Japanese hotel with great Japanese food (8:20) Unsen, Japan  This as a large, beautiful resort town  They had community baths that were very hot and large  Fred and others watched stage shows that were similar to American plays  There were about 35 men in the unit, but not a lot of other military police in the area (14:45) Former Soldiers  There were many discharged Japanese soldiers that were not friendly to the American soldiers  They would not talk to the American soldiers or even look them in the eyes  A civilian who had seen the bomb go off from in the mountains about 20 miles away told him that they had no idea what was going on and it was like the end of the world � Many Japanese men were trying to get American soldiers to date their daughters and take them back to America  Some men did bring back women to the US (18:20) Duties in Japan  Fred had been working with the military police and keeping an eye on American soldiers  The Japanese police watched the civilians and they were all pretty tough  Fred spent 9 months in Japan while Nagasaki was being rebuilt (24:00) Transport Ship back to the US  The ship was crowded and the men had to sleep on cots  They stopped in Hawaii to refuel and this time Fred did not get sea sick  They landed back in San Diego and he traveled to the Great Lakes Naval base in Chicago (26:20) Life after the Service  Fred went back to visit his friends and took some time off  He did not even look for a job for about two months  He began working at the American Seating Company for about a year  Fred was then an apprentice for four years doing iron work and he eventually got his journeyman papers (29:15) Photography  Fred joined the Grand Rapids Camera Club and became more interested in the subject  It had been a hobby, but everyone he knew had encouraged him to turn it into a career  He began taking other photography classes and joined the Professional Photographers of America � 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 BernhardtF Title A name given to the resource Bernhardt, Fred (Interview outline and video, 1 of 2), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bernhardt, Fred Description An account of the resource Fred Bernhardt enlisted in the Marines at the age of 17 in early 1944. He served in the Pacific Theater of WWII as an artillery observer for naval bombardments. He also served as a guard of the atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki, and was part of the post-war occupation force as an MP in the Nagasaki area. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-11-13 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/a0e2fb6efc2e758b09a85b43f1fbf15d.mp4 63d96de2cb201b7a33020247ccf08645 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/91fb42150d57b30e18e2baa9f0abba6f.pdf f79fb89a76c83cc658f23d172ca425f8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Name of Interviewee: Fred Bernhardt Name of War: World War II Length of Interview (00:36:31) Disc Two (00:30) Marine Photographer  There were picture sets available to all those in the division for a price [this was discussed because Bernhardt bought a set of photos from Saipan from a Marine photographer, and this set is included in his file for this project—Bernhardt also states that he was in one of the pictures, which was how he met the photographer]  Service men were not allowed to have a camera and there was nowhere to purchase film  Fred was able to purchase a nice German camera from a man in Japan  He patrolled Japanese towns all day and was then allowed to go sightseeing with his camera once his shift was up  They stayed in a nice Japanese hotel with great Japanese food (8:20) Unsen, Japan  This as a large, beautiful resort town  They had community baths that were very hot and large  Fred and others watched stage shows that were similar to American plays  There were about 35 men in the unit, but not a lot of other military police in the area (14:45) Former Soldiers  There were many discharged Japanese soldiers that were not friendly to the American soldiers  They would not talk to the American soldiers or even look them in the eyes  A civilian who had seen the bomb go off from in the mountains about 20 miles away told him that they had no idea what was going on and it was like the end of the world  Many Japanese men were trying to get American soldiers to date their daughters and take them back to America  Some men did bring back women to the US (18:20) Duties in Japan  Fred had been working with the military police and keeping an eye on American soldiers  The Japanese police watched the civilians and they were all pretty tough  Fred spent 9 months in Japan while Nagasaki was being rebuilt (24:00) Transport Ship back to the US  The ship was crowded and the men had to sleep on cots  They stopped in Hawaii to refuel and this time Fred did not get sea sick  They landed back in San Diego and he traveled to the Great Lakes Naval base in Chicago (26:20) Life after the Service  Fred went back to visit his friends and took some time off  He did not even look for a job for about two months � He began working at the American Seating Company for about a year  Fred was then an apprentice for four years doing iron work and he eventually got his journeyman papers (29:15) Photography  Fred joined the Grand Rapids Camera Club and became more interested in the subject  It had been a hobby, but everyone he knew had encouraged him to turn it into a career  He began taking other photography classes and joined the Professional Photographers of America �Left to right: Fred Bernhardt and Jeep; Joe Pannella, R. Summers, E. A. Spellman Fred Bernhardt as MP, Japan �Fred Bernhardt discovering native family in hiding on Saipan after the capture of the island. �Nagasaki ��������������� 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 BernhardtF2 Title A name given to the resource Bernhardt, Fred (Interview outline and video, 2 of 2), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bernhardt, Fred Description An account of the resource Fred Bernhardt enlisted in the Marines at the age of 17 in early 1944. He served in the Pacific Theater of WWII as an artillery observer for naval bombardments. He also served as a guard of the atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki, and was part of the post-war occupation force as an MP in the Nagasaki area. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-11-13 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/3472a515100db4841e72767c22e79d5f.m4v 66c839d2b3dabffdb247896caf30fe73 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3bde94d64d7c5daa9f00af09471738dc.pdf 877c862dd626aa477b1cbdd4cfc8ce4e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Lewis Berra Vietnam Era-Cold War 33 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:42) Early Life -Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942 -Grew up in Detroit -Father worked as an arc welder -Died in an on the job accident when Lewis was five years old -Mother worked domestic jobs while Lewis was in college -Went to St. John Berchmann Catholic School for grade school -Went to Servite Catholic High School for high school (00:01:18) Vietnam War -Aware of the Vietnam War -Interested in being a pilot (00:01:34) University of Detroit & the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) -Went to the University of Detroit -Joined the ROTC with the intention of becoming a pilot -Part of the engineering program at the University of Detroit -After sophomore year he received hands-on training and got paid while doing it -Guaranteed a job after college -Only downside is it took five years as opposed to four years to complete degree -Worked three months on the job and received three months of classwork -Trained as a civil engineer with the State Highway Department -Rotated through the various engineering positions -Since he was studying engineering, that meant he had to do at least two years of ROTC duty -Two additional years were optional, and he decided to opt in for that -Passed the written exam to be a pilot, but failed the eye exam at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan -Offered chance to be a navigator and considered that -Looked into engineering officer position in the Air Force and decided to go with that (00:04:20) Officer Candidate School & Waiting for Active Duty -Sent to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio for Officer Candidate School (OCS) -A lot of of physical training and learning how to deal with stressful situations -Similar to basic training for enlisted men -Lasted 60 days -Commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in August 1965 -Had to wait until June 1966 to receive his orders -Between August 1965 and June 1966 he worked for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company -Went through a training program -Rotated through the various divisions of the company -Six month training program -Worked as an engineer for the company -Guaranteed a job with the company after he completed his active duty (00:06:10) Stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base Pt. 1 -Sent to Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming in the summer of 1966 -Strategic Air Command base at the time �-He was part of the base civil engineering squadron with a focus on missile engineering -Working with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) -Francis E. Warren AFB oversaw ICBMs in three different states -Responsible for maintaining electronics, air conditioning, structures, and launch control facility -He started working at the base as a staff officer -Did that for two years -Promoted to chief of operations -In command of 350 personnel -Very high morale -Half of the personnel were civilians and the other half were military personnel -Stationed there until 1969 (00:08:21) Stationed at Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay -Reassigned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -Another Strategic Air Command base -Americans provided the KC-135 refueling planes and the Canadians provided fighter jets -Americans and Canadians were organized and cooperated with each other -Part of base operations -Meant he helped oversee electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and snow-removal personnel -Also responsible for maintaining base infrastructure and base housing -Most of the infrastructure problems stemmed from weather and the age of the buildings -Base opened in late 1941 -Served there until 1970 (00�:11:00) Air Force Reserve Pt. 1 -Active duty with the Air Force ended in 1970 -Considered staying on active duty and making a career out of the Air Force -Decided to get out of active duty so he could get his Master of Business Administration (MBA) -Joined the Air Force Reserve (00�:11:36) Problems in the Military -Had problems as the military, as a whole, transitioned from the draft to an all-volunteer force -Problems with letting men into the Air Force that probably shouldn't be in the Air Force -When he was in the Reserve he encountered a lot of men putting in their time to avoid the draft -Had to motivate those men because they felt pressured to be there -Knew about racial tensions in the Air Force -Tried to manage the recruits that were unprepared for Air Force service -They had trouble with applying what they learned in training -Had skilled non-commissioned officers help the recruits (00:16:40) Air Force Reserve Pt. 2 & Civilian Life -Almost made an active duty career out of the Air Force because he enjoyed active duty -Got his MBA and his law degree at the University of Detroit thanks to the GI Bill -Worked at Michigan Consolidated Gas Company for six months while in the Reserve -The Department of Housing and Urban Development opened an office in Detroit -Needed engineers and wanted him because of his experience in the Air Force -Interested in getting into the management side of engineering which is why he got his MBA -Started as an engineer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development -Once he got his MBA he worked as the chief of construction estimating -Moved to Indianapolis, then Grand Rapids, Michigan; to Chicago, and back to Grand Rapids -In Grand Rapids became the head of the office -Stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan from 1971 to 1990 -Served as the construction engineer �-In 1978 he became the squadron commander -From 1990 to 1995 he worked in the Office of Civil Engineers in the Pentagon -Promoted to the rank of colonel -Spent two weeks a year in the summer and one weekend a month training and going on deployments -More responsibilities due to having such a high rank (00:19:35) Deployments in the Reserve -Went on construction related deployments with the Reserve -Every third year he went to Europe for NATO support operations -Idea was to be familiar with the NATO bases in the event war broke out in Europe, again -The other two years were spent at various bases in the continental United States -Construction related projects on various bases -Set up support buildings, repaired buildings, and carried out demolition projects -Electrical, mechanical, and structural projects -Went to Germany several times, deployed to Spain, Italy, and England for NATO operations (00:21:15) Air Force Reserve Pt. 3 -The squadron size varied during his time in the Reserve -Maximum number was about 250 men, and 60 men at the minimum -Had men in the Reserve trying to avoid the draft -Also had men with prior military experience that wanted to continue to serve -Had very high morale in the Reserve (00:22:55) Gulf War -His Reserve unit was not called up during the Gulf War -Initially, there was resistance from the active duty leadership to involve Reserve units -Ironically, a lot of Reservists had more experience than younger active duty personnel (00:25:02) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Proud to have gotten to lead the troops he led during his time in the Air Force -Satisfied to accomplish the missions assigned to him -Bonded more with the men in the Reserves because he spent more time with them -Believes that it made them a more effective unit -They knew their strengths and weaknesses (00:26:52) Service at the Pentagon -Promoted to the rank of full colonel when he served at the Pentagon -Worked in Planning and Resources -Established policy and allocated resources for engineering projects -Managed budgets for civil engineering commands around the country -Near the end of his career he saw more civilian contractors used for engineering projects -There were a lot of base closures after the Cold War ended -Helped consolidate units at the open bases and make sure they had the proper resources -Never noticed any tension between the military personnel and the contractors -Generally good relationship between the two groups (00:31:10) Stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base Pt. 2 -While at Francis E. Warren AFB he never worried about getting hit by a nuclear bomb -Figured that if a nuclear war began it was the end of the world any way -Never dealt with any anti-nuclear protestors -Francis E. Warren AFB oversaw missiles in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska -Citizens in those states tended to be fairly pro-military -Winters in Wyoming were rough, but survivable (00:32:57) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -He would serve again if he could �-Felt that he accomplished something for the nation's defense -Developed close friendships with the men he served with -Still in touch with them as of 2016 � 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_BerraL1883V Title A name given to the resource Berra, Louis (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-13 Description An account of the resource Louis Berra was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942. He attended the University of Detroit and was part of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) there. He received his Officer Candidate School training at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio and received his commission as a 2nd lieutenant in August 1965. In June 1966 he received orders for Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming where he served as a staff officer and the chief of operations until 1969. He was transferred to Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay in Canada where he helped with base operations until 1970. From 1971 to 1995 he served in the Air Force Reserve at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, various bases all over the continental United States, and at NATO bases in Europe. From 1990 to 1995 he served in the Office of Civil Engineers in the Pentagon and reached the rank of colonel. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berra, Louis Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McGregor, Michael (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/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 video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/413f76aa35c8f9348f552b83d26f9584.pdf dd1237fd65a4273c01eb088f310fe467 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/876d0b08b8ba2f72324e8c3637e9c97b.pdf 7776e775e35ba77e75d6202696d60805 PDF Text Text Rockingham near Clarksville 18th Oct ‘48 [Page 1] My dear Sir, I have been absent from this my summer home, for the last twelve days, and returned last evening --- During this absence, your letter of the 4th inst, was received. I have now the pleasure to acknowledge its receipt, and to thank you for it. The intelligence which you give me, quite realizes the expectations which I had formed of our strength in that position of the Union, from whence you write. Beyond the four Whig states of NE, I have never entertained a hope. New Hampshire has in my judgement, been long since delivered vow to her idols, and such a Hurricane, as swept over the Union in 1840, could alone rouse Maine from her lethargy --- �[Page 2] The intelligence from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida is cheering. That from the two former received by telegraph here, assures us that we have carried those states --- and we have like information in the ordinary mode from Florida. This intelligence cannot fail to influence the vote of Georgia. Here we stand as to the number of members of Congress, as we did before, having lost in one district by only seventy five votes, and in another by the personal unpopularity of the nominee --- we have however gained since the last election, a thousand votes, reducing the Democratic majority throughout the states to two hundred and sixty --- how we know, (in many instances I have made personal enquiry) that thus are in every county, some democrats who will vote the Taylor ticket, and there is not a Whig in the State, who (will �[Page 3] vote for Gen. Cass --- our friends therefore are very sanguine that we shall carry the state by a large majority --- my own opinion is that we shall carry it, but that the majority will not be large --- the feeling of the people of this state and the Carolinas, is with Gen. Taylor, even in So Carolina, if the election were by the people, we might have hopes --In the District of that state on the North side of Savannah River opposite to this place, a Taylor democrat has beaten the regularly nominated Democratic Cass candidate, by a large vote, -- the election having been put upon that issue --- Taylor or Cass --I wonder that good people of Massachusetts do not see the propriety of altering an election law, which puts it in the power of a minority to defeat an election – but the defect there, and in Vermont, will be made up by the gain of Representatives in Pennsylvania --- and from Ohio and Florida, we get two Whig Senators. I got tomorrow to a great mass meeting in the Gold Region. I am Dear Sir Very Respectfully Yrs Mr. Macpherson Berrien Mr Sargent �[Cover] � 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/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-44_NS1-15486 Title A name given to the resource Nathan Sargent from John Macpherson Berrien, October 18, 1848 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1848-10-18 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berrien, John MacPherson, 1781-1856 Description An account of the resource Letter discussing strategy for the 1856 election between Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. Attention is also given to the expected congressional gains for the Whig party. Subject The topic of the resource Sargent, Nathan, 1794-1875 Whig Party (U.S.) United States--Politics and government--19th century United States--Officials and employees Customs administration Washington (D.C.) Pennsylvania 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> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent papers, (RHC-44)</a> 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/cfa0bb69f314eb1b55c076ca823d04ed.mp4 54c73a1f330b2f5071aa3a66a4e9e770 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f86ad96612d1b5519403f075ebf78ed3.pdf d22d44913b6ca8a3d937a0c99dbb60be PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee name: Homer Berry Length of Interview: (00:13:59) (00:40) Pre-Enlistment  Background o Homer was born in Flint, Michigan on February 13, 1925. o He joined the service [Navy] because his brother had recently been drafted. (01:30) Enlistment and Training  Homer was sent through boot camp where he went through a lot of physical training.  After training Homer was a motor machinist mate, 2nd class petty officer. (02:00) Active Duty  Overseas o Homer was on a LST that left from the Gulfport, Mississippi and went through the Panama Canal. o The trip took 25 days and they stopped at the Solomon Islands. o While in the Pacific they went from island to island dropping off supplies for troops. o Homer felt lonely on the boat in the middle of the ocean and he was home sick. o They often wrote letters back home. o Food was always different depending on when they had received fresh supplies.  Memorable Moments (05:15) o Homer had been in Saipan unloading in the harbor when a bunch of Japanese planes flew over and attacked. o The men were able to shoot down 7 Japanese planes. o They had landed in Tinian and Homer grabbed a tennis shoe he found on the ground; there was a rotten foot still in the shoe. o They did not have many occurrences with Japanese because the Marines had always secured the islands before their ship arrived. (07:15) After the Service  Going Home o While leaving the Pacific they traveled around the Aleutian Islands on the way home. o Homer and the other men had all been really excited when they heard the news about the war being over. � Other experiences o After his time in the service Homer worked as a fireman. o While in the Pacific he traveled through the Marshall Islands, Guam, Saipan, Ten Yen, and Guadalcanal. � 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 BerryH Title A name given to the resource Berry, Homer C. (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Berry, Homer C. Description An account of the resource Homer Berry was born in Flint, Michigan on February 13, 1925. Homer decided to enlist in the Navy shortly after his brother had been drafted. After training Homer became a motor machinist mate, 2nd class petty officer. Homer was shipped to the Pacific on a LST and they began traveling all over the Pacific dropping off supplies to other troops. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gilliam, Zach (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-03-12 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ae0eccd326c6d7bf82ea300d25d3045.pdf f95ea1bd4555ce76bf2798cfd8aae853 PDF Text 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 Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) 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 </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 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-03 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 it la nl de 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/. Title A name given to the resource Repertorium iuris utriusque [folium 192] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_192Bertachinus1499 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bertachini, Giovanni, approximately 1448- Description An account of the resource One leaf from Repertorium iuris utriusque by Johannes Bertachinus. Printed in Lyons by Johannes Siber on June 23, 1499. Folium was used to bind Aegidies [A113]. [GW 4159; ISTC ib00501000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Lyons: Johannes Siber Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la 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 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1499 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4af197bf3d5e7e19e1ec6cbdac7b7dfc.mp4 854c489cd88163b0b4a88e35a31c14bf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/827171dc9090608f0c3f7d7c87176c5d.pdf d4b421eef74bb9c415f20eb3fc535620 PDF Text Text 1 Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Oral History Interview Veteran: Emile Bertrand Interviewed by James Smither Transcribed by Grace Balog Interviewer: We are talking today with Emile Bertrand of Petoskey, Michigan. And I guess it is more of an Emile Bertrand, if you’re American? Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Yes, okay. And so, he was born in France and he actually served in the French Resistance as well as the French army during the Second World War. Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Alright. But to begin with, let’s go back to the beginning. Where and when were you born? Veteran: Where I was born? Interviewer: Mhmm. Veteran: In Brittany. At that time, the Brittany, and Carhaix, in the Côtes d’Armor was the place I was born in 26 of October, 1922. Interviewer: Okay. And did you grow up in that area? �2 Veteran: No, I did not, no. I grew up in a town by the name of Laval, in la Mayenne. (00:53) And when I was very small— Interviewer: Okay, and— Veteran: And I stayed there until my mother died. She was 36 years old. She had pneumonia. Interviewer: Okay, and what— Veteran: They didn’t know how to treat that at the time. Interviewer: And what year was that? Veteran: Oh, that was before the war. I was 14 years old. Interviewer: Okay, so about 1926—36 or thereabouts. Veteran: ’36, yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Something like that. Interviewer: Yeah, and then Laval was kind of a little bit north of the Loire Valley and southwest of Paris. Veteran: Yeah, quite a bit north. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: That’s actually east of Brittany. Interviewer: Yes. Veteran: East of Rennes. �3 Interviewer: Yeah. Right. Okay. And what was your family doing for a living when you were a kid? Veteran: My father worked for the French railroad. You know? And most of my uncles worked for the [untelligible] of the French railroad at that time, you know. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: And it was a pretty good job, I guess. Interviewer: Okay. And then, what sort of education did you have? Veteran: Well, in Laval I went to the lycée. And I went—not doing very good, so my father decided to send me to St. Brieuc in a boarding school. And then there was a—the name of the school was Curie (00:02:20). And I graduated there in 1939, just before the war started. Interviewer: Right. (00:02:29) Veteran: In the summer before the war. And I was going to go to be an engineer and the war started in October [actually September] 1939. So, there was—I couldn’t go for that reason. I went to work. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And I was working in the Rennes, at the arsenal of Rennes in the summer of 1940. And I was on the afternoon shift. I was on my bicycle right in front of the—right on station. All of a sudden—I was waiting for the lights—all of a sudden, we heard big, huge explosions. Big, fantastic—a few minutes later a group of 5 or 6 or 7 Dorniers (00:03:26) … Interviewer: Bombers. �4 Veteran: …German bombers were shaving the roof of the station. And in Rennes they had a big, huge motor track. And on the tracks were ammunition trains and refugees. And the whole thing blew up. There was over 1000 people died there, that particular morning. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: And they were so close I saw the crew—the pilots and everybody else—we could see them very well. And next to me there was a British soldier. He was shooting with his rifle into the gun—into the planes. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: With no success, I guess. Interviewer: Okay. Now, I want to back up and fill in a little bit more about your early life. Before the war started, the 1930s—that’s the era of the Great Depression. Veteran: 1939. Interviewer: Yeah, but before that, that’s the era of the Great Depression. Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: You had the Popular Front government in France in the middle of the 1930s, the Spanish Civil War… Did you pay very much attention to the events— (00:04:35) Veteran: No, I didn’t. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: No, I didn’t. Interviewer: Okay. �5 Veteran: No. Just after the Germans came in, I changed my mind many times. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: Many times. Interviewer: Now, but between the time—I mean, the war—the Germans attacked Poland in 1939. Veteran: 1939. Interviewer: In September. And then the Allies declare war after that. Veteran: Yes, yes. Interviewer: Alright. And did life change at all for you before the Germans came or did you just keep doing— Veteran: In a way, a little bit because instead of going to school— Interviewer: Right. Veteran: I went to work. Interviewer: You took a job, that’s right. Veteran: I went to work in Rennes, at the arsenal (00:05:14) as a toolmaker. A young toolmaker. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And when the Germans were really close to coming to town, I took my bicycle and two of the guys—we went to Nantes and… Interviewer: Did you go all the way from Rennes to Nantes (00:05:36) on a bicycle? �6 Veteran: On a bicycle, yeah. Oh yeah. Interviewer: Okay. And how long did that take? Veteran: Oh, 3-4 days at least. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And we had refugees all over the place. People with a wheelbarrow carrying their suitcases. You know? And some people say that the Germans were coming with a plane. I never seen it. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I never seen it. Interviewer: Alright. Now— Veteran: But when we left, it was 5 o’clock in the morning; it was daylight, you know. And we came by noon to a huge British depot. And the British were gone. They went back to England, you know. But all the doors were open so any French people can go there and pick up whatever they want. And I picked up a—something to eat. And I picked up another bottle of—what’s the name of that? Of rum. (00:06:44) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Jamaican rum, you know. And I don’t like rum anymore. I was too—in bad shape at the time. But by the time we went to the—to Nantes, the German halftracks were—they were coming. So, I said, “Well, it’s no use to go any further.” I went back home in Morlaix, which is close to Brest. �7 Interviewer: Alright. So, is that where your father was living? Veteran: No, my father was living—was working for the railroad in Laval. Interviewer: Okay. He was in Laval. So, who was in Morlaix then? Who did you go to live with? Veteran: There was an uncle and an aunt. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And I was very close to them. And they had two boys and an older girl, which she is still living right now in France. Interviewer: Alright. Now, when you were living in Rennes and you were working in the armory, what kind of living conditions did you have? Were you in an apartment or a dormitory? Veteran: I was renting a room, yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And we had lots of food. We weren’t hungry at all at that time, until the Germans came. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: You know? Interviewer: Okay. But now you have made it back, you have gone back to Morlaix, you rejoined your family. The Germans are there, but you’re not working anymore. Veteran: No, I am not working. �8 Interviewer: So, what do you do then? (00:08:09) Veteran: Well, you know, France was divided, an occupied zone and a free zone, which was led by Vichy (00:08:19). Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And my friend and I, we decided to see if we could go to the south of France and through Spain to Gibraltar. So, we left Brittany and we went only east side of France and we crossed a canal and the—a creek. And we went all the way to Marseille in the south of France. Interviewer: Okay, now how did you do this? Just on bicycles or walking? Veteran: No, by train. Interviewer: By—okay, you took trains. Veteran: You know, my dad was working for the railroad. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I was going free. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I didn’t pay a dime. Interview: Alright, and you— Veteran: My friend also the same way. Interviewer: Okay. But now the area in Brittany—Morlaix—was that part of the occupied zone? �9 Veteran: Oh yes. Interviewer: Yeah, because Brittany—because that was important militarily. Veteran: Entirely. Brittany was entirely— Interviewer: Right. Okay. Veteran: --under the German. Interviewer: Now, did you have any problem moving from the occupied zone to the— Veteran: I had a problem to cross the line. Interviewer: So, that was where you snuck across the canal? Or…? Veteran: Yes, I had a problem. The first time I crossed, it was heavily guarded by the Germans. And the first time I crossed it wasn’t too bad. You know, we removed our pants and we walk in the water. You know? And we—the second one was a canal so we had a boat, which was— someone was helping us. So, we went all the way to the border of Spain. Interviewer: Right. (00:10:04) Veteran: And we were going to go to the mountains, to the Pyrenees, when I met someone who came from the jails in Spain. He said, “Don’t go there.” He said, “Franco is a friend of Hitler. No way; you are going to spend a lot of time in jail.” So, I didn’t go and my friend also. So, from there we went to Marseille and to Corsica, with the intention to go Algeria or Tunisia and Morocco to Gibraltar, but we didn’t make it. Interviewer: Okay. Now but did you get to Corsica? Veteran: I went to Corsica for three months. �10 Interviewer: Okay, and how did you get to Corsica? Veteran: By boat. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: It was a cargo. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Cargo ship. Interviewer: Now, did you have any money? Veteran: We didn’t have much money, no. And we work in Corsica. We were making charcoal in the mountain. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: With mules…It was a good time, but we were hungry. Very hungry. And being not properly fed. And we were living in a former prison. And—a normal prison. And during the day we were working, you know, in the mountain the whole day and come back in the evening. And someone said, “I saw a place where there are a lot of potatoes.” So, we decided to go into that farm at night. And I remember we—someone came up with the idea of putting a string on our ankles and putting the potatoes through our zipper around our legs. And we came in at 2-3 o’clock in the morning hungry like hell. So, we immediately…We cooked the potatoes and they had a funny taste. They were kind of sweet. But the next morning—we were maybe 50-60 guys there—sick like hell. Completely sick: throwing up, diarrhea, and everything else. They were seeded: potato seed with DDT on it. Interviewer: Oh… (00:12:38) �11 Veteran: We didn’t know about it. We—for 2 or 3 days, we couldn’t move. We were very sick. But finally, everything came out okay, you know. One of the stories. Interviewer: Alright. Now, as you were moving through France at that point, when you were…How did you find people to help you? Did you just walk up to people and talk to them? Or…? Veteran: Well, we didn’t have much to lose, you know. So, by talking to people, we could find something to do. Like we did work on the roads, making new roads, for the government in the free zone. And I passed the line four times—the demarcation line. The third time I had a hard time. Very difficult thing. We went through Bordeaux. You know where Bordeaux is. At that time, a German general was killed and they thought the Underground was responsible for that. So, when we went to the demarcation line, the Germans were on their toes, you know, with double patrols and stuff like that. And no one could help us to go through. But then we find one guy who told us how to do it. We were two guys, my best friend and I. And we had—at 2 o’clock in the morning, we went through two big building while the Germans were sleeping there. And we walked for maybe half an hour. And the—we were told we are going to reach a creek. (00:14:30) Veteran: And we did. And they told us when you’re on the creek, stay in the creek for 15 minutes and going right, you know, through the creek. At that time, you could hear the dogs barking. The Germans knew something was going on there. But we got out from the creek and we found a paved road. And when we walked on the paved road, it was almost—it was dark but not that dark. You could see the trees and the shade like that. And I saw someone smoking. And all of a sudden in French he said, “What the hell are you doing here?” It was a soldier from the �12 Vichy group. And he couldn’t believe we went through the line at that time, you know? And after that we took the train and we went on our way. Interviewer: Okay. So, the Vichy soldier wasn’t interested in stopping you? Veteran: No, he was not. No, no, no. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: He couldn’t believe we passed it. Interviewer: Alright. Now, that’s getting us a little bit ahead in your story so let’s go back to the point when you are in Corsica. Now, was this still 1940 when you were in Corsica? Or was this now 1941? Veteran: ’41. Interviewer: It was in ’41. Veteran: ’41. Interviewer: Okay. And you said you stayed there about three months, doing that— Veteran: About three months, yeah. Interviewer: Okay. And then— Veteran: A beautiful place. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Beautiful. Interviewer: And then how did you come to leave there? (00:16:06) �13 Veteran: Because we work. We work making charcoal. Interviewer: Right. But then at some point—but you only stayed for three months. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: So, why did you go from there? Veteran: Well…I—first of all, when we came to Corsica, we went to a town by the name of Bastia. And then we took the train all the way to Porto-Vecchio on the very south end of Corsica. And in Porto-Vecchio we were hungry. You know, we didn’t work. We did not have much money. And we were sitting in front of a church and someone came in and says in French, “You look pretty sad.” You know, we were sad and hungry. And we told him, we says that we’d like to find a job and we’d like to eat. “Oh,” he says, “you came at the right time. We have a funeral this afternoon and after the funeral there is a big banquet.” So, we waited and we went into the church. Only the men were going to the church. The women stayed outside. And they all were like the Ku Klux Klan. Interviewer: With black veils and hoods. Veteran: The whites—it was white. All white. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Veil like that, you know. And we stay with all the men. And when we came out, we went to the house where the banquet was served. We got a fiesta, that beautiful thing. And that’s—the next day…It’s amazing I can remember that. We met a farmer. His name was Rossi. I remember his name: Rossi. And we told him that we look for a job and we were looking for �14 something to eat. He says—they have a language of their own over there, you know: French and Italian or something like that. Interviewer: Yeah. (00:18:23) Veteran: And we went to his farm and, in his language, he told his wife and his two daughters to prepare a meal, in his language. We didn’t know he was doing this. We had a good meal at that time. And I remember the name: Rossi. Amazing. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: And after that we couldn’t go to Tunisia or Morocco, Algeria…So, we came back to France at that time. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And then I was—I found a job at Laval. There was a place by the name of Richard Brothers. And they were manufacturing cameras for the aircraft, for the aircraft industry. For the German. And one day, I was on a lathe. Very—a Swiss lathe. Beautiful lathe. Beautiful shop. And 8 o’clock in the morning while I was there, all of a sudden from the office, a girl came in rushing and said, “Trucks of German are landing the Germans in front of the plants.” I didn’t wait a second. I stopped my machine, I run from the back, I pick up my bicycle, I jump over the wall and they never saw me again. They were searching for laborers for Germany. Interviewer: Okay. (00:20:10) Veteran: And they would—no question asked—they would put you in a freight train and the you were locked in all the way to Germany and then work for the Germans, you know. Interviewer: Right. �15 Veteran: But I didn’t do that. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: The next night, I took a train at night, 2 o’clock in the morning, and I went back to Brittany, to Germany—to Morlaix. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Yeah. And after that, that continued after that. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: So— Veteran: But I was glad I did that because a lot of young guys like me went to Germany and they never came back. Interviewer: Yeah. Because they were slave laborers. Veteran: Slave laborer, exactly. Interviewer: And they were not treated well or fed well. Veteran: Oh yes, yeah. Interviewer: Yeah. And okay, but basically the French people—they knew enough about how it worked so the girl recognized it and warned you. Veteran: Oh yes, we knew that. Interviewer: Now, did the— �16 Veteran: The advantage when I went back home—I decided to hide for a while. And my nextdoor neighbors in Morlaix were a brother and farm about half an hour away from my home, bicycle. And so, I spent two or three months there. I never worked so hard in my life, you know, at that farm. That was a rough, rough work. And the food wasn’t very good. Too much greasy food. And I told the farmer one time, I says, “I’ve had enough of it. I am going to leave.” He says—he agreed with me. And he says, “Before you leave, in Morlaix go see the doctor.” LeDuc was his name. He was one of the chiefs of the FFE—FFI. Interviewer: Explain what that was. (00:22:09) Veteran: And what happened was I didn’t— Interviewer: Wait, that’s—whoa. The FFI. Veteran: FFI. Interviewer: What was that? Veteran: That was De Gaulle’s party, DeGaulle... Interviewer: Right. So, the Free French of the Interior. Veteran: Free French whatever… Interviewer: Of the Interior I think was what they called it. Veteran: Interior, yeah. Interviewer: Yeah. Okay. �17 Veteran: And anyway, I went to see the doctor, which I knew because we used to play volleyball on the beach many times. And what happened is not far from my hometown was a town by the name of Carantec (00:22:43). I don’t know if you know the name. Carantec (00:22:47). Interviewer: Is it C-A-R— Veteran: It’s right on the…maybe half an hour by bicycle from my hometown. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And there was a ship builder for fishing industry. He used to make trawlers, maybe 3540 feet with a sail and a diesel engine. And during the entire period of the war, he built 17 ships. Which, he worked at night with a group of maybe 50-60 guys like me, took them to England. And they did, on D-Day they were there, you know. Anyway, the doctor told me that it’s a bad time right now because the Gestapo is there in the Carantec, searching (00:23:50). He said, “You will have to come back.” But I didn’t wait. So, I left Morlaix and I went to Brest. And at Brest, I found someone who told me they are looking for a lathe operator across the bay in a big, huge base. Lanvéoc was the name of the town. Lanvéoc (00:24:14). At one time, there was a big base; they had 250 planes there, to give you an idea. Coming back from Libya at the time without a sign. And so, I work in the garage at the lathe operator there. And then, that was the end of 1943. At that time, I met my best friend, you know. And we went to the Underground. (00:24:44) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: At that time. At the early 1943. Interviewer: Alright. Now, while you were—how long were you working in Brest? Veteran: For a couple years. A year and a half maybe. �18 Interviewer: Okay. Now during that time, did the Germans ever come looking for more laborers? Veteran: No, not there. Interviewer: Okay. So, they were already doing something that was useful for the Germans? Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And I changed my ID. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And then I changed my clothes. I was dressed in navy blue with a Marine cap, you know. Just like they were using in the Merchant Marines. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And I was never stopped crossing the bay. Never stopped. Because I stayed on the side of the German. I never spoke. I didn’t speak English. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: Didn’t speak German. Yeah. But it went okay. I managed. Interviewer: Alright. And then, while you were in Brest, where did you live or who did you live with? �19 Veteran: Lanvéoc was a little town, maybe of 1000 people maybe. Close to the base. And we were eating in a pension. Good place but not much food. And we were living in—we rented the room where I told you the bombs fell in. And I had a hard time there. Very hard time. Interviewer: Okay. Well, I don’t think you— Veteran: I get confused with some of these. Interviewer: Okay. You mentioned—so you were—that area was bombed while you were living there? (00:26:28) Veteran: Many times. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Many times. And…we were poorly trained in the Underground. And we were poorly armed. We didn’t have any arms. And my first assignment was a—I was told what to do. We were a group of 3 people, you know. And at that time, the Germans were picking up all the cows that they could get, all the meat they could get. For their army—people were not eating meat at all in that part of France. So, the idea was to go to the farm, to cut operated farms, and they gave me a machete. That’s all. And I had a revolver which was not a revolver, it was a lighter. But they also—the other two guys had regular revolvers, regular ammo. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: And I stole a stocking off an old lady there and I put an opening for my eyes and I put it on my head. You know? All black. And we left maybe at 1 o’clock in the morning, something like that. And while we were walking, we could hear someone coming: the Germans. There was a patrol. And so, there was ditches on both sides so we got in the right-side ditch and we stayed �20 low there. They came 4-5 feet away from us. Two guys smoking and talking in German. And when they were gone, we went back on the road and we went on the farm. (00:28:38) Veteran: And the two other guys went in front of the farm and the back of the farm with a flashlight, and they had instructions for the farmer. And for me, I had to go to the barn. And most of the cows during the night, they sleep not the floor; they sleep up. They are way up like that. And the idea was for me to cut the tendon on the back of the cow. You know they have a tendon there. And when the tendon is cut, the cow collapse, clearly ready to be butchered. You know? Anyway, I was struggling. I was kind of scared, you know? I never did something like that. I was 17-18 years old. And finally, I decided I have to do it. And I do that—I get that on two cows. And the instruction was to the farmer, which was a collaborator, to send the two cows to the butcher. And the butcher would sell the meat to the population. Like that, at least for a few days they would have some meat to eat. And we went through the farm like that and we went back home, and that was it. And the Germans—I don’t think they knew what happened because the farmers were afraid of us, you know, for some reason. The second mission we had…Have you ever heard about the Todt Army? In Germany, the Todt Army? (00:30:28) Interviewer: Oh, the…yeah, the… Veteran: They were the builders… Interviewer: Right. Veteran: …of the [sounds like “brown castles”] and so on like that. Interviewer: Right. �21 Veteran: Next to the town of Lanvéoc they had a huge depot. Huge depot. Thousands of barrels of gasoline and diesel. And we were about 50 guys that night. And we could see; it was not too dark for some reason. And they gave us some picks. You know the picks? And the idea was to punch holes in all those barrels, as many as we could. Stupid thing. Which we did. The gasoline and diesel were running maybe two inches on the ground, all over the place. We were soaked with gasoline. And imagine if a spark would have started a fire? We had no chance at all. But we accomplished quite a bit there. And we flew the coop after that. Interviewer: Okay. So, did the Germ— Veteran: And the Germans were after that investigating but they never found out we were there, you know. Interviewer: Okay. So, you—the Germans didn’t hear you while you were…? Veteran: There was a patrol but we waited maybe half an hour before they were far away. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: So, they—maybe they heard us but I don’t think so. Interviewer: Okay. But the—now, was this fuel dump—was this inside of a fortified place? Or just sitting in the open? Veteran: No, there was a city but there was a wall. And there was big gates, which someone opened the gates for some reason. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And we went into the gate. And after that, we were soaking in that mixture of gasoline and diesel oil. �22 Interviewer: Okay. (00:32:28) Veteran: What a mess. Interviewer: Alright, so the English term for this German group was called the Todt Organization, because Fritz Todt was— Veteran: Todt, yeah. Interviewer: Yeah, you had pronounced it Todt. But—and basically, they were in charge of all kinds of military construction for the Germans. Veteran: They built the Atlantic Wall. Interviewer: Yes. Veteran: You know? They were the ones. Interviewer: Okay. Alright, now to go back again a little bit—you said at the point when you decided to join the Resistance, did you just go to Carantec? Or back to the doctor? Or how did you join the Resistance? Veteran: Just like that. We had no—we didn’t sign anything. Interviewer: But who did you go to? Or where did you go for that? Veteran: We stayed in town. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: We stayed there. We worked during the day and if we did something, it was at night most of the time. �23 Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: But we were involved in putting some planks on the road with nails on it to make sure that the tires of the German truck would blow out, you know. Interviewer: But did you know who was in the Resistance? So, who to talk to? Veteran: Oh yes, oh yes. Yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I remember my officer. His name was Bébéac (00:33:45). He was a major in the army. He was in charge of us. We were about, altogether, maybe 500. Altogether, you know. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: You know? Interviewer: And— Veteran: And we did a lot of work there. A lot of stupid things. Interviewer: Now, were there—was there a danger of having collaborators betray you? Did you have to be afraid? (00:34:12) Veteran: We had problems. We had some problems. Oh yes. One time, among us there was a guy from Alsace who spoke fluently German. And he went to the officer in charge of that location, telling the French Resistance were in that wood here. And there was a group, maybe 10 guys. My best friend was there. And but they didn’t have any weapons at all. So, they were arrested and they went to another town, which was by the name of Crozon (00:35:00). Crozon was the town, which is still there you know. And I got a mission. I got to tell you something �24 amusing. I was lucky; very lucky. I was told to carry on my bicycle 4 revolvers with ammunition in it. Yeah, ammunition and also cartridges. And on my bicycle, I had a basket in front of my bicycle. And so, I put the 4 revolvers here and I put some newspapers and some carrots and stuff like that on top of it to hide it. And I had two ways to go to the town. I could take the paved road or the dirt road. Paved road was being utilized by the Germans a lot, so I chose to pick up the other road, you know. The time was the same: maybe almost an hour. And it was a hot day; August, ’43. So, I was peddling down the road: there is nobody there. And the road was turning. All of a sudden, I faced 5, 6, 7 of the Germans on maneuvers. They removed their helmets and they were hiking and singing at the same time. With my 4 revolvers there, I went through the group like that and not a single one stopped me. Imagine? How lucky can you be? If I would have been stopped, I wouldn’t be here today. Interviewer: Right. (00:36:54) Veteran: That’s for sure. And finally, I went to that town and I gave them the 4 revolvers, to someone. And they were planning to attack the Germans for liberating those 10 guys, you know? But for some reason there was an officer, which he was a German, from the Cameroon in… Interviewer: Africa, yeah. Veteran: Africa. And he helped us to free those guys. Imagine—in Lanvéoc (00:37:31), we had in the restaurant all those guys from the Underground and one officer—he was a captain, I think, or colonel…Or major, he was a major. And he was the only German there. And we promised him—he knew the war was going to be lost for Germany. He knew that. He said, “The only thing I want you to do is to try to find me after the war.” Which I did. He was in Canada. Prisoner of war. And he was liberated thanks to us. To give you an idea. �25 Interviewer: Wow. Veteran: Yeah, that was quite a story. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: So, he had been from like a German family that had gone to Cameroon as part of their colonial regime there? Veteran: Yes, that’s right. He was born in Cameroon. Interviewer: Born in Cameroon and then came back. (00:38:21) Veteran: Oh yes. Yeah, yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Alright. Veteran: Amazing, isn’t it? Interviewer: Yeah, that is something. Alright. Veteran: Anyway, to give you some idea…By that time, there was a 1944 after D-Day The Patton army, the Third Army, was close to Brest. They say, and don’t quote me, but it was over 100,000 Germans there. But I am not for sure. And I was—the bay across Brest is huge, like I said before. And a lot of cargoes—German cargoes—were going through the—close to the front, to the shore for camouflage I guess, you know. And I saw one time 17 ships sunk. I saw one close to me. The bow of the ship was sinking and the rail of the ship—they were still antiaircraft gun shooting at the planes. And I saw the plane—the cargo ship—going completely down. I didn’t see anything coming out of it. That was something to see. Anyway, one day I was on my �26 bicycle and I was going from Lanvéoc (00:40:02) to a town by the name of Le Fret. And the town was very close to the ocean. And…like 100 feet maybe. But I saw a bunch of diver planes from this country here diving but I couldn’t see what happened to the cargo ship. And they were diving to try to sink the ship. So, I was on my bicycle and I felt unease. (00:40:39) Veteran: And I crossed a guy, a lone guy. He had a cane; he was walking on the road. And I decided I am going to stop. I stopped my bicycle on the left side of the road and I went into the ditch. The ditch was maybe a couple feet deep. And I laid down there, and I could see the planes launching the bomb—two bombs—over me. But the last plane triggered the bomb too quick, and I saw those two bombs coming at me. Completely at me. And so, I went—I was completely on my belly at that time. The two bombs fell in the other ditch of the road. And I saw tons of trash going into the air, falling on me. And the only thing I remember: I was scared of being hit by a stone, a big stone, which I did not. And I knew there was a last plane. I didn’t pay attention to whether the ship was sunk or not. So, I get up from the—where I was—and shook the dirt from me and from the best bicycle. And I saw the old man still walking with his cane. And I jumped on my bicycle. I didn’t go very far, I was trembling. I was really, really shocked, you know, at that time. But that was the way of life I guess, you know? (00:42:24) Interviewer: Okay. Now, when the D-Day invasion took place— Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: --part of the plan was to have the French Resistance across the country rise up and— Veteran: Which we did. Interviewer: So, what did your unit do in connection with D-Day? �27 Veteran: We were far from D-Day. Interviewer: Yes. Veteran: We were close to Brest. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And most of the time, we did some things like I said. I told you, you know. But at one time, when the Patton army was close by, they gave to the civilians of the peninsula a—if you want to leave, you can leave; we will let you go. You know? So, what we did: we did not bring any weapons of any kind. We went with the people there. And we were out of the peninsula for 2 or 3 days in March. A lot of farmers were there with their horses and carriages. Anyway, I saw the first American there after we reached the location. And so, they—we organized ourself—the officers—and we were a group of about 500 roughly. And they—we got armed at that time. I got a Sten submachine gun. And oh, they give you a revolver and blankets and everything. And we start—we were the only units with Americans because we were from that location. We knew the location of a lot of the cannons and stuff like that. And we had a hard time. (00:44:31) Veteran: Before we start moving, we came to—in front of a town by the name of—Telgruc was the name of the town. And during the day, the Germans left the town, going to the sea, going to the ocean. And we had the American not receive any news of the moving. And they thought the town was occupied. But at that time, a part of my unit and a group of Americans were in that town. And there was a friendly fire. They came with Bombers, B-26 Bombers, like that. And they shaved the town. We lost 50 guys. Interviewer: Wow. �28 Veteran: And the American lost over 100 that day. So, we had to—we were maybe a mile from the town. Beautiful day; not a cloud in the sky. We had those red…what’s the name of that? Red carpet to say we are friendly. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: But they didn’t see it and they shaved the town completely. But finally, they reached the headquarters and it was okay. So, we went to the town. It wasn’t very pretty to see. Interviewer: Right. (00:46:15) Veteran: There was bodies all over the place, you know. And all of a sudden, someone says, “I found some rum.” And there was a big barrel of rum and—from Jamaica. So, we were drunk that night. If the Germans would ever attack us, we—no way we would be in good shape for that, you know. And I can’t stand rum since then. I was sick with it, very sick. Interviewer: Well, wasn’t that your second episode with rum? Veteran: It was the second time. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Second time, yeah. First time was in 1940. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: Yeah. And we went with the Americans. And I remember we were very close to the ocean on the left side. And where we were, the Germans built a trench: a zigzag trench, maybe two feet deep, two feet wide maybe. And at the bottom of their trench was sand. So, from the coast, the Germans saw us you know. We were 500 people—that’s quite a bit. And they start shooting the 88s all over the place. So, immediately we went to the ditch—to the zigzag ditch. �29 Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And I was there on my belly and there was a guy 3-4 feet away from me. And all of a sudden, a shrapnel fell in between my head and the feet of the other guys in the sand. I didn’t see the shrapnel, but it was hot like hell. Very hot for 3-4 minutes. That was a close one, but I didn’t—I was in between, you know? And after that, we start moving in a second line. There was a first line and we came in a second line. First time for me to fight like a regular unit. Interviewer: Yeah. (00:48:29) Veteran: And there was a valley, a big valley. So, in second line—that’s pretty good. And I found the farmers were gone. And I found a shelter in that farm made of railroad ties, well made. And had 3 other guys with me: a machine gunner and two helpers. They slept that night in a barn, but I slept in the shelter. I was sound asleep. You could hear the shells. They were shooting, you know, the shells but not close to us. All of a sudden, hell break loose—broke loose. The Germans have the 20mm guns, 4 guns. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: They had maybe 2 dozen of it across the valley and they were shooting at us over the first line. I was sound asleep. I wasn’t aware of what was going on until finally I heard, “We are hit! We are hit!” in the barn. So, finally, I took my gun with me and I rushed to the barn. And next to me was a truck. It was a truck full of food. It was a truck for eating, you know. In flames, completely in flames. You could see like you see now today in daylight. So, I went to the barn and I helped one guy. He had a shot right in his leg. (00:50:30) Veteran: And the other one took the other guy with me. And very close to us was the MASH unit—American MASH. And almost daylight, the Germans saw us, I am sure. We walk on the �30 road there and we went into the MASH unit. And I was humbled to see how they were doing. They were in a square form, you know, with big tents. And the doctors and nurses, all American, were operating. One of our guys lost an arm just from the fighting. And when I saw those girls in particular, I felt humbled. Really good. It was fantastic because the only protection was the tents. But it was okay. And where I was, about 20 Germans surrendered. They went to the front line, no one saw them, and finally they came to us and we arrested about 20 guys like that. It was quite a night…The next day, start digging holes all over the place. We didn’t do before, you know. And not far from us, there was a hill—a good size hill-maybe a couple hundred feet tall. And on this hill was a machine gun. A German machine gun. (00:52:21) Veteran: And the Americans tried to take the hill. They didn’t do it. So, they sent us there the next night. And I remember I was in a ditch, hiding in the ditch. And but I was not in front with the group. And one officer spoke German—one of our officers—he spoke German. And he heard someone coming on the road. Paved road. And the Germans with their boots—and every time they walked on the stone you could hear them coming in the dead of the night. And that officer captured an officer—a German officer. So, he decided to take some of us, which I didn’t do it; I stayed in the ditch. And they followed the Germans because they had mines all over the place. And they were able to take the entire group of Germans there in the midst of the night. And in the morning daylight, we start moving in now and they are all set. First thing I did, I went to the bottom of the hill on the other side, and they had a dorm there for the Germans. There was a lot of bunkbeds all over the place, you know. And it was clear; you could see that. So, I went inside of it and there was a German—that German on the top of the beds, you know? So, I was looking for something to bring with me. I went around the bed like that. On the other side of the bed— �31 gee, the German skull was cut in half. And I couldn’t take it. I went outside, I threw up outside. I didn’t go back in to get stuff. I was really shook up to see that. (00:54:36) Veteran: But after that, we start moving and we move. In two or three days, we were close to Crozon, that town near…And in Brest, there was an SS regiment of paratroopers [German paratroopers were part of the Luftwaffe, not the SS, but still elite troops]. The general in charge of the paratroopers was General Ramcke. I remember the name of it. And he received the order from Hitler not to surrender. And it took four weeks to—the American and the French—to finish it. And we had casualties, some casualties. But it was a win for us, you know. We chose to be like that. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And… Interviewer: Were you engaged in that fighting? Or were you— Veteran: Oh yes, yes. Oh yeah, yeah. And we came to the town of Crozon (00:55:42). And I had a book here, I was telling my son. I brought back a book about it, about the entire fighting, you know. And I don’t know when I moved what happened to that book. It was a big book with a lot of pictures in it. But finally, they surrendered. And it was the end of Brittany’s war, at the time. Interviewer: Right. (00:56:11) Veteran: And from there, I went back to my home in Lanvéoc. That’s where I told you I found my album of photos at that time. My bicycle, I didn’t find it. And from there, we went to Quimper. I don’t know if you know the town? Interviewer: Yeah. �32 Veteran: At Quimper, we joined the French Army. And they sent us to a town by the name of Ponthivy (00:56:43), with the 15 Dragon [15th Dragoons]. There we got into a very intense training. We were really well trained at that time. Interviewer: Okay. And the— Veteran: And then after that, I was responsible—I was a sergeant—for distributing gasoline. That was a very good job. And my company—my regiment went to Lorient (00:57:13), where they had 40,000 Germans in a pocket. Another pocket was St. Nazaire. They had another 40,000 in there too. But we stay at Lorient. And we kept the Germans from escaping at that time. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And back to the quarters, one day they asked for volunteers to make a commando. So, I put my name there. And I put the name of my friend also. And big mistake. Big mistake. What— they had a no man’s land there in Lorient (00:57:54) maybe 1 or 2 kilometers—1 kilometers maybe—wide. And we had to go at night, ambush the Germans, and take as many prisoners as we could for interrogation. I never caught a German at all. But…it was scary. (00:58:17) Interviewer: Well, how many of you went in this group? Veteran: We were 50. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: In the commando. And Armistice Day, May the 8th, 1945. On the day before, they sent us there. I was mad like hell. But we went very close to the line, the German line. Some of us—I didn’t—could hear the Germans talking. So close. And we spent the night there. And when it came to the morning, you know, daylight, and our lieutenant—Lieutenant Vougeau—said, �33 “Okay, we are going back to our lines.” You know? And the Germans saw us. We were walking on a small farmer’s road, unpaved, maybe a foot and a half, two feet deep. Not very wide— maybe fifteen feet wide. And we were on our belly there, 50 of us. They sent maybe, I don’t know…many, many shells, many 88 shells all over us. I couldn’t see from here to here. There was so much dust coming down all over us. And believe me or not, one single shell fell on us— not one. After they stopped—and we crawled, we removed the dirt—we crawled on our belly as far as we could. And we went over the hill and we start going up. You could hear the bugles sounding the end of the war. That close. Interviewer: Right. (01:00:17) Veteran: To give you an idea. The last day of the war. Interviewer: Okay. So, you basically spent your time in the French Army during the war outside of Lorient (01:00:28). Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: And so that was kind of—you were simply guarding the Germans. Veteran: Yes, yes. Yes. Interviewer: Okay. Now— Veteran: After that, we went back to our headquarters in Ponthivy. And we—for some reason, they sent us to the center of France. Argentan was the name of the town. And we didn’t—the war was over. Interviewer: Right. �34 Veteran: By then, you know. And that’s a good life. Because being in charge of the gasoline— we always make sure we have some left in our tank. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And for gasoline for a Jerry can of gas. We stopped at an inn where beautiful dinner every time we went like that. That was one of the best times in my life. Interviewer: Alright. Alright, so we had taken your—the main line of your story now through the end of the war in 1945. I’d like to ask a little bit more just about different aspects of life in France during that period of the occupation. And I guess the first question is what kind of impressions did you have of the Germans? Did you— Veteran: Well, regular Germans were okay. You know? But the Gestapo, the SS were bad. Really bad. Especially the Gestapo. And they killed a lot of people in France at that time. There is a town not far from my town. The name of the town is Carhaix. It is about two hours by bicycle, you know. And they picked up 20-25 guys from the Underground. And they were hanged in the main street for one month. (01:02:36) Veteran: No one could touch them. It was awful. The smell was awful. Things like that were bad. You know? For each German killed, they would kill 50. And that’s the truth. And that farm— you know I told you I was hiding at the farm? After I left—two weeks after I left—there was a group of Underground people, they were about 20. And they asked the farmer if they could sleep overnight in the barn. Farmer said, “Sure, why not?” Among the group, they had a Frenchman traitor. Maybe I told you that? Interviewer: Well, you told me about the traitor who—the one who was from Alsace who ratted on your friend. �35 Veteran: Oh no, this is different. Interviewer: This is different, okay. Veteran: This was at the farm. And anyway, he went to fetch the Germans during the night. In the morning, a truck of Germans drove onto the farm, you know? And the farmer, which was maybe 45 years old, something like that. And there was two other guys there, like me, working. And they were taken prisoner. They were killed. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And only his wife and kids survived at that time. Interviewer: But the Resistance men had already left? Veteran: Pardon me? Interviewer: The Resistance fighters, they were already gone? Or were they captured too? Veteran: No, they were there. They were taken. They were 20 guys. Interviewer: They were captured too, okay. (01:04:17) Veteran: And they were shot. They were not shot on the spot; they were shot someplace else. You know? Interviewer: Right. Veteran: Things like that. Interviewer: Yeah. Now, did you ever have any dealings with the Gestapo yourself? Did you ever encounter— �36 Veteran: No, I never did. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: When I left Laval to go back to Morlaix, the French police came to my house looking for me. But I was gone in a farm at that time. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: So, I was not…And I decided if I work directly for the German, I have a better chance. Which I did. I never was arrested after that. I was lucky. Interviewer: Alright. And…The ordinary—the regular German soldiers— Veteran: They were okay. My boss in a garage there at the base—we were friends. He was a good man. You know? Interviewer: Okay, so you were working for Germans on the base outside of Brest? Veteran: Yes. Yes. Interviewer: Okay. Yeah. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Alright. And— Veteran: It was a big base. Interviewer: Okay. And then the…What…How did most French people deal with the occupation? Did they just try to go about their lives? Or…? Veteran: 99% “Vive de Gaulle” (01:05:42). �37 Interviewer: Well, after the war. Veteran: After the war. Interviewer: Yeah. But during the war? Veteran: Well, even during the war. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Oh yes. Yeah, the French people were opposed to occupation. That’s for sure. Interviewer: How many—so, you don’t think there were—you didn’t notice that many collaborators? Veteran: There was a few. And they were all dealt with after the war. One stupid thing they did, the French people, they cut the hair of the women to frater—to be with the Germans, you know. That was a stupid thing. I was not for that. (01:06:19) Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: Yeah. Anyway, that is sort of my story. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And after not, the government regiment—we went from Argentan-sur-Creuse (01:06:30) to a town north of that by the name of Loches. And they asked me in September 1945 to take another year. I said, “No. I am not. I am going home.” Which I did. And the regiment went to Germany for occupation for three months. And after that, they went to Vietnam to Indochina. Interviewer: Yeah. Okay, so you—so, September ’45 you are out of the Army— �38 Veteran: I was out of the Army. I went back home. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I went back to the base, occupied by the French Navy at that time. Interviewer: Now, did you go back to work there or what did you— Veteran: I went back to work on the lathe. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: At that time, yeah. Interviewer: Alright. And now, 6 years later you will go to the United States but in between, what did you do between 19— Veteran: I worked for Citroën. Interviewer: Okay, and when did you— Veteran: I was a young engineer at the time. Interviewer: Okay. So, when did you start working for them? Veteran: Just after that. Interviewer: Okay. So, in ’46 or…? Veteran: After the… Interviewer: After you left the Army? Veteran: After I left the Army, yep. Interviewer: Okay. Now, how did you get a job with them? �39 Veteran: Well, I just went to my—to the office of the base and I told them I worked there. And if I could work on the lathes. They said, “Yes, you can.” They were looking for someone. Interviewer: Right. (01:08:04) Veteran: And I worked there. As a matter of fact, the first Christmas I was there in 1945-46. They were looking for someone to be Santa Claus. I said, “Why not?” I put my name on the board there, you know. I was the only one; nobody else volunteered. And they had an idea for me to take a plane and going at sea and we would get a radio from the headquarters when all the kids were there and the families and everything else to come back, you know. And it was a sea plane; a British sea plane. Big plane. There were a pilot, radio, and I. So, that day we had a very good lunch. Very good lunch. A little bit too much to drink. And we flew—I never played the be in an airplane before; that was the first time. All dressed up as Santa Claus. And we took off from the bay and we went at sea. And for maybe an hour we flew. And we received a message everything was okay to come back. So, the pilot came back and he wanted to show the kids a little bit of a—this strange thing, you know. So, he went down on the ocean and he went up like that. When he went up, I saw the whole god damn ground coming up, you know. And I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw up on the window, and I threw up everything. And finally, we landed. There was a ramp there. And I couldn’t walk. I was really in bad shape. But finally, I made it. You know, finally I—but all the stuff stuck to the fuselage. Everybody was laughing, but not me. To give you an idea. (01:10:29) Interviewer: Alright. Well, how did you go form working for the French Navy to working for Citroën? �40 Veteran: Well…I met my wife in Morlaix to a dance. And we were together quite a—by the time. I—one thing I did, I brought from the war a motorcycle: Norton 500. And I found a sidecar to go with it. And my future wife and I—we went all over the place like that. It was a good time for me after the war. And we decided to get married. And well, I went to Paris. Her uncle and her aunt were living there at Kremlin-Bicêtre, Porte d’Italie (01:11:28). Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: And so, I went to work there. And I sold my motorcycle and my sidecar to pay a down payment on an apartment. And we were living close to the Hôtel de Ville, if you know the place. The City Hall. Interviewer: Okay, in Paris? Veteran: In Paris. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Big City Hall. Interviewer: Yeah. That’s a good real estate, yeah. Veteran: And I was in Paris and from there I moved to Citroën, close to the Statue of Liberty there. You know, on— Interviewer: Yeah, on the River Seine. Veteran: On the River Seine there. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Yeah. �41 Interviewer: On kind of the south—the west end. Veteran: That’s right. That’s right, yeah. Interviewer: Yeah, the tour boats go around it. (01:12:21) Veteran: We were in Paris for 5 years. And at that time, we didn’t make much money, even as an engineer. So, I decided to come here at that time. Interviewer: Alright. Now, did you have any friends or relatives or…? Veteran: No one. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: But my wife had some friends in New York. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Which sponsored me. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: To come to this country. That was good. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I came to this country November the 1st, 1951. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: And then, how long did it take for you to find a job? Veteran: One day. �42 Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: One day. Interviewer: Now, did you speak any English yet? Veteran: No. No speaking—didn’t speak English at all. Interviewer: Okay, so what— Veteran: Just a few. Interviewer: Okay, so what job did you get? Veteran: I went—I found a shop. The name was Speed Ring. And they were working at that time for Holley Carburator. There was 8 guys working in the shop and 2 owners. And that’s the only place I worked in this country. For 68 years, I worked there in that—no, 60-oddsome years. And I—we grew from 10 to 3000. We grew up. Interviewer: Okay. And then when did you come to Michigan? Veteran: That was the November the 1st. Interviewer: Oh, so you got the job—you went— Veteran: In Detroit. Interviewer: Oh. You went—so, your friends were in New York. Veteran: And I went to Warren to Sherwood. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: To Sherwood here in Warren. �43 Interviewer: Okay. Because I guess your wife’s friends were in New York. Veteran: In New York. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: And what I did when I came here alone, I sponsored my wife. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: Which we came through Canada, and she came here after that. Interviewer: Right. Okay. But I guess, how did you get from New York to Michigan? Did you apply for the job while you were in New York? Veteran: I didn’t go to New York. Interviewer: Oh. Oh— Veteran: I went through Windsor. Interviewer: Oh, okay. Okay. (01:14:30) Veteran: And Windsor to Detroit. Interviewer: Alright. So, you went straight there. So, your sponsors were in New York but you did not go that way. Veteran: Yes. Yes. Interviewer: Okay. Now I get it. Veteran: And 5 years after I was there to the day, I became a citizen. And I was clear for secret clearances 3 times. �44 Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Alright. Now, what kind of different work did you do for that company? Because you were going to be— Veteran: Well, I worked on the lathes for a year. And I worked with the creative engineering at that time. I was an engineer. And I stayed in engineering for quite some time. And I was part of the management after that for many years. Interviewer: Alright. Now, did your company work with NASA? Veteran: We worked for NASA. Interviewer: What did you do with that? Or what did your company do? Veteran: I was involved in making a guidance for the Pilot Program. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And we worked with a special metal by the name of beryllium. Pure beryllium. Very expensive. The price of gold. A pound of beryllium versus the price of gold. There was no difference, to give you an idea. And still today, going in outer space, that’s the metal they use. That’s a rare metal. You know? On the elements chart. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: You know? (01:16:09) Interviewer: Now, did you ever go to Cape Canaveral or any of those places? �45 Veteran: I went to Florida quite a few times. I went to Huntsville quite a few times. I saw Von Braun there. And we had a big plant in Coleman, Alabama; about 300 or 400 people there. Good size. And we had three plants in Cleveland. We had—in Tennessee we had one plant. And in Orlando also. We had three plants in Orlando. Yeah. Interviewer: Now, is that company still in business or— Veteran: Oh yes. Yes. Interviewer: It hasn’t been bought by someone else? Veteran: It is. They are not Speed Ring anymore. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I don’t remember the name now. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Yeah, because a lot of those companies got bought by bigger companies. Veteran: Oh yes. Yes, yes. Interviewer: And kept going. Veteran: But the big company—they are public now. Yeah. Interviewer: Alright. Now, when you think back about that period of—during the war— are there other memories that stand out for you that you haven’t brought into the story yet? �46 Veteran: Well, I had some rough time, I had some good time during that time. Interviewer: What kind of good times did you have then? Veteran: Well, after the war; when the war was over. Like I told you, our regiment—we had a lot of—it was motorized. And the—every week we had three companies we had to bring together every time every week. And we had a lot of light tanks. Bren Carrier. Bren Carriers—you know the name of the Bren Carriers? You know. (01:18:13) Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: From the British. They were full of sand, coming back from Libya. And one time, we had to go to another regular station to pick up the—we had 50 roughly, Bren Carriers—a small size and a bigger size. And the lieutenant put me the leader of that group to go back to Ponthivy, you know. And I had a problem with the levers to stop the truck, you know. But I realized if I go faster then they told me to go to, it was easier to manage the driving. So, that’s what I did: I speed up the whole thing. But on the back of me, there was 50 other Bren Carriers. And for some reason, one guy didn’t make the turn and he went into the field. And all of a sudden, my lieutenant came in; he was mad like hell. He said, “Why do you go so fast?” he says, “You’ve got to slow down.” So, that’s what I did. After that we regrouped and we went back to our normal speed but maybe 20 miles an hour. Interviewer: So, you figured out how to control it a little bit better? Veteran: Oh yes. Oh yes, yeah. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: That was one of the problems we had. �47 Interviewer: Yeah. Now, was all of your equipment British or did you have American— Veteran: No, we had a lot of American. We had a lot of single tracks—trucks with tracks. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: You know, what was the name of the… Interviewer: Well, with our half-tracks— Veteran: Half-track! Half-track. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: We had a lot of those, you know. Interviewer: Okay. And were the tanks American or British? Veteran: The tanks were American. We had a few Cruisers, that was British. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: And…When I went to school there, where I have a picture, we had a lot of Sherman. The American made a big mistake because they used—on the Sherman—a 75 cannon, which was completely wrong because the…You need three Sherman for one Tiger tank. Interviewer: Well, officially at some point, they decided 10 Shermans was a better number. Yeah, 5 for a Panther— (01:20:42) Veteran: Yeah, I remember three. Interviewer: Yep. But they were—yeah, they were under-gunned. They were mechanically reliable and you could do things with them but— �48 Veteran: But they were no good. Interviewer: But they weren’t good enough to match the German tanks. Veteran: They were no good. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: They wouldn’t stop a tank. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: But they had the destroyer—tank destroyer—that had a 90mm gun. This one was good. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: It would stop a Tiger tank or Leopard. Interviewer: Yeah. And they made some versions of the Sherman that were better later— Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: But the standard one, the one you would have seen, was not—yeah. Veteran: Yes. They put the heavy cannon, which was good. Interviewer: Yep. Yeah. Alright. So, I guess again if you think about the time before the war ended—let’s see, have you told me about all 10 of your close calls? Veteran: As far as I can remember. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Alright. �49 Veteran: The worst one was the…The Armistice Day. That one was bad. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Yeah, because I am surprised we didn’t lose anyone. Yeah. Interviewer: Alright. Well, you are certainly a lucky man and— Veteran: I am lucky. Interviewer: And you have a very interesting story, so— Veteran: Yeah, I am quite lucky. Interviewer: Yeah. So, I’d just like to thank you very much for taking the time to share the story today. Veteran: Yeah, okay. (01:22:03) � 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 BertandE2313V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bertrand, Emile L. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-06 Title A name given to the resource Bertrand, Emile (Interview transcript and video), 2019 Description An account of the resource Emile Bertrand was born in Morlaix, France on October 26th, 1922. After graduating high school in 1939, he began working in the arsenal of Rennes as a toolmaker. While at work, he witnessed the German bombing of Rennes in June 1940. To escape the threat, he and a couple of friends biked to Nantes, stopped to stay with his family in Morlaix, and then traveled to Marseille by train. From there, he went to Corsica by boat and stayed there for three months making charcoal. Then, he went back to France and worked in manufacturing in Laval until one day he was warned that Germans had arrived to search for laborers. He immediately ran and returned home to Morlaix where he worked on a farm for a few months. After that, in 1943, he began work as a lathe operator in Lanvéoc, a small town near Brest. At this time he and his best friend joined the French Underground, a resistance movement against German occupation of France. Most of the Underground’s operations took place at night while he worked his job during the day. When the American military was near, he joined their units and began moving toward Telgruc. One day, the Germans had left Telgruc for the sea, but the Americans thought the town was still occupied, so Bertrand and the Americans he was with experienced a friendly fire from B-26 Bombers. Another time, he and the American units he was with were being shot at by Germans from sea. Bertrand and his allies all went to hide in a ditch built by Germans when he was hit by a shrapnel. The next few days were filled with fighting until finally the Germans surrendered in Crozon. From there, he stopped by home in Lanvéoc before going to Quimper to join the French Army. He was sent to Ponthivy where he joined the 15th Dragoons. He went to Lorient where his regiment’s task was to guard the Germans. After that, he went back to Ponthivy and was sent to Argentan. He was there until the war ended in 1945. 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 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 application/pdf video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3075dfa92f97774a35c76c6eac8cb134.mp4 46adaeaca83a2c595780736b171e2279 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e476d8884f13e9f1dfd5f69b44a2a17c.pdf 604dc92bbf7b25f489cdda8718670b05 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Marvin Besteman Cold War (1950s) 40 minutes 44 seconds (00:00:11) Early Life -Born on June 29, 1934 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Grew up on the southwest side of Grand Rapids -Family worked in the produce business -Went to the University of Michigan Law School for a few months (00:00:49) Getting Drafted Pt. 1 -Got drafted on November 8, 1956 -Didn't consider enlisting in the Army -Planned on going to college then working in the family produce business (00:01:18) Korean War -Paid a lot of attention to the Korean War -Had always been interested in military history -Had friends that were drafted during the Korean War (00:01:50) Getting Drafted Pt. 2 -Left law school which negated his student deferment -30 days later he received his draft notice -Reported to Grand Rapids then went to Detroit for his initial processing -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for further processing -Remembers it was a basic facility that used coal furnaces for heating -Issued a uniform there (00:02:57) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Carson, Colorado for basic training -It was an old base with old buildings -Built in 1942 -Base's construction was completed in January 1942 -Base had just started being active again -Learned how to take orders -Went on long marches -Learned all the basics of being a soldier -What to do, when to do it, and what not to do -Adjusted well to being a soldier -Good learning experience -Wishes he had done two years of college first though -Would have been more mature being older and more educated -Most of the men were not college educated -Only a few men were college graduates -Took various tests -Learned how to use weapons -Basic training lasted eight weeks -Did a week long bivouac in the Colorado wilderness -Contracted pneumonia at the end of it �(00:06:57) Instructing at Fort Carson -His company went to South Korea for occupation duty -He stayed at Fort Carson to recover from pneumonia -Stayed at Fort Carson to help train new recruits (00:07:38) Advanced Infantry Training -Did eight weeks of advanced infantry training at Fort Carson, Colorado -More complicated training and more focused on theory -Worked with more advanced and higher caliber weapons -Learned how to lead soldiers in battle -Trained by tough, old soldiers -World War II and Korean War veterans -Expected you to follow orders -Did a good job as trainers -The orders never seemed logical at the time, but in retrospect they made sense (00:09:16) Company Clerk at Fort Carson -Stayed in Fort Carson, Colorado at the end of advanced infantry training -Asked if he wanted to be the company clerk at Fort Carson and he accepted -He took care of the administrative duties in the company -Where men went, kept track of leaves, morning reports, AWOL soldiers -Kept the company in order and running properly -Most challenging part was learning how to type up paperwork -Stationed there for two months -Got engaged -Planned on getting married and staying in Colorado for duration of enlistment (00�:11:09) Stationed at Patton Barracks -Received orders for Europe -Became the Chief Clerk of Headquarters (HQ) Company of United States Army Europe -Keeping track of personnel for the Army in Europe -He was only a private first class -Interesting and wonderful work -Stationed at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, West Germany -Got to do some travel in Europe -Used typewriters and paperwork to keep track of personnel, not computers -He used poker chips as a sorting system to keep track of soldiers on duty, on leave, or sick -Hundreds of poker chips -Kept tracks of all of the officers in Europe and the enlisted men in the HQ Company -Reported to the master sergeant of HQ Company -Old soldier (had been in the Army since 1935) and he was tough -Taught Marvin a lot -After the master sergeant he reported to the captain -He controlled passes and rations for everyone -He did favors for the men that showed him respect -Helped him later in the business world -There were always limits as to what he could do, or would do -Some things he could do, but wouldn't do on moral grounds -Helped officers and enlisted men with family problems -Became a sort of unofficial counselor to the men -Enlisted men rotated out a lot, but officers stayed in to develop their careers -Learned how to deal with commissioned officers �-Great learning experience -Understood the chain of command and that he needed to show respect to officers -Had to subtly stand up to officers that were trying to get things done that he couldn't do -He couldn't order them around, but he could influence them in a positive way (00:20:30) Reflections on Service -Taught him how to handle people -Glad he got to serve in the Army -Believes everyone ought to do some kind of service in the military (00:21:13) Cold War -It was very tenuous every day because of the presence of the Soviet Union -Didn't know if (or when) the Soviets would launch a nuclear strike on West Germany -Trained every day to be ready for that possibility -No doubt that there was a Cold War -Heidelberg was the headquarters for the United States Army in Europe -Meant that it was a prime target for a nuclear strike -Lived every day knowing that the city could be bombed (00:23:18) Living in West Germany -After a few months his wife came to West Germany -Lived with a German family in Sandhausen -Town was seven kilometers away from Patton Barracks -Wife worked as a nurse in the Army -She outranked him since she was a commissioned officer -Learning experience -Newly wed in a shared house in a foreign country -The German family was great -The German father of the house had served in the German Army in WWII -Captured 30 days before the end of the war in Europe -Told Marvin about the other side of the war -German son spoke perfect English -German father spoke some English -German mother of the house spoke no English -Even with the language barrier they learned how to communicate with each other -Kept in touch with each other for years after Marvin and his wife left Germany (00:26:22) German Civilians -Some of the Germans showed their dislike, if not hatred, for Americans -They were almost all German teenaged boys that felt this way -German girls liked the American soldiers, so they dated the Americans, not Germans -Someone kept letting the air out of the tires of the family car in Sandhausen -Eventually caught the young German boy in the act of doing that -German father of the house smacked him around a bit for that -Never happened again -The animosity was not politically charged (like neo-Nazis or communists), just personal -Adult Germans didn't appear to feel any animosity toward the American soldiers -Celebrated holidays together and went to community dinners -Germans were hard-working and industrious people -Led to West Germany recovering quickly after WWII -At the house in Sandhausen the family used their backyard as a vegetable garden -Reminded him of the Dutch work ethic that he had grown up with �(00:30:42) War Damage in Europe -Heidelburg was not bombed during the Second World War -Saw remnants of war damage in other parts of West Germany -In 1957 and 1958 there was still a tremendous amount of damage in Italy -Italians approached the war damage in a different way than the Germans -More leisurely (00:32:13) Wife's Army Service -Wife enjoyed her service -Wife worked in the labor and delivery ward of the American hospital in Heidelburg -Hospital was open to Americans and Germans, so she delivered American and German babies -On top of having a higher rank she also made more money than he did (00:32:48) End of Service & Coming Home -Army talked to him for months about reenlisting and becoming a commissioned officer -Wanted to reenlist as a captain, not as a 2nd lieutenant -The Army agreed to that -He tried to push for the rank of captain, or major, but the Army refused -Wife got pregnant near the end of their time in Germany -He decided that he needed to get out of the Army -Wife returned to the United States -Prior to leaving Germany he got appendicitis -Made it home two weeks before his first child's birth (00:35:12) Life after Service -Started to look for a job -Got an opportunity to work for a bank -Interested in going back to college so he could become a teacher -Enjoyed working in banking -Kept getting promoted and decided to stay in banking rather than go back to college -Started off at Michigan National Bank and worked there for 13 years -Ran Southeast National Bank in Florida -Took over a banking operation in New York for 10 years -Moved back to Michigan and ran Sparta State Bank in Sparta, Michigan for 12 years -Retired from there when he was 62 years old -Did some banking work in Washington DC on a committee for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Interview stops at 00:38:28 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BestemanM0096V Title A name given to the resource Besteman, Marvin J (Interview outline and video), 2010 Description An account of the resource Marvin Besteman was born on June 29, 1934 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On November 8, 1956 he received his draft notice. After being processed in Detroit and at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri he went to Fort Carson, Colorado for basic training. He stayed at Fort Carson to help train recruits then received advanced infantry training there. He stayed at Fort Carson for two months as a company clerk then received orders for Europe. He was stationed at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, West Germany as the Chief Clerk of Headquarters Company of United States Army Europe and his wife joined him there as an Army nurse at the hospital in Heidelberg. In 1958 he left Germany and then was discharged from the Army. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Besteman, Marvin J. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-05-06 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ee363ec13e72428a1d04948c056a1fe5.jpg 684826b6d5d73efa84bc7d84f1fe3380 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 Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans 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-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl 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 RHC-144_Termaat_PHOT_1897-Adriana-Termaat-Alkmaar-recto-img756 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Besyn, J. W. (photographer) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 Title A name given to the resource Adriana Termaat (1879-1952), 1897 Description An account of the resource Portrait photograph of Adriana Termaat (1879-1952), dauther of Aris Termaat (b. 1832) and Neeltje DeJong (b. 1847), taken by J. W. Besyn in Alkmaar, 1897. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Group portraits Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/">No Known Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image 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/d0b6448a973d88184cb7ec277dd3bcc5.mp4 2371be756937336f47c3cfc0c00fc507 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2ecf50b908c271b368b9b9ba80c0a815.pdf 8945f6111734960f3c272ce7657b9a25 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Kevin Bettinghouse (20:11) Background Information (00:21)       Born in Grand Rapids Michigan on February 13th 1960. (00:23) He enlisted in the Air Force. (00:43) His highest rank was Sergeant E4. (1:00) He served as a Ground Navigational Aid. (1:30) Kevin’s interest in electronics while in high school was what drew him to the Air Force. (1:54) He enlisted in 1977 but was not inducted until August of 1978. (2:31) Training (3:02)    He did 6 months of basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. (3:11) After basic, Kevin was sent to Mississippi for 8 months of training on landing systems and tactical air navigation. (3:25) He was also taught how to solder, though he already knew this from high school. (4:05) Overview of Service (4:15)            After training in approx. October of 1979, Kevin was sent to Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. He was there for approx. 1 year.(4:18) Kevin wanted to go on tour but he did not want to be on tour for 2 years. As a result he went on a shorter remote isolated tour. In late 1980, Kevin was sent to the Aleutian Islands. (5:15) After 1 year in Alaska, Kevin finished his tour of duty in Ohio in 1982. (4:50) Kevin lived in barracks throughout his training and during his first year of service at Georgia. (6:00) The food served was often very good. (6:52) Being only 18 when he enlisted, Kevin enjoyed the freedom of being away from home. (7:36) Kevin tried very hard to keep in touch with his family. He wrote many letters and occasionally called home. (8:30) Kevin managed to make close friends. However, he found it difficult because the men were often transferred to other bases after Kevin grew close to them. (9:45) The biggest things that Kevin worked on were the interment landing systems. These interments told the pilot how close the aircraft was to the center of the runway. (11:40) He worked on C-130s, F-15s, and training aircraft. (12:41) Kevin was given the opportunity to fly in several of the aircrafts on “hops.” These were free trips that soldiers could hop onto to be transported between bases. (13:10) Exiting the Military (16:35)   He left the military at age 22 in 1982. He decided to leave because he had a girlfriend and he didn’t want to move around any longer. (16:38) He hoped that his experience with electronics would get him a job after his service. (17:20) �  He eventually got a job installing phone jacks and cable. (18:12) It took time an effort to adjust back into civilian life. He was not used to having every part of his day no longer structured. (18:50) � 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 BettinghouseK1353V Title A name given to the resource Bettinghouse, Kevin (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bettinghouse, Kevin Description An account of the resource Kevin Bettinghouse, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1960, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1978 to 1982 as a Ground Navigational Aid. After his basic training at Lackland Air Force base in Texas, Kevin spent eight months receiving technical training in Mississippi. During his Service, Kevin was stationed in Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, the Aleutian Islands, and Ohio. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rowley, Elliot (Interviewer) Rowley, Scott (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Air Force Other veterans & civilians--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 2011-11-05 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/eff5c47c6ba6f21fadee4fa18e402ae3.mp4 c70ddb4066b856d350db9c45cc571534 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1bc69d0691db8bf4b215a13db50466d9.pdf fe82d19285a148574fa8520f874e0fa1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Cornell Beukema (01:43:58:16) Childhood, Family, And Education • (00:24:13) Beukema was born on May 5, 1920 in Grand Haven, Michigan • (00:32:09) his father was a finisher in a piano factory; his mother had done some "clerking" for Herpolsheimer’s Department store in Grand Rapids, also in the Edison Department in Grand Haven • (00:54:22) he graduated from Grand Haven High School in 1938 • (01:01:18) Beukema had an ambition to go to college but when he finished high school, he had less than $50 saved; his parents, who gone through the Great Depression, had no money � his older brother and sister had the same problem � his brother graduated three years ahead of him, got a job, and went on to Michigan State University � his sister graduated a year after his brother, but she got a scholarship and went to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo � his brother took civil engineering at Michigan State, and also ROTC • (02:23:20) Beukema himself went to college in 1939, enrolling at Michigan State, where he took two years of ROTC; after finishing the two years, he took advanced ROTC No Commission • (02:58:20) after graduating from Michigan State in 1943, he was "supposed to have gotten a commission," but the process had changed: � his older brother had gone to a camp during the summer and got a commission after graduation � by the time he came along, the government's policy had changed, and they were sending people to OCS camps; his group was sent to Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, in 1943 • (04:06:13) Michigan State ROTC people were not the only ones there, they were there from all over the country, from Texas A& M, from St. Louis • (04:25:00) after two weeks, he got called to Camp Davis in North Carolina; he was "coast artillery" which was "working itself into anti-aircraft artillery" at Camp Davis, it was called an anti-aircraft artillery school �� • it was supposed to have been a thirteen-week program, but to their "chagrin," the length of the program was changed to fifteen weeks, then to seventeen weeks; but they added still another two weeks "because they weren't ready for us at Camp Davis" (05:16:14) in December 9 of 1943, Beukema finally got his commission, he graduated from OCS; he picked guns as his specialty, but they put him on search lights instead � he was sent to Camp Edwards in Massachusetts; he arrived there right after Christmas in 1943, and was there until February of '44 Fort Belvoir And Camp Rucker • (05:58:05) then he was sent to engineer school at Fort Belvoir in Virginia � as it turned out, he was transferred from search lights to engineers � he was put into the engineer combat battalion, and after six weeks at engineer school, he was sent back to Camp McCoy, to the 76th Division of an engineer combat battalion located there • (06:51:090 in June of 1944, Beukema was selected to take a cadre of seventythree men and four officers to Camp Rucker in Alabama for the initiation of a new unit, the1298 Engineer Combat Battalion, this was "the start of the 1298" • (07:48:16) while he was at Fort Belvoir he was injured when another officer threw something that hit him in the head; [see timing frame 54:03:00, sections of photographs displayed later in the interview; this object was a “big heavy clamp”] he was "plagued" by headaches for the rest of his time in the service • (08:09:04) at Camp Rucker, he was sent to Second Army mine school where he took a course in mines and demolition; he returned to his unit and was promoted to first lieutenant • (08:44:07) a black battalion from Trinidad, a search light battalion, had moved to Camp Rucker; they all thought they were all going to get out of the service, and were "very despondent" when they did not—they were "ornery and troublesome" � he was one of several Caucasian officers who were sent "to take over this outfit"—all their officers had been transferred; “fortunately, the noncoms of that unit were real sharp" and they told the Caucasian officers not to worry; "it worked out fine" • (09:51:07) Beukema was then transferred to the 1015th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company; during the short time he was with them, he injured his left leg � there was a fire in the day room and he stepped outside onto a porch, but he stepped onto a rotten board, his foot bent upward and back, pulling the tendons in his leg �� he was sent to the hospital, where they gave him cortisone shots; he was not in the hospital long, but " in order to get around," he had to constantly go back to the hospital for more cortisone shots • (11:11:09) "all this time" he courted the girl that he "wanted to marry who was at Michigan State"; she was a freshman when he was a senior; she accepted his marriage proposal and "it seemed to be okay with her dad" • (11:42:24) they were getting ready to go overseas; many people from his unit had been pulled out individually and sent overseas already; finally they got the orders and prepared for shipment abroad • (12:16:28) in the spring of '44 they got called on flood duty—there had been a big flood in White River, Arkansas, and they were all sent there; a date had been picked for his wedding, however � "it just so happened that the water started receding" and they were shipped back to their unit Camp Shelby And Then On To Hawaii • (13:21:15) all those from Camp Rucker had been moved to Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg in Mississippi; he got married; in July of '45 they went by train to Minneapolis, and then to Vancouver Bearings near Portland • (14:04:04) “all this time,” Beukema was back with the 1298, and they went by ship from Portland to Hawaii; during the trip to Hawaii, the first atomic bomb was dropped, on August 6 � engineers who had worked with explosives like himself were "fully knowledgeable of this"; he had taught several courses in mines and demolition for the Second Army mine school • (15:10:29) at Hawaii, they started loading their ships for the invasion of Japan; he was on an LST in a convoy of ships; they left Pearl Harbor on the day Japan surrendered Japan • (16:34:29) the captain of Beukema’s ship refused to go directly into Nagasaki without a mine sweeper ship in front of them; they anchored at Sasebo, where there was a major Japanese naval base; they picked up a mine sweeper and then went to Nagasaki • (18:01:03) there was school, which was in session at the time they arrived; the school master gathered the children in the back of a room and explained to them that the Americans had won the war; classes were moved into caves in back of the school, and the Americans took over the building, and "fixed it up" �• (19:46:23) in December Beukema was transferred to Fukuoka, farther north near Kitakyushu, where he was assigned to an engineer construction battalion � they were rebuilding a Japanese airfield, and he was with that unit for a while, not very long � about that time, headaches began to bother him, and he was put into a hospital for three weeks, until his "continuous" headaches stopped • (20:56:00) he was then reassigned to an engineer aviation battalion in charge of building the airport; he was appointed an S3, an assistant to the one in charge, and eventually he himself was in charge � he had several different army units working for him, Japanese contractors, and a huge pool of Japanese civilian labor • (22:07:09) he was suddenly given R & R [rest and recuperation]; the officer in charge of all the units in that area of Japan had to go to General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters the officer wanted to give him R & R, so he took Beukema with him; it turned out that they were not going to be disbanded yet; the officer told him he was "on his own" the rest of that week • (23:13:12) he contacted a cousin in Tokyo who was in a different unit, and they spent the week seeing Tokyo and Yokohama; they visited the Diet (government) building, a zoo, and climbed Mount Fujisan as high as they could, “’til the jeep got stuck," about three quarters of the way up • (24:23:30) back to his unit after a week, he was assigned to group headquarters as an S3 and eventually became the executive officer of his group; they were quartered in "the millionaire's mansion" of the Ishibashi family, who owned and still own the Bridgestone Tire And Rubber Company • (25:28:24) not long afterward, he received orders and he had enough points to get out of the service; he got on a ship at Yokohama and headed for Seattle, Washington � they crossed the International Date Line on July 4; the sailors on the ship felt they were entitled to two holidays; in a bulletin that they received when they left the ship, the date had been labeled as July 5 even though it had been plotted correctly � the sailors told them not to worry, we're slowing this ship down"; they went at "excessive speed" during the last couple of days to make up for it • (27:39:22) after arriving at Seattle, they spent a night at Fort Lewis, WA; they were then released from duty • (27:54:24) Beukema remained in the officer reserve until 1953; he spent that time in Lansing and trained incoming GI's; he got "disgusted" because he to fill out their pay vouchers and he was not getting paid; he asked for a discharge, got it in 1953, and that was the end of his career in the army �Civilian Career • (29:23:09) he got a job as soon as he returned to the States, in Lansing with the Michigan state highway department; he remained there until 1970 and retired after 34 years ***the date and number of years given here are questionable, because they conflict with his time in high school, college, OCS, his service during; his year of retirement was probably 1980, or it may have actually been 24 years with the highway department*** • (29:53:18) they moved "over here [Grand Haven] to a place that happened to be in the family," by the north shore and they rebuilt it Scrapbook • (30:45:00) Beukema presents a scrapbook from his OCS days and displays pages in it, commenting briefly on some of the written and printed items and photographs in the scrapbook. � OCS was “severe” and “rigid,” his school more so, he found out, than other OCS schools" � "every so often they would throw in an inspection on us and so we were forever "GIing" the barracks" No Athlete's Foot • (34:49:12) one of their classmates would get a couple of gallons of chlorine and throw it on the floor in his feet bare—"we didn't get any athlete's feet"; they “were puddling around in it" and cleaned the floor with mops The Rifle Inspection • (35:19:27) they had a "gold digger" in their class who was "forever trying to get out from doing things" � his name was Allen and it got to the point where everyone "detested" him because "he was gold bricking all the time and taking off at night and never around to do the GI in the barracks" • (35:43:21) one night they found out that they would have a rifle inspection the next morning; they all cleaned their rifles and they were locked in the rifle rack by the one in charge of locking up the rack � Allen would stay out in the evening until late and then come back; when he came in, they could hear him sneak in, someone called out to Allen and told him that there would be an inspection in the morning, and he begged the keeper of the rifle rack to give him the key, but the guy refused; Allen went over in the dark—they would not let him use the flashlight—and he poked the ramrod into his rifle in the dark while it was in the rack, trying to clean it �• (36:54:21) first thing next morning they had the rifle inspection; the “bird dog” got to Allen's rifle, looked through it, and "you should have heard him blow his top at Allen"; "he flunked out," "they flunked him out" • (37:17:25) in the last week, “the bird dogs got kinda human with us" and asked what they had against Allen; they told them it was because of "all the gold bricking" he did and he "would never be with us"; they understood, they had "already kicked him out of school" Highlights From The Memorabilia And A Photo Album • (38:04:26) Beukema’s diary, with entries made throughout his career in the “States” • (38:17:03) Beukema shows a letter from his brother who went to General Omar Bradley's headquarters; the letter was written on Adolf Hitler's stationary • (41:02:24) [photographs of the cadets in uniforms, regular and dress; the dress uniforms had prominent belt buckles in front] they had a military ball, he had a date, a girl who used to live in Grand Haven who was a student at Michigan State University; she had on "a nice frilly dress, real pretty"; his buckle "hooked onto her dress right here," and it was embarrassing; they had to go outside of the hall, in the dark, to try to get "disassembled"—getting apart ripped her dress, but it had to be done • (46:45:20) [photograph of 268 radar unit] he "got to a point" where he could put "that thing" together; at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts, he would lay in his bunk with the tent flap open and operate the search light—the radar used the search light • (48:13:24) “water problems” [pictures of bridges he built] • (50:02:16) flood duty, they had new equipment and they had to go to Arkansas with it [flood mentioned earlier]; they had people driving trucks who had never driven trucks before � a big truss bridge that carried a major highway over a big river was out, and “they [not Beukema’s company, however] had to build a roadway around there” • 51:09:14 then Beukema got married; he and his wife "walked the streets" looking for someone to be the best man at their wedding; he encountered a friend of his, fortunately, and met two other friends to be ushers—one of whom did not show up because Beukema neglected to tell him where the wedding was to be held [this man's daughter-in-law is now president of MSU] • (52:18:11) [photograph of his “sister's boy”] Beukema did not have any boys, but four daughters �The 90mph Train Ride • (55:42:01) the train out of Mississippi [Camp Shelby]: they started out with two sections on the train; in the section Beukema was in there was a captain who was a "very close friend" of his "all the way through the service" • (55:59:05) the captain obtained permission from the conductor for himself and Beukema to ride on the caboose and they watched for "hot boxes"--they stopped the train, they did see one, they had to put out the fire to stop the second section and warn them that there was a train was stopped in front of them • (56:30:10) the captain also "talked the conductor" into letting them sit in the engine; they rode about 800 miles “between the caboose and the engine, up to Minneapolis; there were "big Hiawatha engines hooked up to both sections, so it was a big long train now" • (57:10:19) Beukema and the captain were told to get off "right here on this side, the detective will be on the other side" [what they were doing was not allowed, of course]; they had to run up to where the engineer would be ready to get them � they had these "nice seats behind the engineer and the coal man," and "what a ride that was just watching that speedometer go up over 90 miles an hour" • (57:48:21) when the engineer told them "this is the end of my run," they had to jump out again � "now you go to get out this side," the engineer told them, "climb down the latter," and "I"ll let you know when to jump" � while the train kept moving, Beukema and the captain had to run to the first car back, where the conductor caught them—"sure enough there was the conductor with his hand out and he pulled us aboard" Portland To Hawaii • (59:24:23) they left Portland on "this one ship" and he was "in charge of seein’ that all the guys got on," and had to check them off; he was the last to get on before the ship took off, and as a result, he got the "lousiest bunk" directly under a steam pipe � he found out that lots of other guys "had it hot sleeping too," and all the way to Hawaii he slept on the top deck with "hundreds of other guys" � "you did not leave that few square feet that you had during the day to go to the bathroom or to go to eat but you had your neighbor look after your place and you took turns" • (01:00:40:23) “all this time” flying fish were landing on them: "the air was just full of these flying fish" • (01:01:12:20) Japan had not surrendered yet; there were no lights allowed— messages between ships were sent by special lights, not by radio; garbage was �"put out at night so that they'd never know where you were"; and they zig-zagged through the water[the ship] Hawaii To Japan • (01:01:48:08) they got to Hawaii, and it was "hotter than blazes" and "at nighttime it was all mosquitoes and so we had a mosquito bar," each bunk had one; they had to go to bed before it got dark because by then the mosquitoes were already in there • (01:03:14:13) then they "loaded on an LST"; they had eighteen ships and a destroyer escort; the food was good and they had fresh water • (01:04:05:09) a sailor showed Beukema where, on the prow of the ship, there was a hatch that could be opened; one could go down a ladder in there, and because the doors did not fit "completely tight," a "sheath" of water came in, making a pool about three feet deep at the bottom -"almost all the way to Japan,” he went down there every day and swam in the pool • • (01:05:38:09) they had gunnery practice one day; "the sailors showed our guys how they did their laundry": they tied there clothes to long lines and dragged those "maybe fifty to seventy-five yards behind the ship" through the water � they had gunnery practice, and "our guys" shot at the clothes while "the sailors were pulling 'em in like crazy"; for a long time after they landed at Nagasaki, sailors still ran around with holes in their clothes • (01:06:34:08) they had a movie every night; they exchanged movies with other ships in the convoy—that is how they knew when Japan surrendered Bomb Damaged Nagasaki • (01:07:16:13) where they were supposed to land [Beukema points to a map] in the invasion, they were supposed to go with the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Marine Divisions and the 1298 • (01:08:16:19) "we came in the harbor this way over here," approaching Nagasaki [Beukema points it out on a map in his collection] • (01:09:15:06) "this is really bombed, this is the worst, this is all knocked out right here, this is knocked out by the A-bomb" � "you could see the radiation, you could see the radiation lines on the ground"—"so you knew exactly where it went and where it went off" � "all these radiation lines went like this," like spokes in a wheel [Beukema points out areas of Nagasaki on a map to the interviewer, and puts a finger on the spot where the bomb landed and those "radiation lines"] �• (01:13:42:29) "the smell in Japan was terrible"—"human excrement smell was all over"; at each rice patty land there was a cistern and the farmers would collect the human excrement from the city, haul it out ever day and dump it into the cisterns; they "ladled" it on their crops • (01:15:23:22) "all around the mountains, let me tell you, the Japs had gun emplacements all around"—"it would have been suicide for the American forces to invade Japan"; besides that, there were "tunnels all the way through the mountains, all over" • (01:15:56:10) images of Japan, Beukema’s comrades, incidents and anecdotes in pictures • (01:27:10:19) General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters was across from the emperor's palace Memories Of The Bridgestone Mansion [photographs and anecdotes] • (01:28:33:27) "we had parties there all the time" • (01:29:20:19) when the general took over the Bridgestone mansion, there were thirteen servants, and most were Seventh Day Adventists; there was a Seventh Day Adventist Church a block away • (01:29:50:06) the number-one servant noticed a Bible that Beukema had laid on his headstand; the first night he was there, she came up to him with a Japanese Bible, and she wanted to talk to him; she could speak a few words of "American" and he could speak a few words of Japanese; she wanted to discuss passages in the Bible; "it was real nice" • (01:30:54:24) "they cried when we were gonna leave, we had such a rapport" [the number one and number two servants] • (01:31:02:19) “they [the Ishibashis] took us”: they inherited the Ishibashis’ three cars, a Cadillac, a Lasalle, and a Buick, "big seven-passenger ones,” and the Americans were taken on a tour across Kyushu one day • (01:31:53:22) every Thursday night the Americans invited the Japanese women to supper, and then they had a movie and dancing in "their house" • (01:32:23:11) photographs of the Bridgestone Mansion, the interior and the grounds outside How Beukema Obtained Hiroshiday Artwork • (01:35:03:02) while he was in Japan he got a letter from his wife, who was taking art at school; she wanted to know if he could get prints from the two most important Japanese artists at the time, Hokusai and Hiroshiday �� he hunted "all over"; walking down the street one day in Fukuoka, he saw in the window of an art store "this book" [Beukema displays this on camera] and he bought it • (01:36:51:09) he pointed at another print in the store, but the girl in the store did not want to sell it to him; the girl fetched her boss, who took him into the back room • (01:38:05:25) the "boss man" went to a drawer and "hauled out about twenty pictures"; Beukema indicated that he wanted to purchase them � the “boss man” rolled up the pictures, "tied a nice ribbon around them" and gave them to Beukema [these pictures are still in Beukema's home, and he displays a number of small prints on camera] More Memorabilia • (01:40:24:00) the kind of books he worked with teaching about demolition and explosives • (01:41:39:03) Stars & Stripes put out a newspaper for GIs in Europe and Japan; Beukema presents a scrapbook filled with cartoons he had clipped from Stars & Stripes in Japan. �Military Service Cornell D. Beukema Sep 1939 Entered Mich State College in Engmg 2 yrs Basic ROTC 15 Mar 43 Sworn into US Anny Serviceby Jake Fase Placed in Enlist Res Corps ROTC student MSC Private 36584695 Coast ArtilleryCorp Uniform provided Classesat Dem Hall Parades Spring term Tuesdays Chris Cadet Col Lived at Wells Hall Freshman Dorm Sep 1941 Jones House worked 3 jobs Jr yr 2 yrs AdvancedROTC Uniform purchased Classesat Dem Hall Col Stillman sand table model ships azimuth sightingsat gym level Data telephoned to plotting room data plotted Plotted location (range & azimuth) phoned to gunners Compressed air gun fires ball bearings Dress Parades as Cadet Officers "Pass in Review" MSC Band 7 Apr 43 Ordered to active duty as Private Live in Frat houses eat at Union 12 Joo43 Graduated from MSC 14 day furlough :2810043 To Camp McCoy disappointment When to OCS? Shots Basic training Low morale Calisthenics Close order drill Firing range Grenadeepisode General salute Military discipline entire Camp Week end leaves "'7 c. ,-' '?c, \AJ0. s \11 o ~5"~ C' \l r D'S \- ~1\G:.(G\l E Lansing, Sheboygan,Roy Correll Promoted to Corporal and sent to Wilmington,N.C. via train cattle trucks to Anti Aircraft ArtilleryOCS then to Camp Davis in OCS school not ready delay math test Course lengthened 13 to 15 to 17 wks Coat hanger episode Bird Dogs S.O.P. Course extremely rigorous ridiculous orders to us punishments March to classes Night mosquitos Citronella Hour ofCharm Obstacle course Close order drills in hot sun Barracks inspections Rifle inspections Allen Haircuts Week end passes after Drills Visit brother Meet brother in-law Wrightsville Beach Salv Ay usa swim write letters....proposemarr PHYL Bivouacs Target shooting Search lights, Automatic Weapons, or Guns To: f's 8 Dec 43 9Dec43 Hon Discharge Corporal CDB Grad AAA OCS as 2nd Lieut 0539350 ordered to Act Duty Camp Edwards, Mass 10 day delay en route Travel via trailoredbus nature call female passenger Problem with lights, or was it brakes on chartered bus approachingCincyOH 20 Dec 43 Asgd to 223Rl AAA Sean;hlightBn Boston visit Truck parkingEpisode Firing range SearchLight position Truck driving over Borne Bridge 12 Feb 44 Relvd from 223Rl SL Bn Sent to Fort Belvoir, VIrginia EngineersTraining Course MSC reunion hit in head accident visit Wash DC visit Pentagon Introduced to constr equip bridge bldg rigging 1 Apr 44 Relvd from AAA ORP Asgd to 76th Div Camp McCoy, Wise 9 Apr 44 Asgd to 30lit Engr Combat Bn at Camp McCoy �11 Apr 44 Asgd to CompanyB 301st Engr C Bn 26 Jun44 26 Jun44 Relvd from 301st Engr C Bn Asgd 1298 Engr Combat Bn Camp Rucker Ala Charge of Cadre 78 EM & 3 Off train lost one man at Birmingham Asgd CompanyB 1298th Engr C Bn 22 July 44 Special Duty with 338thAAA Search Light Bn fr Trinidad (negro) ??? 338th AAA SIL Bn deactivated 5 Aug 44 Relvd from SO with 1693rd EgtC Bn 7 Aug 44 SpecialDuty with 1015th Treadway Bridge Comp Accident left knee 27 Aug 44 1 Sep 44 Temp Duty~ Anny Mine School Camp Forest, Tenn week course travel time telegram home for money Promoted to I st Lieutenant 9 Sep44 Mine School Course graduation 21 Sep 44 Returned to 1298th at Rucker 1 Oct 44 5 Nov 44 Asgd to 2nd Armv Mine School as instructor two courses at Camp Rucker : , Back with 129Stf{ 9 Dec 44 !298th movesto Camp Shelby Miss 271 miles by convoy. 17 Dec 44 Phyl visits 27 Dec 44 Phylleaves for E. Lansing and college 3 Jan 45 Leave for Fort Jackson S Carolina to teach one week course on Mines and Demolitions 21 Jan45 Return to 1298th at Shelby... Phyl accepts my phoned marriageproposal. Her dad okays. 6 Mar 45 1298th leavesfor Arkansas by convoy:White River flooding. Temp duty 26 Mar 45 29 Mar 45 Granted 15 day Iv Fly to Mich for Phyl and My wedding. First flight for me MarriageLansing, Mich honeymoon Grand Haven wI Phyl's dad's Buick 30 Apr 45 In Hospita1leftknee problem re Aug 7 injury Kay Kyser . Released from Hosp Warren replaces Hoffman as Comp Cmdr Back with 1298th 1298th preparing for shipping out Packing Tests Lake Shelbyproject Phyl arrives rent room fr Barrios in Hattiesburg Biloxi weekends 11 May 45 16 Jun45 1693rd Engr C Bn activated Twelve day leave stays at Hoffma's in Hattiesburg New Orleans for Christmas 8 Jul45 Companyasgnmt exchange Beukema to Comp C under Capt John Howard; Walton to Comp B under Capt Warren 20 July 45 21 Ju145 Last night with Phyl in Camp Guest House Phylleaves by train for E Lansing With Lucile Flickinger 21 Jul4S 1298th Engr C Bn departs Camp Shelby via two trains for the West Coast and overseas caboose and engine riding and Hiawatha engine ride across Minn 2 �25 Jul45 30 Jul45 Arrive Vancouver Barracks, Oregon 3139 miles travel Portland visit Embarked on Liberty Ship SS George S Julian with Hawaii a guessed destination. Beukema last to board 10 day voyage with flying fish and deck sleeping 6 Aug 45 Aboard ship Heard news ofHiroshima A bombing skeptical of20,OO tons of TNT equivalent. 8 Aug 45 Arrived Honolulu, Hawaii Schofield Barracks Tents Mosquito netting swimming tests island tour Waikiki sailing Dole pineapp 3 Sept 45 Departed Pearl Harbor aboard LST 870 from Ford Island AWOL First Sargent too late to board not seasick, but. ... Sept 45 22 days aboard LST 970 Honolulu to Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan Loaded quarters water supply food paint chipping clothes washing gunnery Movies (exchange) reading chess playing bridge letter writing swimming Cyclone tossed in bunk officer mess Bailey Bridge dammage dog birth Sasebo...mine sweeper nite noises 25 Sep45 dawn view of surrender flags on mtns Arrived Nagasaki harbor ... wait kids last meal aboard landing Maj Landry's booze Remaining Sep, Oct, Nov, and part of Dee School plateau one-way access-exit rice terraces odor Atom damage building accommodations play field latrines rats rebuild bridges Butler bldgs (warehouses) scrounging about gun implacements cave factory Movie theater reel unwinding pet monkey accident in sewage well Church PX 10 Dec 4S Trsfrd to 1393rd Engr Constr Bn at Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan as Asst S-3 via train tangerine bowling engagement ring near-disaster factory accommodations less desireable Christmas dinner slow mail 21 Jan 46 Hospitalized with excruciating headache over 3 weeks Trsfrd to 1876 th Engr Aviation Bn in Fukuoka as S-3 In charge construction! Itazuke (ex-Mushiroda) Airdrome Various Mil Engr units Jap Contractors mise Jap workers from Pool Negro Dump trucks Fire 19 Mar 46 lifted dump box through City local fire department action Trsfrd to 1777th Engr Constmction Bn in Fukuoka Asst S-3 no change in work Hunt for elevators for hospital Hospitalized for headaches 8 Apr 46 Trsfrd to 1113 th Engr Construction Group at Kurume, Kyushu as Asst S-3 assist in supervision of mise operations of Group command Shop for Hiroshege and Hoksai prints Living at Ishibashi mansion 3 servants Ichi ban and Bible pool parties �15 Apr 46 Temp Duty w/S th Anny at Yokohama with CO Major Redding I" Class rail travel a weekofR& R Tokyo with Cousin... tour City Diet Bldg... Fujiyama Easter Sunrise Service Meji Bowl 3 May 46 Asgd to 8-3 positionwith 1113th Thursdaynight get-togethers with Ishibashis trip across Kyushu 15 May 46 Asgd to ExecutiveOfficer position With 1113tb 21 JWl46 Relv'dfrom 1113th Engr Constr Group Asgd to 4lb Replacement Depot, Yokohama "Reppledepo" 29 JWl46 Boarded S8 Milford Victory ship in Yokohamaand set sail acrossPacific for Seattle Calm seas enroute Tiered hammocks five decksbelow main deck CrossedIntemat Date line on July 4th Captain, in Ship's Masthead publication. says July 5. I believe it as a purposeful miss-statement because the ships sailors were demandingholidaypay for two July 4ths. So they slowedthe ship to delay our voyage by one day. Sensing the slower 12 knot progress,the Captain correctedthe slow-downwith a record speed of 17.56knots the last two days. 10 July 46 Arrived Seattle... bussed to Fort Louis for the night 11 July 46 Left Seattle by troop trainfor Chicago and Fort Sheridan, Illinois, ola 18 July Promotedto Capt Off Reserv Corp Granted 47 days Lv of Absence 3 Sep 45 Released fr Active Duty Placed on Inact status ORC AsgdMich State ADM Serv Group left for home 28 May 48 Asgd to 1125OR Composite Gp Lansing, Mich 7 Sep 48 Relvd fr asgnmt. Asgd to 416th Engr Combat Bn Lansing 1 May 49 Designated CO Hq & Serv Company416th Engr C Bn 9 Oct 50 Relvd fr asgnmt, Asgd as CO Hq & Serv Comp 500th ORC Engr CombatGp Lansing 24 OctSO Relvd fr asgnmt. Asgd 5500th ORC Engr unit (trng) Lansing 19 Oct 51 Relvd fr asgnmt. Asgd 5949th ORC School STU Det Lansing 1 Apr 53 Recvd Honorable Discharge from US Armed Forces 16 Jun 53 Off Reserve Appointment expired 4 � 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 BeukemaC Title A name given to the resource Beukema, Cornell (Interview outline, video, and papers), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beukema, Cornell Description An account of the resource Cornell Beukema graduated from Michigan State University in 1943, went through a series of OCS camps, engineer school, and the Second Army Mine School. He specialized in bridge building, mines and demolition. Sent to Japan after the war ended, he witnessed the destruction wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki as they rebuilt an airfield and built an airport. He remained in active reserve in the army for a number of years after WWII; he was finally discharged in 1953, and he spent the rest of his career with the Michigan state highway department. Military service timeline appended to outline. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McCauslin, Kelly (Interviewer) Spring Lake District Library (Spring Lake, Mich.) 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. Corps of Engineers--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 2008-03-08 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/050ef144eac204ade90444f94b477834.mp4 bd9258571de65f262790fc8eba292e8e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/09e56c1227b0d52ae60267f5b21211c8.pdf 8b1faa0926b5470038e6542a42c693ad PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Duane Beukema World War II-Post War 59 minutes 16 seconds (00:00:14) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1928 -Lived there his entire life -Father worked for General Motors in the stamping division at the Wyoming, Michigan factory -Worked for them for thirty five years -He was one of the first to be hired when the factory was built in the 1930s -Prior to that he was on welfare -Wound up with one of the better jobs at the factory -Setting up and running a press -He had a sister that was eighteen years younger than him -Graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 1946 (00:01:51) World War II -Remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor vividly -Sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when the report came over the radio -Had no idea what Pearl Harbor was, or where it was, prior to the attack -Parents had read about the fighting in Europe and Asia prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor -There was very little radio coverage of the war though -He was aware of the fighting happening in Europe and Asia -Remembers that there was a lot of anger after the attack and there weren't many answers -Rationing went into effect almost immediately -Remembers that things like sugar and gasoline had to be bought with ration stamps -Despite the rationing, he doesn't remember suffering -Started seeing cars with wooden bumpers instead of chrome bumpers -Tires were rationed -His father was issued a B Card for gas which was better than an A Card -Meant that he could get a few more gallons each week -This was because he had a job that was essential to the war effort -When he got into high school he started seeing a lot of older male students joining the military -Remembers hearing about some older students being killed in the war in his junior year (00:04:37) Enlisting in the Army -His best friend since the age of twelve was drafted after graduating from high school -Decided that they would both just enlist together -If you enlisted there was a chance you would get a better deal from the �Army -Plus, they were as close as brothers and didn't want to be separated like that -Went to a recruiting center in Grand Rapids and took an aptitude test together -Asked where they would want to go -They both decided that they would want occupation duty in Japan (00:06:00) Basic Training & Field Artillery Training -Left Grand Rapids in September 1946 and got sent to Fort Custer, Michigan -Spent the night there -Boarded a train the next day and they were sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois -Spent a few nights there -Sent by train to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and field artillery training -Trained with the 105mm howitzer -Learning how to fire and maintain the gun -Gunner had to be able to do mental math -He and his friends were the only high school graduates in a group of 200 -As a result, he was selected to be a gunner -The men that they trained with were mostly enlistees -First things he learned was how to march and Army etiquette -Who to salute, who not to salute, ranks, etc. -There was a lot of physical training -Mostly marching and jogging -After four weeks they began to train on the howitzers -There was a high emphasis on discipline -Men that disobeyed were given extra chores -Consisted of work in the mess hall (peeling potatoes and washing dishes) -First thing you learn in basic training is not to give them a reason to remember your name -If they remember your name, you're more likely to get picked for extra duty -Received ten weeks of training -Did not have a lot of trouble adjusting to the Army -Approached a lot of the situations with a sense of humor -He was in good shape when he went into training, but was in great shape by the end of training -His job as the gunner was calculating elevation and doing some basic trigonometry -Didn't find it too difficult -Never got to fire the howitzer because he got sick in the fifth week with pneumonia -Kept in the hospital for three weeks -Got moved to a different training class, but managed to catch up quickly -Still graduated with his best friend -Given a leave home at the end of training -Training was complete in November 1946 -Did not get to spend Christmas 1946 with his family though (00:13:54) Deployment to Japan -Ordered to report to California in December -Rode the train out to California with his best friend �-Took three days to go from Michigan to California -Had to sleep sitting up -Spent a lot of time in the club car playing cards -Got off the train and got marched to a big field -Kept there for three days until they were assigned to a barracks -Had no tents to sleep in -He and his friend got a job making ham and cheese sandwiches -Meant being inside and getting to sleep inside -Once in the barracks he worked in the mess hall -Had a permanent pass to leave the barracks when he wasn't on duty -Spent almost every day in San Francisco -Got to be in San Francisco for New Year's Eve -Found the soldier in charge of shipping orders and paid him $10 to be put on the list for Japan -Wanted to get deployed in the hopes that he would get to catch up with his friend -Friend had been deployed ahead of him -Shipped out on a troop transport -Held 5,000 men -Took eighteen days to get to Japan -Eight days into their voyage they got hit by waves from a tsunami that hit Japan -Waves were over seventy five feet tall and were breaking over the bridge -Two days of rough seas -He only got seasick for one day -Learned the best thing to do to combat it was to eat (00:18:45) Arrival in Japan -Arrived at Yokohama -Ship had trouble docking because the harbor was full of sunken ships -At that time Yokohama and Tokyo were flat from the American bombing campaign -Wooden buildings that had been razed from the firebombing campaign -He was sent to a distribution center to receive his orders -Spent two weeks in Yokohama because his orders had been lost -Given some duties while in Yokohama, but passed a lot of time playing cards and reading -Not allowed to go into Yokohama -A few men snuck off the base to go to a place nicknamed "Gonorrhea Gulch" -The cost of a prostitute's services was a pack of gum (00:20:58) Stationed in Sasebo Pt. 1 -His records were found and he was sent by train to Sasebo, Kyushu -Quartered in an old Japanese Army barracks -Assigned to H Company of the 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division -Handling .30 caliber machine guns, 80mm mortars, and anti-tank guns -The unit wasn't expecting new men so there was no food, and no heat in the barracks -After complaints they finally got food, hot water, and heat -Remembers being on guard duty and being approached by an old man �-He was dressed in an Army overcoat with no insignias -Asked Duane how things were and Duane answered bluntly -Said that there was no food, no heat, and nothing to do -Next day they had food, heat, cards, ping-pong tables, and a piano -Turned out that the old man was actually the colonel of the unit -Colonel would do this routinely to keep in touch with the troops -Started to receive basic infantry training -Days started at 5:30 AM -Calisthenics, showers, and breakfast then infantry training -Learned how to field strip a rifle -Learned how to fire and maintain .50 caliber machine guns -Training lasted three months -After graduating they received an extra week of infantry training -Sent back to Sasebo -At the time, communist instigators were sneaking into Japan from Korea -Trying to get the Japanese people to support a communist government -Their job, as the Americans, was to break up riots and arrest the instigators (00:26:02) Interaction with Japanese Civilians Pt. 1 -Japanese civilians in the area had never seen American infantrymen -Impressed with the steel helmets and modern rifles fixed with bayonets -Felt no animosity from the Japanese people -Not even from Japanese men that had served in their army -Treated with tremendous respect and they wanted to know all about them -Almost immediately had contact with civilians -Civilians would come up to him and talk with him while he was on guard duty -Felt tremendous sadness for the Japanese people -Realized that they had lost their homes, loved ones, and their jobs -People were being forced to sell precious family heirlooms just to survive -Mostly encountered men, but some young women, and some children -Met a Japanese man that had visited Grand Rapids -He had attended the University of Wisconsin before the war -Had spent the war in jail for protesting the attack on Pearl Harbor -Had felt that it was strategically suicidal (00:29:05) Stationed in Sasebo Pt. 2 -His regular duty in Sasebo was guard duty -Two hours on, six hours off -Six hours on, sixteen hours off -One day on, two days off (00:29:37) Travelling in Japan & Interaction with Japanese Civilians Pt. 2 -When he wasn't on duty he was allowed to travel just about anywhere -Favorite place to visit was Kyoto -Old city filled with religious buildings -Had been spared from the bombings -Visited Osaka -Very modern city that had largely been spared from being bombed �-Some buildings, and parts of cities, had been explicitly forbidden from being bombed -All of Kyoto had been off limits due to its religious and cultural significance -Always travelled with two friends -They were of the same mind as him in terms of values -Ex. They would all go to religious services together -Required to wear uniforms wherever they went -Surprised by how many civilians could speak fluent, or near fluent, English -The U.S. occupying force was trying to Romanize Japanese names of places -Basically, translating the characters into the Latin alphabet, but not rename the places -Japanese people always wanted to help, even if they couldn't speak English (00:34:40) Black Market & Theft -One of his duties as a guard was to protect military equipment and food stockpiles from thieves -First night that he was there a soldier caught three Japanese men in a warehouse -Chased them back to a boat and killed those three plus two accomplices -One night, when he was in a warehouse by himself, he could hear thieves in the building -Wasn't able to find them though -Knew that there was a massive black market -Knew the soldier that was basically running the whole black market in Kobe -You could buy a carton of cigarettes for 75¢ from the PX and sell it for 1400 yen ($28) -His mother would send him a carton of cigarettes in the mail and he would sell those -Then use that money to buy more cigarettes from the PX and sell those -Made $45 a month from the Army and sent $35 of it home to be saved -Used the rest, plus the cigarette money to travel (00:37:48) Hiroshima, Nagasaki, the Atomic Bombs, & the Invasion -Saw Nagasaki and Hiroshima -Nagasaki had been flattened from the bomb and there was a huge wooden arrow at ground zero -Army estimated that the land would be sterile for twenty years -When he visited in 1947, small plants were already starting to grow again -Japanese civilians he encountered actually supported the use of the atomic bombs -Realized that, had the U.S. invaded, millions would have died as opposed to thousands -Hiroshima was a little worse than Nagasaki because the blast hadn't been contained -Read a book while he was there titled Rising Sun that detailed Japan's military capabilities -That info, plus seeing the natural fortifications proved how bloody things could've been -Also saw a destroyer and a cruiser hidden in a lagoon while he was travelling -Showed that Japan had truly been ready to fight to the last citizen (00:42:28) Communist Agitators -Had to deal with rioters -Marched in formation against the rioters armed with rifles, grenades, and tear gas �-The rioters would then disperse when faced with a military force -Met a young man that had to drop out of college because he couldn't pay for it -Met him later on and learned that the communist party was paying for his college -This was in exchange for his membership in the communist party -The communists were especially active in the bigger cities -There were communists in Korea that could easily cross the 38th Parallel -Because Korea had been a Japanese colony, the Koreans could easily get to Japan (00:44:18) Reflections on Japan -Thought that Japan was a beautiful country -Felt tremendous sympathy for the Japanese people -Japanese people that he met were tremendously friendly and even crime was a rarity -Learned that Japan had simply been desperate for land and resources -Liked being there and was anxious to go back -Has since visited Japan and has seen how much has changed since the 1940s -Japanese men that had been in their army wouldn't readily talk about their experiences (00:46:30) End of Service & Coming Home -He and his friend had signed up for eighteen months -After fourteen months they were offered the chance to go home early and keep their rank -The caveat was that they would have to be in the Active Reserves -Decided to turn it down and just stay in for the extra four months -Good decision because of the 24th Infantry Division's involvement in Korea -One of the first units into the war, and it was basically wiped out -Sent back to the United States in December 1947 -Received orders to take a train to Yokohama and board a ship there -Sailed from Yokohama to Seattle, Washington -Captain wanted to be home for Christmas 1947 -Managed to cross the Pacific Ocean in only eight days -Once in Seattle, he was discharged after two days along with his best friend -They had reconnected on the return voyage -Learned that his friend had been promoted to the rank of corporal -Took a train back to Grand Rapids and arrived on Christmas Eve 1947 at 11 PM -Friend's younger brother met them at the train station -He was the only one that knew they were home -He got to his parents' house at 11:45 PM on Christmas Eve -Remembers that it was a great time to come home (00:52:04) Life after the Army -Got a job with his best friend -Neither of them wanted to start college in the middle of the school year -Went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids in September 1948 -Started off studying pre-med, but then switched to studying engineering -Got married after two and a half years of college -Began taking courses through WMU, MSU, and the University of Michigan -Never did get a degree in engineering, but got a job in engineering �-Started off working as a draftsman -Worked for Steelcase for twenty five years -Eventually moved up to being a product engineer -Met a Japanese high school student through the Talons Out Honor Flight in May 2015 -This young man, named Yuki, knew almost nothing about WWII -Only knew that the two countries had fought, and Japan had lost -He wrote to Duane and asked him to tell him more about the war -Duane agreed and taught him what he knew about the war -Told him that he enjoyed being in Japan and didn't regret his service -Has since maintained contact with Yuki (00:56:40) Reflections on Service -Feels that his time in the Army was worthwhile -Feels that it was an enlightening experience, and showed him more about the world -Met a soldier that lived a wild life that envied Duane's quiet, simpler life -Hopes that maybe he inspired the man to calm down a little bit � 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_BeukemaD1853V Title A name given to the resource Beukema, Duane "Duke" (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-08 Description An account of the resource Duane Beukema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1928. After graduating from high school in 1946, he and his best friend enlisted in the Army. They both received basic and field artillery training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and completed that training in November 1946. They were both scheduled for deployment to Japan, but got separated in California. Duane wound up being sent to Japan in January 1947 and assigned to H Company in the 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division in Sasebo, Japan. He received infantry training in Japan, regularly pulled guard duty, spent a considerable amount of time traveling (getting to see Hiroshima and Nagasaki only two years after the atomic bombs were dropped), and also getting to meet many Japanese civilians. In December 1947 he received orders to go home, and on the return voyage reconnected with his best friend. They were both discharged in Seattle and back in Grand Rapids by Christmas Eve 1947. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beukema, Duane 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 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/d59d2d6f063a621cac907ae987a46e41.mp4 88d68974755756d6cd6851f9850e8b41 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/48d140352a00d8d1f6d4d65c2268d261.pdf 33f791231e8c67a07bc7c5d440882e08 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project John Beukema (31:50) Pre-Enlistment • Born in Chicago, IL (0:25) • Born on August 15th, 1924 (0:30) • Spent his youth in suburban Chicago and joined the war after he graduated from high school in 1942 (1:00) • Neighborhood was hit hard by the Depression (1:30) • Father was a jack of all trades, worked for a painting contractor mixing colors (2:25) • Mother did not work, had 8 children (2:45) • Attended J. Sterling Morton High School in Cicero, IL (2:55) • War was the main event in his high school (3:15) • All his friends were drafted or volunteered, and he volunteered for the Army Air Corps (3:30) • Worked all through high school in grocery stores and haberdasheries (4:45) Enlistment • Received notice in mail that he was accepted to the Air Corps (5:10) • Went from Chicago to Nashville, TN to the classification and conditioning center (6:30) • Had a battery of tests for about a month, and was accepted for pilots training (6:45) • Boarded a train to go to Santa Ana, CA (6:50) • This happened about the same time there was fighting in Africa, so the Army was training in the desert (8:00) • Santa Ana was a pre-flight school, which contained few classes, but learned the mechanics of flying, meteorology and physical training (9:00) • Pre-flight school lasted several months (9:35) • Then assigned to Rankin Field in Tulari, CA for primary flight school (9:40) • Was the second person in his class to fly solo (10:25) • Stayed at Rankin for two months, then transferred to Morana AFB, which was a basic flying school (11:30) • Flew different planes and learned different maneuvers at Morana for a few months (12:00) • Advanced to Williams AFB in Phoenix, AZ, learning to fly new airplanes (13:00) • During these months of training, he always wanted to go out and fight (13:30) • Received too many demerits, and washed him out of the program a week before graduation (14:15) • Had a hearing before he was washed out, and his instructors came to his defense and he was reinstated (15:00) �• War • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Had to take all his check rides in three hours. If failed, he would be a glider pilot (17:00) Was made a pilot, but was also made to be an instructor in Basic flight school (17:15) Was very difficult to leave his training buddies to instruct (17:50) After instructor school, he was sent to Gardner Field, in California (18:40) Spent a year there (18:45) Good duty because he got to fly for half the day, then got the other half of the day off (19:20) Still wanted to fly fighter planes (19:50) Had to wait until he could volunteer to be assigned to a B-17 (21:20) Went to Montana to be trained for bombing runs and flying formation (22:05) War in Europe ended before he could get out of Montana (22:20) Flew bombers in to Kansas to be mothballed for the next few months (22:30) Was accepted in to B-29 school, lasting several months, in Hobbs, NM (22:50) Dropped the bomb on Japan before he could get out the program (23:15) Decided to use the GI Bill to go to Western Michigan University (24:00) Parents moved to Grand Haven, MI, which influenced his decision to go to Western (24:20) Majored in Accounting and minored in Mathematics in 1950 (24:45) Found it difficult to get a job after college, started a family in Kalamazoo (24:50) Stayed in the Air Force Reserves after he got out of the Air Force (25:20) Still got to do some flying in Canberra Bombers (25:40) Post Wartime • Was in the Reserves for a year and a half (26:15) • Continued flying through rental (26:30) • Had a friend that owned an airplane, so he would go flying with him (27:00) • Would fly wherever his company wanted to him to go (27:20) • Was, at one time, the youngest B-29 commander in the Air Force (27:45) • Received a job in accounting, retired in 1989 (28:30) • Keeps busy with several hobbies, including computers and woodworking (28:50) • Stopped flying around 60 years of age (29:00) • Took a trip to Europe, to Market Garden in eastern Belgium (30:25) • Saw a wall that was a mile long of air crew whose bodies were never found (30:55) • Realized how fortunate he was that he never had to face that (31:00) • Always wanted to fly a P-51, kids bought him a ride in one (31:15) � 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 BeukemaJ Title A name given to the resource Beukema, John T. (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beukema, John T. Description An account of the resource John Beukema was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 15th, 1924. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps during World War II, and was accepted as a pilot. After flight school, he was sent to be an instructor back at Basic flight school in Gardner Field, California for one year. He volunteered to be a B-17 pilot, but the war in Europe ended. He signed up to be a B-29 pilot, but the war in the Pacific ended, as well. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McCauslin, Kelly (Interviewer) Spring Area District Library (Spring Lake, Mich.) 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> 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 2008-07-19 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 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text 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/4123b9a22c2ae49537b1da0fc7deb276.jpg 4882be27d167325efaa93ed2c74c3ee2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e6b07f13d567c6314121cfb4fd074718.jpg 35806f8ac522dcbe379d2e867a9fd249 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 Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans 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-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl 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 RHC-144_Termaat_PHOT_1928-Schuurman-family-recto_img672 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beukema, Willem (photographer) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1928 Title A name given to the resource Schuurman family, 1928 Description An account of the resource Photograph of the Schuurman family. Left to right: Adriana B., Cornelis, L. Schuurman-Hennipman, Lisje Schuurman, Jacob N. and Nicolaas P. J. Schuurman. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Netherlands Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">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 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/54719c67ded5839f1fb1ac5a9b34afca.m4v f5d6815a83bb4bfbbe2a3b07a838eed8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0319198c314b2b4b58190e8db5730c6f.pdf dc2c41f16f840c4f3482f6e2571de484 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Joe Beyrle World War II 1 hour 25 seconds (00:00:27) Early Life -Born in Muskegon, Michigan on August 25, 1923 -Attended St. Joseph Catholic High School in Muskegon, Michigan -Attended Catholic schools for entire education and taught by Dominican nuns -Had a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame -Registered for college there -19 years old when he graduated from high school -Had been held back during elementary school because he couldn't speak English (00:01:28) Start of the War -Went to a pool hall called “The Hub” after church on December 7, 1941 -Heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the radio (00:01:57) Enlisting in the Army -Enlisted in the Army after coming home from registration at Notre Dame -Note: Mentioned later in the interview, enlisted on September 17, 1942 -Went to Camp Custer, Michigan -Heard a pitch about the paratroopers -Newly formed unit at the time -Decided to join the paratroopers -Approved to join the unit (00:02:57) Training at Camp Toccoa -Sent to Camp Toccoa, Georgia for the first part of training -Army sent psychiatrists to see why soldiers would willingly jump out of airplanes -95% of men joined because they wanted the extra $50 -The first 40 times he rode in an airplane, he jumped out of it -Colonel Robert Sink was his commander -Difficult training -Men usually washed out before getting to Fort Benning, Georgia -Even something as simple as falling behind in a run meant getting kicked out -Men that washed out were placed in W Company (“washed out” company) (00:04:43) Assignment to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment -Assigned to I Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division -Served with men from all over the United States -Received radio and demolitions training before joining the unit -Joined the 506th at Camp Mackall, North Carolina -Went on maneuvers in Tennessee -Moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina -Processed there to go overseas (00:05:58) Preparation for D-Day Pt. 1 -Sent to England and arrived there on September 17, 1943 -Exactly one year after he enlisted -Didn't know about the invasion of France until two days before the invasion -Saw a sand table indicating the planned drop zones for the paratroopers �-Note: A sand table is a 3D topographical map for planning purposes -Supposed to land five miles behind Utah Beach -Knew they would have to fight to reach the key bridges -Felt prepared to do the combat jump (00:08:20) Secret Missions in France -Called to the battalion headquarters -He was Technician 4th Grade-Radio Operator at the time -Commanding officer volunteered him for an OSS (predecessor to CIA) mission into occupied France -Briefed in Bournemouth, England by an OSS agent to prepare for the mission in France -Objective was to deliver gold to the French Resistance to fund their resistance efforts -Jumped into France on his own -Most of the Resistance fighters he encountered spoke English -Did two of these missions in France -Both missions were easy thanks to his training -Each mission lasted about two weeks -Moved from safe house to safe house -On one mission he rode on a horse -Ordered to shoot the horse if intercepted by a German patrol -Horse knew how to get to a French Resistance safe house -Flown back to Barmouth, England and then rejoined the 506th -His cover story was that he was visiting his “sick” brother stationed in northern England -Returned to the 506th in early May 1944 (00:14:37) Preparation for D-Day Pt. 2 -Did a few practice jumps in England -Similar terrain to France -Not allowed to make contact with the outside world (write letters, radio, etc.) -British civilians didn't ask any questions -There were 2,000 men in the 506th -Four companies per battalion -5,000 men had originally applied to the 506th -On his third practice jump they were told about the invasion of France -Shown the sand tables, given French francs, and a French-English phrase book -Didn't know the scope of D-Day -Didn't know about the involvement of the beach landings or the other airborne units (00:17:45) D-Day Pt. 1 -Left England out of Exeter late on June 5, 1944 -Landed in France on 1:30 a.m. on June 6 -There were 17 men per C-47 plane (known as a “stick”) -He was part of I Company headquarters unit -Fourth man to jump out of his plane -Jumped with I Company's commander -Objective was to land one mile from key bridges, regroup, and capture the bridges -Jumped five seconds too early -Landed on a church roof in the town of Saint-Come-du-Mont -Had he landed at the intended drop zone he probably would've been killed by artillery -Jumped at 400 feet -Took fire from German troops -Slid off the church roof and fell into a cemetery -Didn't get injured on the jump �-Taught to relax and tumble when he hit the ground -Once he reached the ground he cut himself out of his chute -Carried a 30 pound radio and 125 pounds of other weapons and gear -Thompson sub-machine gun, M1A1 carbine, a belt of .30 caliber ammo, and two rockets -Other paratrooper landed at the house across from the church -Original drop zone was a large field surrounded by hedgerows -Germans had artillery focused on the drop zone -Remembers a lot of noise from the gunfire -Moved out of the cemetery and got onto the railroad tracks -He was by himself and going the wrong way -Saw an electrical substation -Placed explosives on the generator and destroyed it -Improvised attack to help disrupt the Germans -Made his way toward Highway 13 -Ran into a hedgerow and decided to jump over it (00:27:45) Captured-The First Time -Jumped over the hedgerow and fell into a German machine gun nest manned by nine or ten Germans -Germans pointed their guns at him and took his weapons from him -Because he had a Thompson SMG they thought he was an officer -Note: Usually only officers carried the Thompson -Didn't know if he was going to be captured or executed -Taken to an underground headquarters in an orchard -Only gave his name, rank, and serial number as per the Geneva Convention -Female German intelligence officer knew his unit and the unit's details -Mad at him because he hadn't danced with her in England -She was a Nazi spy named Gretchen (00:31:06) Prisoner of War Pt. 1 -Note: He was captured a second time during D-Day -He was taken to an interrogation center and was beaten by regular German soldiers -Hadn't eaten for 15 days -Called a German officer a son of a bitch -Beaten so bad that he lost consciousness and woke up two days later in a hospital (00:32:29) Captured-The Second Time -Had been marched out of Saint-Come-du-Mont toward Carentan with other prisoners -Took artillery fire and got away from his German captors -Took a piece of shrapnel in his butt and two Americans lost their legs -Got separated from the other American soldiers and managed to jump into another German position -This time the German soldiers took his dog tags (00:35:19) Prisoner of War Pt. 2 -Marched to Carentan then to Saint-Lo, onto “Starvation Hill” - “Starvation Hill” was a monastery being used as a collection area for prisoners of war -From “Starvation Hill” he was sent to the interrogation center and then to the hospital after the beating -Once he recovered he was moved to Alencon to Chartres to Paris -Marched through Paris for German propaganda -French civilians were forced to throw garbage at the prisoners of war -Staged by Nazi officials, believes the civilians were held at gunpoint -Prodded with a bayonet to keep moving -Taken to a railroad station and they were loaded onto 40 & 8 boxcars -Note: 40 & 8 boxcars could carry 40 men or 8 horses �-50 prisoners were loaded onto these boxcars -Traveled for seven days and seven nights -Had to defecate in overflowing buckets -Train got strafed on the second day of travel -About a dozen men were killed and a dozen men were wounded -Treated the wounded as best as they could -Reached Lindberg, Germany -Greeted by German soldiers and guard dogs snapping at the prisoners of war -Registered as prisoners of war -Assigned a prisoner of war dog tag with ID #80123 -Deloused and showered -Remembers en route to Saint-Lo they were in unmarked trucks -Resulted in getting strafed by an American plane -A POW in his box car had jumped into an old latrine ditch and stunk -Aware of the genocide being carried out by the Nazis -Didn't know if the showers would produce water, or poison gas -Allowed to keep his American uniform (00:42:01) Prisoner at Stalag IV-B -Transferred to Stalag IV-B (prisoner-of-war camp) in Muhlberg, Germany -Highly organized prison camp -Remembers on September 17, 1944 learning about Operation Market Garden -German soldier told him the 101st Airborne Division dropped into Holland -Knew that France had been liberated (00:43:42) Prisoner at Stalag III-C Pt. 1 -Moved to Stalac III-C (another prisoner-of-war camp) in eastern Germany (now part of Poland) -He was part of the first group of American prisoners-of-war to arrive at the camp -Surrounded by barbed wire -24 men per barracks -Three-high bunk beds -Kept there from September-November 1944 (00:44:30) First Escape & Recaptured -Escaped from Stalag III-C in November 1944 -Started receiving Red Cross care packages once he reached Germany -Each package came with dehydrated food and five (to seven) cigarettes -He didn't smoke, so he collected every pack of cigarettes he received -Bribed a German guard with 40 packs of cigarettes to let him cut the wire -Had walked the camp line and befriended the guard -Learned that a pack of cigarettes on the black market cost equivalent of $50 -Escaped with two other prisoners -Jumped aboard a freight train and wound up in Berlin -Wanted to contact the German Resistance for help -Asked an older railroad worker for help and he refused -Asked another German worker who agreed to help him and the other prisoners -The German turned Joe and the other American prisoners over to the Gestapo -Held at Gestapo headquarters and beaten for two weeks -German Army officials threatened to kill the Gestapo officials to get back the POWs -POWs “belonged” to the military, not the police (00:48:32) Stalag III-C Pt. 2 -Returned to Stalag III-C and placed in solitary confinement for 30 days �-Bread and water diet -Red Cross came to inspect the camp and he was released from solitary confinement -German government didn't want any evidence they were abusing prisoners-of-war (00:49:37) Second Escape -In January 1945 he and a few other prisoners planned a second escape -Knew how the war was going and that the Nazi regime was nearing its end -Worked with a German “ferret” named Schultz -One prisoner faked a heart attack while Joe and another prisoner assisted him -Schultz escorted them to the edge of the camp then started a diversionary fight -Sneaked onto an old man's cart to get out of the camp -Germans realized the prisoners had escaped and sent out a search team with dogs -Two of the prisoners were killed, but he managed to get away from his pursuers (00:51:54) The Red Army -Traveled east for a week and came upon a farmhouse -Asked for food, but the family denied him for fear of retaliation from the Germans -Hid in the barn -Soviet forces camped at the farm and he observed them for a day before coming out -Identified himself as an American and asked to talk to an officer -Requested to fight with the Red Army, and the male officer denied his request -A female officer intervened and said Joe could fight with them -Rode on a Soviet tank across Germany for 30 days -Liberated his old prison camp with Soviet forces -Advanced toward Berlin and en route got attacked by German Stuka dive bombers -He was wounded and was sent to a Soviet hospital for recovery -Met Marshal Georgy Zhukov -Joe needed proof of his American citizenship, but lacked the paperwork -Marshal Zhukov got him the proper paperwork (00:55:53) Getting Back to the United States -Went to Warsaw, Poland to try and find an American embassy -City was destroyed and there was no embassy -Polish man took him to a convent run by the Sisters of St. Joseph -Spent four or five days there getting treated by the nuns -The Polish man visited him every day -Went to the Red Army headquarters in Warsaw and presented his paperwork from Marshal Zhukov -Requested transit to Moscow -Took two weeks to travel by train to Moscow -Taken to the American embassy in Moscow -Explained his situation to the American Marine major at the embassy -Told Joe that the Pentagon believed he'd been killed in action on June 10, 1944 -Meant that he couldn't stay in the embassy because he was “dead” -Moved to the Metropol Hotel in Moscow until the embassy could sort out his records -Once he was confirmed alive then he could return to the embassy -Flown to Odessa, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) and returned to the United States from there � 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_BeyrleJ0102V Title A name given to the resource Beyrle, Joseph R (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-11-01 Description An account of the resource Joey Beyrle was born on August 25, 1923 in Muskegon, Michigan. On September 17, 1942 he enlisted in the Army, applied for the paratroopers, and was approved for that unit. He trained at Camp Toccoa and Fort Benning, Georgia receiving Airborne Training and training with radios and demolitions. He joined I Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. He and the rest of the unit left the United States and went to England arriving there on September 17, 1943. He participated in two, secret OSS missions in occupied France prior to the invasion of France. On June 6, 1944 he parachuted into France and was subsequently captured by German forces, twice. He was interred at Stalag IV-B then at Stalag III-C where he escaped. He was recaptured in Berlin and returned to Stalag III-C. He escaped again and linked up with the Red Army. He traveled with them for 30 days before getting wounded. Once he recovered he went to the American embassy in Moscow and returned to the United States by way of Odessa. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beyrle, Joseph R. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/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 video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1d5e7b46105a4669616d830b5c0d0b0a.pdf 3233eee38f82f218a83d83adb2e9b5b8 PDF Text 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 Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) 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 </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 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-03 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 it la nl de 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/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones [folium 23] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_023Biel1499 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Biel, Gabriel Description An account of the resource One leaf of Sermones by Gabriel Biel and edited by Wendelin Steinbach. Printed in Tübingen by Johann Otmar for Fredrich Meynberger in 1499-1500. [GW 4340; ISTC ib00662000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tübingen: Johann Otmar Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Sermons Biel, Gabriel, d. 1495 Language A language of the resource la 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 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1499/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Steinbach, Wendelin (editor) Type The nature or genre of the resource Text