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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1381. Dick Rossi interview (video and transcript, 1 of 6), 1991

Notes:: Interview of John Richard "Dick" Rossi by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dick Rossi served in the American Volunteer Group (AVG) as a Flight Leader for the 1st Squadron, "Adam and Eves." He joined the AVG in 1941 after being discharged from service in the US Navy, where he had been assigned as a flight instructor at Pensacola Naval Air Station. He arrived in Burma in November 1941 and began training on the P-40 airplanes, but had not yet completed his training when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Though officially attached to the 1st Squadron, he was also temporarily assigned to both the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons. In this tape, Rossi discusses his time instructing in the Navy prior to being recruited with the American Volunteer Group, in addition to their journey overseas from San Francisco aboard the Boschfontein.
Date Created:: 1991-02-06T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries

1382. Christian, David (Interview transcript and video), 2010

Notes:: David Christian was born in 1946 in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. After completing high school there in 194, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After training in California, David was sent to Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1965. David's first tour was spent at Chu Lai and fixing aircraft at Marble Mountain Air Facility. After returning home and marrying his wife, David reenlisted for a second tour. David was promoted to sergeant and repaired aircraft at Chu Lai until 1970. David also worked at Iwakuni Marine Corps Base for the remaining 6 months of his second tour. David returned to the United States in 1970 where he worked at Camp Lejeune and as a Drill Instructor on Parris Island.
Date Created:: 2010-07-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1383. Kiekintveld, Gregory (Interview outline and video), 2012

Notes:: Greg Kiekintveld was born in Holland, Michigan in May 1949. After graduating from high school in 1968, he worked in construction until he was drafted into the Army in March, 1969. Following basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Army sent Kiekintveld to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for advanced training to be a combat engineer. Once Kiekintveld completed the training at Fort Leonard Wood, Kiekintveld deployed to Vietnam and joined B Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. While with the 326th Engineers, Kiekintveld had two primary assignments. First, he oversaw a small team tasked with creating landing zones in advance of an assault by infantry from other units in the 101st Airborne. Second, as part of a larger unit, either platoon- or company-sized he helped with construction and demolition of hilltop firebases for the division. His unit was based at Camp Evans, and operated in the hills and valleys of the northern part of South Vietnam.
Date Created:: 2012-03-06T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1384. Lust, Alan John (Interview outline and video), 2005

Notes:: Al Lust was born in Ohio in 1950 and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1971. Al served in Germany, Thailand, and Korea. While in Thailand, Al worked on flight missions against the Viet Cong. Al stated that he was mortared and shot at many times but never experienced any heavy combat. After his time in the Air Force, Al worked on a mission dealing with the homeless for 16 years. He also was a rescue mission chaplain and a substance abuse counselor.
Date Created:: 2005-05-24T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1385. Martinez, Baltazar (Interview outline and video), 2014

Notes:: Baltazar Martinez was born in Plainview, Texas, in 1952. He was one of the last people to be drafted into the Army in 1972. He trained as an armored cavalryman and was deployed to Vietnam toward the end of the year, but stayed only a few days before being sent home. He re-enlisted twice, and served in Korea and in different bases in the US until 1981. He subsequently served in the Marine Corps for three years, and then later joined the Army National Guard, and deployed to Kuwait, and Iraq in 2010. He currently serves with the 507th Engineer Battalion, but did not deploy with them to Afghanistan in 2011 due to his age.
Date Created:: 2014-03-08T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1386. Pogodzinski, Bryan (Interview outline and video), 2015

Notes:: Bryan Pogodzinski was born on September 15th 1964. He was active in the military during the Cold War as well as the Iraq War and served as a Master Sargent in the Air Force. During the Cold War he was stationed at Dyess Air Force base where the B1 Bomber was introduced. Later he was part of Operation Desert Shield in Iraq. There he worked for the 555th Military Police Company dealing with security risks. After leaving the military he focused on education and is soon to complete his PhD.
Date Created:: 2015-05-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1387. Everitt, Lawrence Jerry (Interview outline and video), 2016

Notes:: Jerry Everitt was born in Big Rapids, Michigan on April 5, 1927. He enlisted in the Navy on March 20, 1945 and received his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. He served aboard the USS LST-457 in the Philippines, Japan and the Admiralty Islands then transferred to the USS San Clemente (AG-79) around the Philippines and in Shanghai, China. They returned to the U.S. on the San Clemente and was discharged in Chicago on June 5, 1946. He reenlisted in the Navy on August 22, 1947 and went to Electrician School in San Diego. He served on the USS Molala (ATF-106) in the Philippines and in Hong Kong. After towing a dry dock back to the United States from Guam he was discharged from the Navy for his second, and final time on March 23, 1950 at Long Beach, California.
Date Created:: 2016-03-03T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1388. Newman, Peter (Interview outline and video), 2014

Notes:: Peter Newman is a major in the Michigan National Guard and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. He was born in Mount Prospect, Illinois, in 1980 and grew up in Michigan. He took ROTC training in college and was commissioned in the Army in 2002. He trained as an infantry officer at Fort Benning, Georgia for infantry officer basic training and then served with 82nd Airborne Division, the 11th Infantry Regiment, the 10th Signal Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division and finally the 1/32nd Infantry Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division as the S6 (communications) officer for Bravo Company. In January 2006 the 1/32nd Infantry Battalion was deployed to Afghanistan. They operated in the Jalalabad area and took part in Operation Mountain Lion establishing the combat outposts of Restrepo, Michigan, and California. After a sixteen month tour he and his unit returned home in June 2007. Left the service briefly, then joined the Michigan National Guard. He taught ROTC courses before going full time in the Guard in April 2009. He helped build the 507th Engineers Battalion from scratch and deployed with them to Afghanistan in May 2012 operating in the south/southwestern portion of the country. In March 2013 the 507th returned home.
Date Created:: 2014-09-27T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1389. Coryell, David (Interview outline and video), 2008

Notes:: David Coryell was born on March 19, 1930 in Kansas. He joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 1947 and graduated from high school in 1948. He began going to college shortly after graduation, but was sent to Louisiana for training when the Oklahoma National Guard became federalized. David later was sent to the northern part of Japan for further training, but later found that he had been in service long enough and was not legally required to serve overseas. David returned back to the US and finished college, began working as an electrical engineer, and later as a farmer in Kansas.
Date Created:: 2008-10-18T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

1390. DyKgraaf, Eric (Interview outline and video), 2005

Notes:: Eric J. DyKgraaf is a recent Iraqi War veteran who served in the U.S. Navy as an E-5 from May 2000 to May 2005. In this account, DyKgraaf discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and training, and active duty abroad. Among the interesting things DyKgraaf highlights is his naval experiences and expertise while stationed in and around the Persian Gulf, aboard ship, or stops along the way.
Date Created:: 2005-05-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

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