Oral Histories 1857 items

Wide-ranging oral histories from Grand Valley, Capital Area District Library, and Michigan State that capture the perspective of citizens and veterans across the state.

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1351. Cavner, Harold L. (Interview outline and video), 2004

Notes:: Harold Cavner joined the US Marine Corps in 1943. He was on Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa, and was one of the occupation troops in Nagasaki after the war, after the atomic bomb had been dropped there. Back in the United States, he attended Grand Rapids Junior College (now GRCC) and Michigan State University. His career was in the retail and wholesale lumber business.
Date Created:: 2004-12-10T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1352. Koetje, Bill (Interview outline and video), 2010

Notes:: Bill Koetje served in the Army during World War II. He was drafted in 1942 and initially trained as a paratrooper, but was not yet 21 and was transferred to an infantry unit, where he did well enough to stay on as a trainer rather than ship out with his unit. He was then assigned to Fort Meade, Maryland, to supervise recruits who were about to be sent overseas. He finally shipped out himself in the fall of 1944, and was assigned to the 100th Division in northeastern France. He led a machine gun section and was involved in heavy fighting against German fortifications, and was wounded and evacuated. The aid station that he was sent to was bombed, and he was sent to England. He rejoined his unit in the spring of 1945, and served with the Army of Occupation in Germany until the end of the year.
Date Created:: 2010-04-26T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1353. Kraai, Bernard (Interview outline and video), 2008

Notes:: Bernard Kraai was drafted into the US Army in 1944, and served in Europe with the 80th Division in late 1944 and 1945. His unit participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the advance into Germany. He was wounded twice, but rejoined his unit each time, and at the end of the war his unit marched into Austria, to the Yugoslav frontier, and eventually into Czechoslovakia. After the war ended, he joined a choir recruited from his unit and toured the region with them until he was discharged.
Date Created:: 2008-06-30T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1354. Southerland, Bradford (Interview outline and video), 2007

Notes:: Bradford Sutherland is an Air Force veteran who entered the military after completing two years at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI as an art student. His introduction to the military was through an officer's training course that was required by the university, causing him to take an interest in having a career with the Air Force. He spent his time in the US Air Force at bases in Texas, Washington, and in England. In this interview, Sutherland describes his experiences in the service, including the time that he spent traveling throughout Europe. Sutherland also describes many of the hardships that veterans endure once their time in the service has expired.
Date Created:: 2007-06-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1355. Warner, Frank (Interview outline, video, and papers), 2005

Notes:: Frank Warner was born in Michigan in 1918 and attended college at Michigan State University before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Frank was sent to a different training base in the United States every 9 weeks before flying to Europe, where he flew combat missions from bases in Italy. Frank trained with B-24s because they could carry quite a few more bombs than the older planes. Frank stated that there was a very high mortality rate for the type of missions he had worked on and that a psychologist had to stay with the men to help their mental health. Frank has many stories from flying over Europe that includes being shot at and planes exploding. Military documents appended to interview outline.
Date Created:: 2005-09-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1356. Womer, William (Interview outline and video), 2011

Notes:: William Womer, born in 1941 in Niles Michigan, served in the U.S. Army for 26.5 years. During his service, William was stationed in both Germany as well as in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968 where he organized ambushes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. William had the honor of being selected as the 4th Army NCO of the year and spent the later part of his service stateside training solders.
Date Created:: 2011-11-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1357. Schipper, Clarence J (Interview outline and video), 2016

Notes:: Clarence Schipper was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 29, 1924. He registered for the draft in January 1942 and reported for duty in January 1943. He received basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey then went to Myakka River State Park, Florida and Drew Army Air Field, Florida for Jungle Training and Radar Operator Training (respectively). In late 1943 he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was stationed in England from January 1944 to June 1944 where he trained with Company B of the 573rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion. He was reassigned to the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion and went over to France, after D-Day, in June 1944. His unit was technically part of the Ninth Air Force, but followed the advance of the 2nd Armored Division through Europe. He passed through France, was in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, and took part in the advance through Germany. After Germany's surrender he helped disarm the German population and watch over German prisoners of war. In October 1945 he went to Marseilles and returned to the United States.
Date Created:: 2016-02-18T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1358. J. J. Harrington interview (video and transcript, 1 of 14), 1991

Notes:: Interview of J. J. Harrington by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Harrington served in the AVG as Line Chief in the 1st Squadron "Adam and Eve." After experiencing some confusion with his recruitment for AVG and discharge from the U.S. Army Air Forces, he traveled to Rangoon, Burma where he was met by Col. Chennault. He was stationed in Rangoon and Toungoo, Burma and Kunming, China. In this tape, Harrington describes his time working at Moffett Field in California where he converted P-36 fighter planes to P-40's. He also goes into detail on the difficulties pilots experienced at the time and the difficulties he experienced repairing the airplanes in addition to how Lieutenant Merritt and Lieutenant Mangleburg became the first pilots to join the American Volunteer Group.
Date Created:: 1991-06-10T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries

1359. Cole, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2008

Notes:: Jack Cole was born on August 23, 1948. He joined the Army as a light vehicle driver and drove trucks in a convoy that traveled and brought supplies to the battle at Dac Tho. Jack occasionally drove the gun trucks while traveling in the convoy. While in Viet Nam, Jack was injured.
Date Created:: 2008-05-22T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1360. Ken Jernstedt interview (video and transcript, 1 of 6), 1991

Notes:: Interview of Ken Jernsted by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. After resigning his officer's commission with the US Marine Air Corps, Ken Jerstedt joined a large group of volunteers leaving San Francisco under the cover of the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Co. to join the AVG in 1941. He served in the Third Squadron "Hells Angels" as Flight Leader and had more than 10 victories against the Japanese. In this tape, Jernstedt describes what he was doing prior to joining the American Volunteer Group and the first time he heard of the opportunity in China. He also describes the empathy he had for the Chinese people that influenced his involvement in the AVG and the experience of traveling across the ocean to his new destination.
Date Created:: 1991-02-22T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries

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