Veterans History Project
1714 items
- Notes:
- Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 25, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 26, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing the news of his parents' new house and their upcoming move, in addition to the news of their friend Roy's upcoming wedding in England.
- Date Created:
- 1944-02-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Fred Burgess is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Navy from June 23, 1944 to May 16, 1946. During the course of the interview he discusses in great detail his pre-enlistment, enlistment/basic training experience, and active duty in the South Pacific fighting against the Japanese. He describes in vivid detail the fighting on New Caledonia, Ulithe, Okinawa, in the Philippines, Saipan, and the suicide bomber attacks on the USS Franklin. He further goes into some detail about what the occupation of Japan was like. Burgess concludes by discussing what he got out of his military service.
- Date Created:
- 2005-03-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William Donner is a native of Northern Michigan. Donner worked in agriculture until the Korean War, at which time he entered the United States Army and was trained in medical evacuation. He describes his experiences as a GI on the Korean peninsula and the Japanese home islands. Donner discusses venereal disease and interactions with the natives. Donner converted to Catholicism while in Korea. He returned to agriculture after release from sevice.
- Date Created:
- 2007-08-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Nick Marrone was born in Italy in 1924 and came to the United States in 1929. He was drafted into the army, and was assigned to the Army Air Corps as a mechanic. He served with the 13th Air Force in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945. H was a crew chief in the 12th Fighter Squadron, which was based on Guadalcanal and New Guinea.
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Beatrice McLogan was a World War II veteran who served in the Navy WAVES from 1944 to 1945. In this account, McLogan discusses her family life, her enlistment and training, and her work in the code office in Washington D.C.
- Date Created:
- 2007-10-31T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tony Urbon was born in Michigan in 1917 and drafted into the army in April 1941. He was sent to train with the 32nd Division, which included the National Guard regiment from his area. He was a musician and served with the division's band. His division went to Australia in 1942, and then to New Guinea. During the Buna campaign, the band members worked on transport aircraft delivering supplies to the combat units and ferrying back dead and wounded soldiers. After Buna, they returned to Australia, and then went back to New Guinea and to the Philippines.
- Date Created:
- 2011-02-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Norman Spring served in the US Army during the Korean War. He enlisted in 1951, and spent much of his time as an MP, first in Japan and then in Korea, before persuading his superiors to assign him to a combat unit. In Japan, he served as a prison guard and dealt with both American servicemen who had committed crimes while overseas and with Japanese war criminals from World War II. In Korea, he eventually joined the 31st Infantry Division and was involved in fighting near Pork Chop Hill. Normans fifty anniversary speech appended to outline.
- Date Created:
- 2008-01-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Gordon Siggins was born in Highland Park, Michigan in 1925. Prior to serving he worked at the Willow Run Bomber Plant outside of Detroit from summer 1942 to summer 1943. He registered for the draft when he turned 18 and joined the Marine Corps. He took basic training in San Diego which began in October 1943. Upon completion of basic training he joined the Marine Raiders and trained at Camp Elliot, California. On February 28, 1944 he deployed to the Pacific Theater with the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and trained at New Caledonia for a month. The Raiders were disbanded and he was assigned to C Battery of the 11th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. He took part in the invasion and battle of Peleliu from September 15, 1944 to November 27, 1944. After resting on Puvavu and training on Guadalcanal he took part in the invasion of Okinawa and the battle for that island from April 1, 1945 to June 22, 1945. After Japan surrendered in August 1945 he went to Tientsin, China in September 1945. From China he returned to the United States, landing in San Diego, California on February 27, 1946. Shortly after getting back to the U.S. he was discharged from the Marines.
- Date Created:
- 2016-02-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 20, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 23, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and reaches a personal record for longest letter that reaches eight pages in length. In those pages, he covers various subjects such as the war in Africa ending and how he spent Easter Sunday in a fox hole.
- Date Created:
- 1943-05-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Joe Connelly was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1949, and was drafted into the Army in 1969. After basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and infantry training at Fort Ord, California, he was sent to Vietnam in January, 1970, and assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based at Camp Evans. His unit did routine patrols near the coast until the monsoon lifted, and in May they started operating in the mountains, and his company took heavy losses at LZ Maureen. After taking replacements, they returned to the field and participated in fighting near Firebase Ripcord in July, and helped to re-establish Firebase Kathryn. Connelly was wounded in action and sent first to Japan and then back to the US to recover, and completed his enlistment as a truck driver.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)