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.
Richard was born in Holland, Michigan on August 21, 1917. He was drafted into the Army in 1942. He was sent to aviation mechanics school and specialized in propellers. He was stationed at Love Field in Dallas, Texas as a part of the 5th Ferries Command to the 62nd Ferry Squadron. Shortly after arriving however, he was attached to the guard squadron and eventually was transferred to the 1208th Military Police Company in New Orleans, Louisiana. Richard was sent to Brazil where he worked as base security in Natal. He remained there until his service ended in 1945.
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Ernie Kaufman grew up in Lowell, Michigan, and was drafted into the army in 1946. He trained in Texas and Mississippi, and was then shipped to Guam. He did construction work on bases there, and then transferred to Air/Sea Rescue, where he worked in the message headquarters section. He was discharged in 1948.
Date Created:
2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Elaine Kines was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1954. She graduated from high school in 1972, and continued on to become a college student and full time employee at the local Meijer warehouse. Unable to maintain her employment and schooling, she decided to join the Air Force. After passing her testing and physical examinations in Detroit, she was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training. She received her orders after the six-week basic training, and reported to Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois where she worked in maintenance for weather equipment repair and weather observation. She was able to evade her first assignment to Minot, North Dakota by gaining a join spouse agreement. This agreement allowed her to be re-assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina where she worked for over three years. She remembers both the hardships and benefits of being a woman in the service and left the Air Force once her husband was discharged.
Date Created:
2012-04-11T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Myron Teegardin was born in 1943. He grew up in San Diego, California where he completed high school. Not long after graduation, he enlisted in the Army. He initially trained as an engineer, but then went to Fort Benning, Georgia, for jump school, and stayed on there as an instructor. He was then sent to Korea to join the 7th Infantry Division. His unit was close the DMZ, and there were periodic clashes with small groups of North Korean infiltrators. He returned to the US late in 1963, and completed his enlistment working as a recruiter in Chicago.
Date Created:
2011-05-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Scholz was born in 1918 in Quincy Illinois. Before Pearl Harbor he worked as a civilian for the Navy as an offset printer in Washington D.C. He was drafted after Pearl Harbor happened and did his basic and job training at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri. Robert became a combat engineer in the 13th Engineer Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division. Robert and his unit left on a train to Camp Stoneman in California and from there they departed to New Hebrides via ship for refueling. From there they went to New Caledonia and finally arrived at Leyte, Philippines. His unit later took part in the initial landings on Okinawa, and after the war went to Korea before returning home.
Date Created:
2014-03-20T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
James Vonk of Grand Rapids, Michigan, left college in the late 1980s to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was sent to Okinawa, and was based there at the time of Desert Storm. His company was scheduled to go to Iraq, but the ground war ended so quickly that they did not have to go. Instead, they spent several months at Subic Bay in the Philippines, and then returned to Okinawa.
Date Created:
2010-06-03T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Mel Bajema was born in England in 1946. His father was in the Army Air Corps (later the Air Force once it became its own branch) and his mother was an English "war-bride." His family soon moved to the US and settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After high school, Mel enlisted in the Air Force, and served between 1964 and 1968. He trained in supply, and served between 1965 and 1967 at Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama, and then requested assignment to Southeast Asia. He went to South Vietnam and was based at Da Nang, where he eventually switched from supply to ground control work. While there, he witnessed the attack on the base during the Tet Offensive.
Date Created:
2014-06-26T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Dr. Larry Robson is a Vietnam War veteran who was born on June 27, 1937 in Almont, Michigan. He attended Albion College and the University of Michigan completing surgical training in 1968. He enlisted in the Navy in June 1968 to fulfill his commitment to the military. He was first stationed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas for five months until he received orders to go to Vietnam. He was trained at Camp Pendleton and was then deployed to Vietnam where he joined the 3rd Medical Battalion with the 3rd Marines Division at Quang Tri. He served as a surgeon for a year first with the Marines then with the Army when the 101st Airborne Division replaced the Marines. After Vietnam he was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Hospital at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for the last six months of his service.
Date Created:
2014-11-08T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Doug Voss was born on March 1, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, but he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1963. He was in the High Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and he enlisted in the Army in June 1968. He went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for basic training then went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for mechanic training. In November 1968, he was deployed to South Korea where he served with Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. They operated on and inside the Demilitarized Zone, carrying out patrols and guarding the DMZ from North Korean intruders. During his time in South Korea he witnessed the release of the USS Pueblo's crew from North Korean custody. He left South Korea in December 1969 and went to West Germany for a tour in Schweinfurt with the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. After his tour in West Germany he was discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in 1971.
Date Created:
2016-09-08T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Phillip "PG" Walter grew up in downtown Saugatuck. This interview covers his memories of childhood, work experiences, and the burning of the Big Pavilion in 1960.
Date Created:
2018-06-02T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke discusses how he received his nickname running truck convoys up and down the Burma Road, in addition to his sense of pride and accomplishment as a Flying Tiger.
Date Created:
1991-02-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Philip Saladin was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1982. He was attending college during the attacks on 9/11 and eventially joined the Army National Guard in 2005. While in Basic Training, he decided that he wanted to go on active duty, and was sent to Baumholder, Germany, where he joined the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division as part of the Battalion Headquarters S3 (Operations) staff. When it was deployed to Iraq, his unit operated out of combat operations post Capper, conducting patrols and raids targeting Al Qaeda leaders. His unit eventually returned to Germany, and Saladin was reassigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, in the 1st Cavalry Division. In 2011, his new unit was redeployed to Iraq where it conducted armored patrols and worked with Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. Saladin suffered a traumatic brain injury when his truck hit an IED, but was able to remain with his unit and return with them to Fort Hood after the deployment. He was finally discharged in 2014.
Date Created:
2019-02-12T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Roosevelt Burch was born on July 24, 1937 in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. He went to school in Mississippi until he was 9 years old and then moved to Chicago to live with his father for a while. Roosevelt later moved to his mothers' new house in Detroit and graduated from Central high school. After high school Roosevelt attended classes at Michigan State University for about 6 months where he studied Spanish. Roosevelt enlisted in the Air Force in 1960 and went through training in Texas. He was only in the Air Force for 8 months before being discharged.
Date Created:
2007-03-19T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
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.
Date Created:
2009-05-03T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Meldon Pitt was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 23, 1924. He graduated from Kelloggsville High School in 1942 and then went into the Army. Mel went through diesel mechanics school and then was sent to England. In England he taught people how to seal jeeps so they could go into the water when they were sent to France. Mel was transferred to an infantry company when he got to France and he fought at the Battle of the Bulge. After the Bulge he was sent back to the ordinance company and became a welder. Mel received a battle star for fighting at the Bulge and a purple heart.
Date Created:
2008-08-21T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Dick Hollebeek was born Iowa in 1924 but moved to Washington during his youth. He enlisted in the Army in March 1943 and was sent to Camp White Oregon for basic training. Dick became part of the 216th Salvage Repair Company, and his particular focus dealt with patching clothing, tents, and sewing material. When the time came he shipped out from Camp Shanks New York on the Queen Elizabeth. In England he would spend time at Seaforth Barracks near Liverpool, and witnessed a number of air raids. After D-Day his Company traveled to Utah beach in France where he was a rifle grenadier. After a grueling march they spent an extended time in Vivier Belgium, and later Gistoux. Finally their Company made it to Aachen Germany, and all the way to Hersfeld where the European portion of the War was called to a close. This included Buchenwald concentration camp as well. Post-war, Dick was eventually sent to Camp Boston in France where he waited to be sent home. After returning to the US, Dick was discharged from Camp Atturbury and stayed in Grand Rapids as his family had moved there to Michigan.
Date Created:
2015-09-17T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Claude Bryant "Skip" Adair by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Skip Adair trained as a pilot and was recruited by Col. Claire Lee Chennault in 1938 to serve as an instructor for the Chinese Air Force. During the months leading to the formation of the AVG, he toured Army Air Corps bases recruiting pilots and ground personnel in secrecy for the AVG. As part of the AVG Headquarters Staff, Adair acted as the Operations and Supply Group Executive Officer. In this tape, Adair describes the early days working with General Chennault in Kunming, China and the early discussions of the American Volunteer Group and their recruitment efforts.
Date Created:
1991-06-06T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Charlie Bond by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Charles R. "Charlie" Bond was Vice Squadron Leader of the First Pursuit Squadron "Adam and Eves" of the American Volunteer Group (AVG). Recruited by Skip Adair in 1941, he was inspired by photos of shark-mouthed Tomahawks of No. 112 Sqadron, RAF. He was the first to paint his P-40 in similar markings, setting the precedent for what became the trademark of the Flying Tigers. He shot down six Japanese fighters and one bomber. After the AVG disbanded, he rejoined the US Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics to train new fighter pilots. In this tape, Bond describes his meeting with General Stilwell in Kunming and the time when a group of AVG pilots known as the "seven wild men" picked up replacement P-40 airplanes in Karachi.
Date Created:
1991-02-23T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview with Robert M. Smith by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Smith served in the American Volunteer Group (AVG) as a Communications Specialist. In this tape, Smith discusses his reactions to the airplane radios of the AVG, the news of Pearl Harbor, and traveling up the Burma Road.
Date Created:
1991-04-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Bob Loper was born in 1924 in Central Lake, Michigan. He grew up in various locations in Michigan until his family settled down in Muskegon, Michigan. He was drafted in 1943 and was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training. From there he was sent to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia where he was transferred from the infantry to a glider infantry airborne unit, specifically the 667th Anti-Aircraft Airborne Machine Gun Battery. He was sent overseas and reached Oran, Algeria by December 1943 and received further training there and then sailed for the China-Burma-India Theatre. He received radio training near Calcutta, India and was then sent into Burma. He and his unit traveled from base to base setting up machine gun positions to protect airstrips used by the 10th Air Force from Japanese air and land forces. When the war was over he was sent back to India and then took a ship back to the United States and was discharged in December 1945.
Date Created:
2015-04-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Leonhard Grams was born on May 20, 1920, in Adamow, Poland. After war broke out in 1939, his family moved to German-occupied Poland because they were ethnic Germans. On February 2, 1941, he was drafted into the Luftwaffe and served at Tempelhof-Berlin Field in Berlin. He served as part of an antiaircraft crew and witnessed multiple bombings of Berlin. He was sent to the Russian front in 1942, and was later wounded and sent to a hospital in Austria, went back into the army and was taken prisoner by the French at the end of the war.
Date Created:
2017-01-10T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Dale Lancaster was born in Wyoming, Michigan on June 6, 1931. After graduating from college with a degree in social studies and getting married in 1954, he was drafted in December of that year. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and engineering training. Upon completing those twelve weeks of training he volunteered for a deployment in Europe. He was assigned to a duty station in West Germany, and after reporting for duty in Heidelberg, he was sent to Karlsruhe to work with the U.S. Army Historical Division due to his college education in history. His primary duty there was to work with former German generals to prepare a strategy to deal with the Soviet Union in case it ever attacked Western Europe. In November 1956 he left West Germany and was discharged from the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York.
Date Created:
2015-02-12T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Lambert Struble is a World War II veteran who was born in Muir, Michigan in 1925. He grew up there and in 1943 he was drafted into the Army and was inducted at Camp Grant, Illinois. He received heavy weapons training at Camp Wolters, Texas and then later at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In October 1944 he was sent over to Europe out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and was stationed in Covington, England during that winter. In early 1945 he was sent over to mainland Europe where he joined D Company 1st Battalion 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division. He participated in the advance through Belgium, and then the final push into Germany. After the war he was part of the American occupying force in northern Germany, and then in southern Germany until August 1946 when he was sent home and was discharged out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Date Created:
2014-12-15T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Claude Bryant "Skip" Adair by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Skip Adair trained as a pilot and was recruited by Col. Claire Lee Chennault in 1938 to serve as an instructor for the Chinese Air Force. During the months leading to the formation of the AVG, he toured Army Air Corps bases recruiting pilots and ground personnel in secrecy for the AVG. As part of the AVG Headquarters Staff, Adair acted as the Operations and Supply Group Executive Officer. In this tape, Adair describes the reaction to the AVG's first combat with the Japanese pilots after the bombing in Kunming, in addition to the final days of the AVG and the arrival of the American military.
Date Created:
1991-06-06T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke describes what it was like working so closely with General Chennault and the effect he had on those around him.
Date Created:
1991-02-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton describes his experiences leading up to the journey overseas, the initial meetings with CAMCO, and traveling aboard the Boschfontein as they headed to Rangoon.
Date Created:
1991-05-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Arnold De Loof grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War. After training, he was sent to Alaska and Korea, where he did supply work and eventually became a fireman.
Date Created:
2007-05-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Richard Keberle was born in Ohio during the beginning of the Depression. His family did not have very much money and he joined the National Guard in eleventh grade. After graduating from high school, Richard spent more of his time in the Air National Guard, which eventually became part of the Air Force, serving between 1949 and 1954. Richard remembers the changes that took place while the Air Force was being created. Keberle served as a clerk and did not fight in the Korean War.
Date Created:
2007-05-15T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Machiele was drafted into the US Army in 1966 and served with a road construction unit first in Virginia and then in Vietnam. He was in Vietnam in 1967-1968, where he was not involved in combat, but saw a good deal of destruction.
Date Created:
2008-05-16T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Theobald Metzger was born in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1936. He describes his memories from his childhood in the Netherlands during WW II. His father spent most of the war in hiding and worked with the underground. He discusses food shortages, the conduct of German soldiers, and popular attitudes toward the Germans.
Date Created:
2006-04-04T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
After returning from Vietnam in 1969, Ron Oakes married, earned a degree in electronics and traveled around the Midwest working. Eventually, he and his family moved back to Michigan, where Oakes joined the National Guard. As part of the Guard, Oakes helped provide security for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and deployed to Iraq in 2005 for eleven months. While in Iraq, Oakes performed a variety of jobs, including being a property book manager for his entire brigade stationed at FOB "Q-West", a former Iraqi Air Force base between Balad and Mosul. After the eleven-month deployment, Oakes returned to the United States with the rest of his unit and continued serving in the Guard until March 2009, when he retired at the age of sixty.
Date Created:
2010-06-15T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Justin Pelham was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 23, 1983. After high school he was not really sure as to what he wanted to do with his life, so he decided to join the Army National Guard in February of 2005. Justin was allowed to return home after training, but called up to serve in Iraq in May 2006. In Iraq, Justin drove Heavy Equipment Transporters, but was injured by a road side bomb. After his injury Justin went through a few different hospitals in Iraq and eventually ended up at Walter Reed.
Date Created:
2008-09-08T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Gordon Potter enlisted into the Naval Reserve the summer of 1955. He trained in Great Lakes, Illinois and was assigned to Alameda Naval Air Station afterwards to do clerical work. His main job was managing fuel use for Bravo Allotment until he was transferred to San Diego where he continued doing clerical work.
Date Created:
2008-09-23T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Eugene Shoemaker was born in Byron Center, Michigan in 1927 and was drafted into the in 1945. He was sent to many different states and took many tests before they could decide what they would be doing with him. In November of 1945, Eugene was flown to Iceland, without having any training at all. He had learned how to type in high school and they needed typists at the base, which was used or refueling aircraft to and from Europe. Eugene worked in Iceland thought August of 1946 and learned a lot from his experience in the service, but would not recommend it to anyone.
Date Created:
2009-11-24T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Adrian Sytsma grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was drafted into the Army in 1943. Because he already had some technical training and work experience, he was assigned to the Army Air Corps to be a mechanic. After initially training on B-17s, he eventually was retrained for B-29s, and finally sent to Guam in April, 1945. He serviced aircraft conducting missions to Okinawa and Japan in the last months of the war, and remained on Guam until March, 1946.
Date Created:
2010-11-09T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Betsy Jochum was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1921. She grew up playing ball with neighborhood kids, and was playing in a local women's softball league in 1943 when she was recruited to play in the All American league during its first season. She played until 1948 with the South Bend Blue Sox, and went on the league's spring training trip to Cuba. She later became a physical education teacher, and donated her glove and uniform to the Smithsonian.
Date Created:
2010-08-04T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Maurice Lehmann was born on March 23, 1924 in Chicago. In March 1943 he was drafted and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois then went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. He was accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program and went to Ohio State University and Muskingum College for ASTP. After graduating from ASTP he was reassigned to the infantry and received infantry training at Camp Swift, Texas. He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division to serve as a rifleman and a scout. In September 1944 he sailed out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and arrived in Cherbourg, France on September 23, 1944. After further training in France they entered combat in early November 1944. He saw fighting during the Battle of the Bulge then advanced into Germany. He crossed the Rhine River in April 1945 and fought with the 102nd Infantry Division up to the Elbe River and made contact with Soviet troops. At the end of the war he was present for the discovery of the atrocity at Gardelegen. After the war he trained for the invasion of Japan in Tangermunde, then with Japan's surrender he was stationed at Camp Chesterfield, France and studied at Shrivenham American University in England. In March 1946 he returned to the U.S. and was discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
Date Created:
2015-08-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Wayne Skaggs was born in Stidham, Oklahoma, in 1949. He was drafted in February 1969 and sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for basic training then advanced infantry training. In July 1969 he was deployed to Vietnam and arrived on July 11. He was assigned to Delta Company of 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Evans. For the duration of his tour he went on patrols around Camp Evans, went on mountain patrols, and in the spring and summer of 1970 patrolled around Firebase Ripcord. On July 1, 1970, the North Vietnamese attacked Ripcord and he was on base when the bombardment began. On July 6th his tour ended, and by July 9th he was out of the country. He did the last six months of his enlistment at Fort Carson, Colorado, which places his discharge date sometime in either January or February 1971.
Date Created:
2016-10-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Chuck Baisden by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Chuck Baisden was an armorer of the AVG 3rd Squadron, "Hell's Angels." He joined the American Volunteer Group (AVG) in 1941 after signing a covert contract with Continental Aircraft Mfg. Co. He was with the first forces to reach Burma and was stationed at Mingaladon and Magwe, Burma and Loiwing, Mengshi, and Kunming, China. He left the AVG at the expiration of his contract in 1942 and enlisted as a T/Sgt. in the US Army. In this tape, Chuck Baisden discusses the final days of the AVG and the arrival of the Army Air Corps, in addition to their meeting with General Bissell to discuss the weeks ahead.
Date Created:
1991-06-08T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Albert Engel, son of U.S. congressman Albert J. Engel, served in the U.S. Army from February 1943 to April 1946 in the European Theater during World War II. During basic training, Albert applied for OCS school, but due to his young age did poorly, but did receive his commission. Before being sent to England, Albert was assigned as commander of the 80th Bomb Disposal Squad. However, shortly after arriving in France Albert was transferred to the HQ for the 19th tactical air command. Here he was assigned to represent defendants in court martial cases. Albert than applied to be the commander of the 86th Bomb Disposal Squad. He stayed commander of this squad until his discharge in 1946.
Date Created:
2012-02-14T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Douglas G. Dean who served in the Army from 1966 to 1968. In this account, he discusses his pre-enlistment years, enlistment and training in the U.S. and combat experiences abroad in Vietnam and Korea. He served in a grave registration unit and was stationed in Vietnam and Korea, and describes some of his experiences in detail.
Date Created:
2007-06-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Adolph Kalafut was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 3, 1924. His father had been a Polish immigrant that owned and operated a bar during Prohibition. His parents wanted him to have an excellent education and paid for him to go to school at a military academy that was similar to West Point. Adolph enlisted in the Marines on September 15, 1943. Training was very easy for him and he was well prepared. Adolph was sent to Iwo Jima after training and it was a very difficult experience for him. He was wounded while in Iwo Jima and it took him about a year to recover. Adolph later worked in a VA hospital in Los Angeles and in Battle Creek, Michigan. Accounts of Iwo Jima from a Marine are appended to interview outline.
Date Created:
2008-08-05T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Tim Kidd was born in Michigan on August 20, 1951 and graduated from high school in 1970. Shortly after graduating, Tim was drafted into the Army and went through basic training in Fort Knox, Tennessee. Tim then had supply training in California and was then shipped out to Vietnam. Tim did mostly security work in Vietnam, guarding ships and inspecting convoys. After Tim was discharged from the Army, he felt that he did not enjoy civilian life and joined the Navy. Tim spent time in the Reserves after the Navy, but had to retire in 1991 due to his class 1 diabetes. He now resides in the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
Date Created:
2006-12-12T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Bernard B. Maller is a WW II veteran who served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1946 in England, Belgium, France, and Germany. Maller grew up in Detroit. In 1941 Maller enlisted in the Army, underwent officer training and was promptly sent overseas to manage supply distribution, a task which once included redistributing all the liquor found in a building one square block long and four stories high. Maller ended his time in the service in Germany as a member of the Army of Occupation. After the war, Maller continued to work with his father in the fur business. He joined the Masons after leaving the service.
Date Created:
2005-09-02T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Leo Pfaller served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 in the 4th Armored Division. He had several duties in the Army including tank commander, guard and cook. He discusses his training, dealing with the draft, family life in the military, experience with a court-martial, racial tensions in his outfit and stories about his time in the Army.
Date Created:
2007-05-31T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Mary Sefton is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to April 1972. In her interview transcript she goes into a detailed account of the events surrounding her pre-enlistment, enlistment and training; her tours in Vietnam, and life after the Vietnam War. Besides this, she offers a unique perspective as a nurse of what the fighting meant in the hospitals of Vietnam as well as what the ground fighting was like for U.S. troops. In addition, she shares what U.S. civilians thought of returning veterans and finally her thoughts on her service experience.
Date Created:
2005-02-21T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Jacob Westra was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on November 18, 1918. He grew up during the Depression and was not able to find a job once he had graduated from high school. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and was sent to Camp Silver Creek where he worked in the ranger station for one year. Jacob really enjoyed working in the CCC and signed up for 2 more years until he enlisted in the Army in 1939. He was not called up to service until 1941 and went through basic training in Fort Sheridan Illinois. Jacob was then sent to England where they took over an old GMC factory and used it as a supply storage facility. He worked there for 2.5 years until right before D Day when Jacob joined the 78th Infantry "Lightning" Division. They traveled through France and Germany taking many small towns and POWs for months until many of the men earned enough points to return to the Unites States.
Date Created:
2008-05-17T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Stuart Eppinga was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 17, 1925. After graduating from high school in 1943 he was drafted into the Navy. He received basic training at Camp Peary, Virginia and got assigned to Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex, Bermuda where he helped with maintenance, went on anti-submarine patrols in PBY-3s, and witnessed the capture of six Italian submarines and one German submarine. After eighteen months he requested reassignment and was sent to Guam. On Guam he oversaw Japanese prisoners of war being used for work, and was stationed there for six months. At the end of the war he had enough points to go home and returned to the U.S. by way of the USS Enterprise.
Date Created:
2015-09-02T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Stauffer was born on May 4, 1971 in Lansing, Michigan. After graduating high school in Caledonia, Michigan, he joined the United States Navy. Throughout the majority of his time in the service, he was a payroll clerk on the USS Underwood. He took part in drug operations as well as rescue missions. Robert also discusses the aftermath of the Gulf War, and the various duties he had while at sea.
Date Created:
2015-05-18T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Joe Rosbert Joe by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Rosbert served in the American Volunteer Group (AVG) as a Flight Leader in the 1st Squadron "Adam and Eve." He joined the AVG after serving in the US Navy, and remained until it disbanded in 1942. In this tape, Rosbert discusses his background as a naval aviator before being recruited into the American Volunteer Group, in addition to his journey overseas and arrival in Rangoon.
Date Created:
1991-02-21T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
George Bekkering was drafted into the Army after graduating high school in 1966. He served in the Vietnam War for one year, 1967-1968, as a light infantry soldier in the 198th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. His division camp was based in Chu Lai, which is south of Da Nang. He engaged in many fire fights and received the Bronze Star with a "V" device for saving his Lieutenant's life during an ambush.
Date Created:
2005-06-02T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Richard Cannon was born in Gary, Indiana in 1925. He was drafted after high school in July of 1943 as part of a group of black draftees from his neighborhood. Mr. Cannon was assigned to the Navy. After training at Great Lakes Naval Station, he was sent to Whidbey Island, Washington, where he commanded a small boat used to retrieve torpedoes from training missions. Later on, he was stationed at Pearl Harbor, and then at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
Date Created:
2011-11-11T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Claude Dies was born in 1945 and served in the Vietnam War with the Marine Corps. He was trained in the area of Air Radio Electronics after basic training, and was sent to New River Air Base in Jacksonville, North Carolina where he spent most of his tour of duty working as an electrician on rewiring the base. After his time in the service, he worked in Avionics.
Date Created:
2008-05-29T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Bud Masinick was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Detroit, MI during his childhood. After graduating high school, he was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He attended basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, and attended submarine school in New London, CT. He was then assigned to the USS Icefish, and patrolled the Pacific until the end of the war. After the war, he played professional baseball, making it to the AAA level.
Date Created:
2008-06-30T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Powers was born in Greenville, Michigan on January 25, 1924. After graduating high school, he attended college at Albion University before enlisting in the Air Force. Robert trained for about 13 months before he was sent to a base in Italy. From there he flew about 25 missions throughout Romania, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, and Poland before his plane was shot down in France. Robert sustained many light injuries, was helped by the French Resistance, but was captured by the Germans. He remained in German prison camp for 11 months until the war ended.
Date Created:
2004-12-02T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Frank Sanborn served in the 101st Airborne Division during WW II. He joined the division as a replacement prior to the Battle of the Bulge, and fought in that campaign and in Germany in 1945, staying on for some time in Germany as part of the occupation forces.
Date Created:
2004-02-11T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Wesley Strehlau was born on December 14, 1926 in Detroit, MI. He served in World War II in the U.S. Navy as a second class water tender. During his three years of service, his responsibilities included operating and repairing machinery. He traveled from port to port to Australia where he participated in atomic bomb tests. He was discharged in 1947 and returned to work as an apprentice draftsman.
Date Created:
2009-05-31T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Virgil Westdale was born Virgil Nishimura in Millersburg, Indiana and served in World War II. He was trained as a pilot but because his father was Japanese he was demoted to an infantryman and placed in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which consisted primarily of Japanese-Americans. He worked in the Fire Direction Center for his unit, and spent time in combat in Europe. His unit also worked in occupied Germany after combat.
Date Created:
2009-05-28T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Tim Lamphere was born on February 14, 1967 and grew up in Muir, Michigan. He enlisted in the Army after graduating from the high school (c. 1985). He went through basic training, advanced infantry training, Airborne School, and Ranger School. He served in Panama during Operation Just Cause, in Iraq during the Gulf War, and did three tours in Iraq during the Iraq War. On his first tour he served at Camp Anaconda, on his second tour he served at Al-Mahmoudiyah and was wounded, and his third tour was at Camp Liberty. For 11 years he served as a Ranger attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. After 26 years he retired from the Army (c. 2011).
Date Created:
2014-11-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
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 the effect the Flying Tigers had on the Chinese people and his own life.
Date Created:
1991-02-22T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Alexander Gorashko was drafted in 1942 was assigned to the Army Air Corps. He began training as a radio operator, but then switched to gunnery school, and was assigned to a B-24 crew as a tail gunner. He and his crew were sent to the 15th Air Force in Italy, and flew 14 missions before being shot down over Hungary, including raids over Romania and Auschwitz, and a mission in support of the landings in southern France. After being shot down, he was captured and sent to a POW camp in Pomerania, and was eventually forced by the Germans to march eastward to escape the advancing Russians. The Germans continued to move prisoners around as Allied forces approached from east and west, and Gorashko was eventually liberated by American and British soldiers
Date Created:
2009-12-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Lee Hughes served his time in the Marine Corp. from 1979 until 1981. He trained mainly in Field Sanitation (Laundry/Bath Training) in Fort Lee, Virginia and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He did not see combat due to his time being served during the Cold War.
Date Created:
2008-04-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Lillian Hansen grew up on a farm in Michigan during the Depression and graduated from high school in 1936. She then worked in her parent's restaurant for a few years before enlisting in the Women's Army Corps (WACs) on February 23, 1943. She trained at a hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida and cooked for the troops. After training Lillian returned home to help her parents run their business. She began writing to Raymond Remus, an old friend from high school, who was fighting in Italy. They got married when he returned 2 years later.
Date Created:
2009-08-12T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Grace Piscula was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 26, 1926. Growing up she played softball with the neighborhood boys and in school. She played all positions but mainly stuck to playing shortstop, first and third base and left field. Eventually, her coach, Buddy Greif, approached her one day and informed her she would be playing for the Rockford Peaches. Soon thereafter while she was up at college, she received a call from Mr. Wrigley, owner for the Chicago Chicks to come play for them. She played one year for the Rockford Peaches and then the next for the Chicago Chicks. Her career highlights include hitting a triple for Chicago and then catching a fly ball while with Rockford. Following her two years in the league she quit and went back to college. She discusses her post-baseball career in some detail.
Date Created:
2009-02-26T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Guest speaker Carmen Benavides, long-time resident of North Lansing, member of the local Hispanic community, and retired principal from the Lansing School District, talks about her life experiences at the Turner-Dodge House and Heritage Center on March 6, 2003.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history from Thelma E. Sanford, the daughter of Arthur C. Haite, who ran a furniture business and funeral home in Lansing in the early 20th century. Along with her interview, Mrs. Sanford provided several photocopied newspaper clippings and photos. She was interviewed by her daughter Patricia Sanford Brown at her home at Burcham Hills, East Lansing, on August 22, 1990. A transcript for this recording is linked with the audio files below.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history interview of Diana Anderson Tarpoff. The interview with Mrs. Tarpoff was conducted by Mary Jane Wilson in the Forest Parke Library and Archives, Capital Area District Libraries. Mrs. Tarpoff is the great-granddaughter of R. E. Olds and shares her memories of growing up in Lansing with a prominent family. For this interview, no rights release form is on file and no transcript has been produced. To access the audio recording, please contact the library. A summary of the interview appears on pages 34-35 of the <a href="http://www.cadl.org/lhonline/Lansing 150 OH Booklet.pdf">Lansing 150 Sesquicentennial Oral Histories Booklet</a> booklet.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
June Johnston, a former personnel director at the J. W. Knapp department store in Lansing, was interviewed by Marilyn Culpepper by telephone in August, 2008. For this interview, no rights release form is on file and no transcript has been produced. To access the audio recording, please contact the library. A summary appears on page 20 of the <a href="http://www.cadl.org/lhonline/Lansing 150 OH Booklet.pdf">Lansing 150 Sesquicentennial Oral Histories Booklet</a> booklet.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
Polly Schwendener interviewed Dr. D. Bonta Hiscoe in the Local History Room at the Capital Area District Libraries in April 2009. Dr. Hiscoe came to Lansing to practice in plastic surgery and eventually served as director of the health maintenance organization Lansing Health Central. No transcript has been produced. A summary appears on page 18 of the <a href="http://www.cadl.org/lhonline/Lansing 150 OH Booklet.pdf">Lansing 150 Sesquicentennial Oral Histories Booklet</a> booklet.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history of Geneva Kebler Wiskemann, concerning her career at the Archives of Michigan, the fire at the State Office Building in 1951, and her personal memories and experiences from life in Lansing. She was interviewed by Joyce Moffatt at the Lansing Civic Players Firehouse in March of 1990. One document in the records for the Voices of Lansing project notes that the interview on March 6, 1990, was a "false start." Both this and a second interview done on March 11, 1990, are linked below, along with a single transcript that was in the file.
Date Created:
1990-01-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history from Frank Benedict, a key founder and educator at Lansing Community College. The interview was recorded on July 10, 1990, as part of the "Voices of Lansing" oral history project. Frank Benedict was interviewed by Harry Blanchard. Rights release forms for this interview were never completed, nor was a transcript. The oral history recording may be accessed within the library only at this time.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history from Seward H. Van Ness, who retired as Production Manager at the General Motors Oldsmobile Division in 1980, and had a long career in steel forging and the automotive industry. He was interviewed by James Walkinshaw on January 20, 1989, at an unidentified location. A transcript for this recording has not been completed.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An oral history from Mabel Bohnet, who with her husband Ernest had owned the W. F. Bohnet Electric Co. in Lansing for many years. The interview was recorded on November 12, 1988, as part of the "Voices of Lansing" oral history project. Mabel Bohnet was interviewed by Helen Jones Earley of the Oldsmobile History Center, and was 101 years old at the time of the interview. A transcript for this recording has not been completed.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
Rick Jones talks about the Michigan members of the Polar Bear Expedition, a group of about 5,000 U. S. Army troups who were sent to Russia in 1918-1919, in the first video. In the second video, Jones hosts a discussion with descendants of Michigan Polar Bear Expedition participants. Descendants include Bruce G. Helmer, Vivian Ball Johnson, Gilbert G. Holmes, Lowell Rasmussen, and Frank Ferro. This program took place at the Turner-Dodge House and Heritage Center.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
An interview with Joanne Crego Hacker, the daughter of Lansing mayor Ralph Crego. She graduated from Sexton High School and Michigan State University. The interview, conducted by Marilyn Culpepper, is mostly concerning her father. No transcript has been produced. A summary appears on page 16 of the <a href="http://www.cadl.org/lhonline/Lansing 150 OH Booklet.pdf">Lansing 150 Sesquicentennial Oral Histories Booklet</a> booklet.
Data Provider:
Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives
Neil Atherton grew up in Illinois near Milwaukee and came to Saugatuck in the early 1980s. He and his partner Jim Yarro operated the gift shop Hoopdee Scootee from 1982 to 2016. In this interview, Atherton reminisces about Hoopdee Scootee, creative advertising, the art community, and being openly gay in a small town.
Date Created:
2018-07-21T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of General Yu Wei of the Republic of China Air Force by filmmaker Frank boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. In this tape, Yu Wei looks back on the period of time he spent as a cadet and how it informed the rest of his life, in addition to the significance of the AVG in Chinese and American relations.
Date Created:
1991-03-23T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Charles Butkus served in the Air Force as a meteorologist during the Korean War. He was born in Waukegan, Illinois, and his father was an electrician. He completed high school and some college before he joined the Air Force due to his low draft number. He specialized as a meteorologist, and served in the South Pacific during the atomic testing program and in Hawaii taking readings from weather balloons.
Date Created:
2009-02-03T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
James Crowell is a WW II veteran who served in the United States Navy from November 1942 to February 1946 in the South Pacific. In this interview, Crowell shares with great detail his time in combat, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf, dogfights over Manila, suicide attacks, a massive air attack on November 25, 1944, and a landing accident that threw Crowell 150 feet from his plane. This accident, which both Crowell and his pilot survived, was made part of a motion picture.
Date Created:
2007-05-15T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Harold Harig served in the US Navy from 1943 to 1946. He trained as an anti-aircraft gunner and served aboard the escort carrier USS Shamrock Bay. He sailed on convoy escort duty to North Africa, and later served in the Pacific in the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns, and was later based in Japan.
Date Created:
2009-05-19T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Jack McKindley was born in 1925 in Kalamazoo Michigan. He graduated from Mendon High School in 1943 and was drafted to the United States Army. After doing his basic training at Keesler Air-force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was sent to Arkansas to be part of the military band. He played trumpet for the 469th Air-force band with 27 other members. They were stationed outside of Newport News at Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia during the end of the war. He was discharged in March of 1946.
Date Created:
2014-04-17T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Richard Meyer was born in Patterson, New Jersey in 1922 and graduated from high school in 1940. After high school Richard worked in the metal trade until he was drafted in 1942. He started training in December 1942 in Colorado Springs with the 49th Engineers. Richard also trained in North Carolina and Tennessee before being sent to Europe. While in Europe Richard worked with the 35th Infantry Division, working on communications and operating switchboards. He traveled through Britain, Holland, Luxemburg, Germany, and France. Richard left Germany in 1945 and later started his own machine company.
Date Created:
2009-04-07T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Robert Twa was born in Crystal Falls, Michigan in 1922 and served in the Army Air Corps in World War II. He was trained as a weather forecaster and served in California, Michigan, Greenland, Bermuda, Canada and Georgia. After the war, he worked for the Weather Bureau.
Date Created:
2009-04-25T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Bernie Windmiller was born in Gary, Indiana, on July 3, 1932. The Army drafted him in 1954 and he received basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, then field radio training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was deployed to South Korea where he served on the demilitarized zone and at Daegu. He decided to become a chaplain, and upon completion of seminary, he reentered the Army as a chaplain. His first assignment was at Fort Riley, Kansas, with 3rd Battalion of the 47th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. He was deployed to Vietnam in January 1967 and was originally stationed at Bearcat Base. Shortly after arriving, he was reassigned to 4th Battalion. During his time in Vietnam, he operated in the Mekong River Delta and went on combat missions with the troops. He returned to the United States in January 1968, and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He then served in West Germany for three years with the 5th Missile Battalion of the 6th Air Defense Artillery (Nike nuclear missiles). He returned to the United States in 1973 and took the advanced course of chaplains, then got his master's degree at Long Island University. He served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with the 212th Artillery Brigade then went to Duke University.
Date Created:
2016-10-26T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Dr. James Clark is a veteran of the Cold War who was born on September 7, 1939 in Oak Park, Illinois. He attended college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and joined the Navy Reserve Officers' Training Corps there. When he graduated in June 1961 he was also commissioned and went to report for duty at the USS Purdy DD734 based out of Newport, Rhode Island. He took part in several voyages to the Caribbean Sea, including one during the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as a Mediterranean Cruise with the 6th Fleet. In May 1963 his two year commitment ended. In 1964 he joined the Active Naval Reserves and stayed with that until he was informally retired in the 1980s and then was finally officially retired in 1991 with the rank of captain.
Date Created:
2014-12-11T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Joseph Hovinga was born in 1923 in Dorr, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and enlisted in the Army in 1942. He trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, and Fort Ord, California. He was sent to Hawaii and was assigned to H Company 32nd Infantry Regiment 7th Infantry Division. He saw action on Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands Campaign, on Leyte in the Philippines, and on Okinawa.
Date Created:
2015-01-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Russell Buys enlisted in the Michigan National Guard shortly after graduating from high school in 1940. A few months later, his unit was activated and sent to Louisiana to train. He initially served as a cook with the 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division. He sailed with them to Australia, and was then shipped to New Guinea, where he and his battalion marched over the Owen Stanley Mountains toward Buna. Toward the end of the Buna campaign, he decided that he wanted to do more than cook, and became a rifleman and got himself wounded in the shoulder. He recovered and stayed with the unit through further fighting in New Guinea and the Philippines before rotating home in 1945.
Date Created:
2010-05-27T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Richard Beimers was born in 1920 in Lowell, Michigan and spent his early life in the Grand Rapids, Michigan. After injuring his eye as a young person, Richard received a surgery that caused him to lose sight in his right eye. He was eventually drafted into the service and sent to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan where he learned that he would serve as a non-combatant service man. After receiving basic training, he was sent to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin where he served as an MP Escort Guard, guarding illegal German aliens. He was then transferred to Station Hospital at Fort McCoy where he served as a guard in the contagious and woman's wards. Richard was eventually sent to Hereford, England where he served in a hospital for one year. The hospital where he worked received two trains of patients every week but he only remembers losing seven patients during his entire service. He was eventually sent back to the United States and discharged in Indiana on November 17, 1945.
Date Created:
2004-11-18T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Peter McMillan is a WW II veteran who served in the United States Air Force from approximately 1945 to 1947? in Guam with a six-week stint in Hawaii. Although a majority of his time in the service occurred after WWII had ended, McMillan's story still provides a unique perspective on post-WW II conflict in the Pacific Theater. This account details how tension and confusion continued well into the post-WWII years. He talks briefly about the role of the United Service Organization and his correspondence home. Finally, McMillan discusses life after war - the role of the G.I. Bill and his generation's commitment to WW II - and what impact the anti-war protests of the 1960s had on his generation.
Date Created:
2006-06-28T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Jeanette Rearick is World War II wife whose husband served in the U.S. Army. She re-accounts his pre-enlistment, training and enlistment, and service experience. She retells briefly what John Rearick, her husband's service experience, was like in the Pacific. What is memorable about him is his experience fighting the Japanese in the jungles on Guam. After his service experience, John went to law school and traveled with his wife a little bit. She concludes by mentioning how her husband's war experience made them closer.
Date Created:
2009-05-31T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Gib Thomas, born in South Dakota in September of 1920, served in the U.S. Marines from July of 1943-1946 in the Pacific during World War II. While in college in the early 1940s at South Dakota University, Gib was a member of the ROTC. After reporting for active duty, Gib was made the Property and Police Sergeant of the 29th Marine Regiment, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion. He also served on Guadalcanal, Okinawa, Guam and China during and after the war.
Date Created:
2012-04-10T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Cathy Seifert was born in Grand Rapids, MI in 1952. After graduating from Hope College, she entered the civil service in 1976, and then went to the Naval War College for officer training in 1978. She then served as a naval officer in various capacities until retiring in 1999. She served in Hawaii, Guam, Japan, Portugal, Norfolk, and finally at the Pentagon, serving with the Defense Intelligence Agency. She describes her different assignments in detail, and also says a good deal about life in the Navy and issues confronted by women officers during the period in which she served.
Date Created:
2008-05-13T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Julius Van Oss was drafted into the US Army in 1943 and initially assigned to the Army Air Corps. In training, he qualified for the ASTP program, which sent men to college to prepare them to become engineers, but the program was cancelled after he had been in it for seven months, and he was returned to the Air Corps. After failing to qualify as a radio operator, he was assigned to the infantry and was slated to go to Europe. The Germans surrendered before he could leave, however, and he wound up being sent to the Philippines as a replacement for the 6th Division. He fought briefly prior to the Japanese surrender, after which he was assigned to work with communications for his regiment, first in the Philippines and then in Korea before he returned home in 1946.
Date Created:
2011-10-17T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Lloyd Blough was born in Michigan on August 25, 1915 and drafted into the Army in 1941 when he was 26 years old. He went through training at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan and was transferred to Virginia two weeks after Pearl Harbor was attacked. In Virginia, Lloyd went through advanced training to become an airplane mechanic, working with P-39s. Once he was finished training, Lloyd was sent to Africa where he worked on different planes in Algeria and Tunisia. He spent a total of two years overseas and also worked in France, Italy, and Ireland before he was sent back to the United States to finish the other two years of his service.
Date Created:
2005-03-31T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Wilbur Bouwkamp served in the US Army between 1941 and 1945. After basic training, he was assigned to the 10 Armored Division, where he served on a recovery vehicle, a tank adapted to tow damaged tanks back to friendly lines where they could be repaired. He was wounded in action in Europe but returned to his unit, and received orders to ship home shortly before V-E Day.
Date Created:
2007-08-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Gregory Phillips was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on August 22, 1948. After graduating from college in 1969 he was drafted into the Army. He received basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and his advanced infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. In December 1969 he deployed to Vietnam. He was first assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Lai Khe and he served with them for two months (first in 2nd Battalion/28th Infantry Regiment then 2nd Battalion (mechanized)/2nd Infantry Regiment). Gregory transferred to the 101st Airborne Division at Phu Bai, and joined 2nd platoon of Delta Company, 1st Battalion/506th Infantry Regiment on March 1, 1970. On the morning of May 7th he and the rest of 2nd platoon fought at the battle of Firebase Maureen where he was wounded six times and was later awarded the Silver Star for his actions there. He was medically evacuated to the United States and served at Fort Hood, Texas, for the last ten months of his enlistment (he was most likely discharged in June 1971).
Date Created:
2016-10-06T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Candace Van Oss grew up in Douglas. She shares many memories of her father's career as Chief of Police. In the second part of the interivew, Candace continues with stories of her father's career as Fire Chief and later Saugatuck Township Supervisor. Her interview also includes a detailed descrition of the 1968 Rock Festival held in Douglas, Michigan.
Date Created:
2018-07-21T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Charlie Bond by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Charles R. "Charlie" Bond was Vice Squadron Leader of the First Pursuit Squadron "Adam and Eves" of the American Volunteer Group (AVG). Recruited by Skip Adair in 1941, he was inspired by photos of shark-mouthed Tomahawks of No. 112 Sqadron, RAF. He was the first to paint his P-40 in similar markings, setting the precedent for what became the trademark of the Flying Tigers. He shot down six Japanese fighters and one bomber. After the AVG disbanded, he rejoined the US Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics to train new fighter pilots. In this tape, Bond discusses the origin of how he came up with the iconic tiger shark painting that the group adopted for the Flying Tigers' airplanes. He also describes his reaction to the news of Pearl Harbor and the days that followed for the AVG.
Date Created:
1991-02-23T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Robert "Moose" Moss by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Moss was a Flight Leader for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." In this tape, Moss describes his close relationship with General Chennault and his ability to bring people together as a man of vision. He also reflects on the losses he experienced as a Flying Tiger and how it affected his work.
Date Created:
1991-06-09T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Interview of Charles Mott by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Charles Mott was a Flight Leader for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." Recruited from the U.S. Navy, where he served three years as a Dive Bomber pilot, he joined the AVG in 1941. During a mission over Thailand, he was shot down by ground fire and captured, severely wounded. He was placed in a POW camp along the River Kwai railway for 3 1/2 years and repatriated at the end of the war. He was the sole survivor of the four AVG pilots captured. In this tape, Mott describes the raid where he was shot down by the Japanese and injured upon landing when escaping his parachute, in addition to the experience of being discovered and taking a train to Bangkok.
Date Created:
1991-05-16T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries