Veenstra, Gilford (Interview transcript and video), 2017

Notes:

Gilford Veenstra was born in 1926, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he grew up. He enlisted in the United States Navy after his graduation from high school in June of 1944 with several of his classmates. He received basic training at Great Lakes, which is north of Chicago, Illinois. He received diesel training in Richmond, Virginia. In the spring of 1945, he was deployed to a small boat pool in the Philippines. During his first assignment, he spent time as a mechanic and earned his first stripe by fixing his Commander's personal boat. The boat pool in which he was assigned to was destroyed in an accidental explosion, which prompted his second assignment at Sangley Point, on Manila Bay, where he also served as a boat mechanic. To conclude his time in the Navy, Gilford Veenstra served temporary duty in Tacloban, where he was working when Japan surrendered. He was discharged and left the Philippines in the spring of 1946.

Date Created:

2017-06-19T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Grand Valley State University. University Libraries

Collection:

Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Subject Topic:

Oral history, Veterans History Project (U.S.), United States--History, Military, Veterans, Video recordings, and World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American

Rights:

<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>

URL:

https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/document/41189