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- Notes:
- Willard Van Singel was drafted into the Army in 1941 and trained in Texas. He spent 3 years in Texas working as a battalion supply sergeant and also helped with administration and clerical work. Willard then served in the 83rd Infantry Division, landing in France in late 1944. He switched from being a supply sergeant to being a platoon sergeant in a rifle company and saw action in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at the end of the war met the Soviets east of the Elbe River.
- Date Created:
- 2007-11-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bill Williams was born in Muscatine, Iowa on December 20, 1941. He attended Colorado State University and was part of the Army ROTC, graduating and receiving his commission in 1963. He went to Fort Benning, Georgia for Infantry Officer Basic Training and Jump School (paratrooper training). He spent a year stationed in South Korea serving as a platoon leader in the 7th Infantry Division. After South Korea he returned to the United States and received Special Forces Training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and in early 1966 he was deployed to Vietnam. He served at a Green Beret outpost in Nha Trang and at another outpost in Pleiku until early 1967. He took the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and was a small arms instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia for eighteen months. He was redeployed to Vietnam in December 1969 and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. He served as the assistant S3 officer at 3rd Brigade Headquarters for four months until he was assigned to be the company commander of Bravo Company 2nd Battalion 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He carried out patrols around Firebase Ripcord in spring 1970 and fought at Hill 805 until B Company moved to Firebase Ripcord in July 1970 and experienced the siege of Ripcord. Shortly before the fall of Ripcord he was severely wounded and was medically evacuated. He received treatment in Vietnam, Japan, and California before completing his service at Fort Carson, Colorado.
- Date Created:
- 2015-10-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Chris Meeuwenberg was born Fremont, Michigan and drafted into the Army in 1943 when he was 19 years old. He went through training in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas and eventually became a medical technician. Chris was sent to Europe and landed in La Havre, France where they were immediately shot at by German planes. While in Europe Chris traveled through France, Germany, and Austria. He was eventually discharged near the end of the war and then went to Ferris State University for 4 years of pharmacy school.
- Date Created:
- 2004-05-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Dominic P. Sondy served in the U.S. Army with the 662nd Field Artillery from April 1943 to January 1946 during World War II. In this account, Sondy discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and training in the U.S., and his combat experiences in France and Germany. Personal narrative is appended to the interview outline.
- Date Created:
- 2008-01-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William Van Dop was born in Muskegon Heights, Michigan on July 20, 1926. He was drafted in late summer 1944 and reported for duty in November 1944. He received basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas then received his advanced training in Fort Ord, California. He boarded a troopship in late May/early June 1945 and sailed to Manila in the Philippines. He was assigned to Military Police duty on August 1, 1945 and worked at a base on Manila Bay. William was stationed in the Philippines until October 1946. He sailed back to the United States and was discharged at Camp Beale, California in fall 1946.
- Date Created:
- 2016-02-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Newton Dilley joined the Army in 1943 and worked with the 12th Armored Division during his time in the Army Specialized Training Program. He was eventually assigned to the 56th Armored Infantry battalion of the 12th Armored Division. He saw combat in Alsace and southwestern Germany, and before the war ended was called to finish Officer Candidate School and eventually spent more that a year working with the Army of Occupation. After his time in the service, Newton went to Yale Law School and became a lawyer. A summary of service written by Dilley is appended to his interview outline.
- Date Created:
- 2007-10-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Clarence Hunter was born in London, Arkansas in 1935. He enlisted into the military and served in the Army and Navy. During his time with the Navy, Clarence spent a lot of time traveling up and down the coast of Korea during the Korean War.
- Date Created:
- 2012-05-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bob Short was born in 1949 in Vandalia, Illinois. He grew up in the small town of Mulberry Grove, Illinois and graduated from high school there in 1967. Upon graduating high school he attended the West Point military academy in New York. He attended there for three academic semesters until he decided that it was time to leave. In February 1969 he formally left West Point. After leaving the academy he volunteered for the draft and was soon thereafter sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was able to skip training because of his West Point experience and by May 26, 1969 he was in Vietnam. He was assigned to Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry part of the Americal (23rd Infantry) Division. His unit operated off of Landing Zone Professional and around the area of Chu Lai. Over the course of a year and a half he would serve in a variety of roles, from walking point to working in the Combat Center at Chu Lai developing a Vietnamese relations course. In November 1970 he left Vietnam and by January 1971 he was attending college at Illinois State. He would go on to get his master's degree in employee health and safety, and working all over America finally settling down in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is now a prominent member of the Buddy to Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program based out of the University of Michigan helping veterans in the post-9/11 era.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jim Southerland was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946 and graduated high school in 1966. He joined the Army on May 19th, 1965. Southerland completed his Basic Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and then advanced infantry training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. At Fort Benning, Georgia, he also completed jump school. His first deployment was to Germany where he took part in the Nijmegen March in Holland. After reenlisting, Southerland was deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Brigade, 1st Calvary Division as an RTO (radiotelephone operator) for his platoon leader and eventually became a squad leader. He was involved in the Tet Offensive in early 1968 before his last assignment as an MOS personnel specialist in Saigon. Southerland left Vietnam in April, 1969, and left the service in May, 1969, but remained active in the Virginia National Guard.
- Date Created:
- 2017-09-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Carl Ballard was born on October 16, 1932 in Kent County, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1951 and then enlisted in the Army. Carl trained in Kentucky and went through leadership school after basic. He was then sent to South Korea where he joined the 2nd Infantry Division and went on patrols at night. Carl was later transferred to the Heavy Weapons company where he worked as a squad leader. Carl had received enough points to return home a few months after the cease fire.
- Date Created:
- 2004-10-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Arch Crist joined the US Army in 1946 and left after a year and a half. He spent his training time in the U.S. at Fort Snelling, Fort Sheridan, and in Fort Lewis. He was shipped out from San Francisco to Japan where he was part of the occupational force. Before getting to Japan he stopped in Guam where he celebrated Christmas. He tells of his experiences in Japan while in Yokohama harbor, and while at the base in Omiya. He attended the War Crimes Trials in Tokyo, and took part in a parade on the Imperial Palace grounds. General MacArthur was watching the processions at the Imperial Palace that day. He talks about the close friendships he made while in Omiya. He also mentions how his experience in Japan was shaped by the US government's decision to let Hirohito escape trial. He went on to be a journalist and then an advertising executive in Minneapolis.
- Date Created:
- 2007-05-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Dorothy Folkema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1922. She left high school after three years and went to work in a factory. She met her future husband, Harold Folkema, in 1939, and they were married in 1941. When the war started, she quit her job to protect her husband's deferment status, but he was drafted in 1943 and wound up on Omaha Beach on D-Day (see his interview in this archive). She had a child to take care of by then, and discusses different aspects of home front life while her husband was away.
- Date Created:
- 2009-10-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Lloyd was born on July 4, 1925 in Jamestown, North Dakota. His family moved to California before they settled in Michigan. His father was a missionary with the American Sunday School Union. When Lloyd was a senior in high school he took the entrance exams to join the Air Force but was turned down because of his depth perception. He was later drafted into the Army in November 1943. He was sent to Europe as a replacement after D-Day and served in a heavy weapons company in the 79th Division until wounded in northeastern France late in 1944.
- Date Created:
- 2013-08-14T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Harry Jelsema was born to a farmer in Allegan, Michigan and served in the Army during World War II. He was drafted in 1944, and sent to basic training and after that to Europe, where he was a bazooka man. He fought in Northern France, Belgium, and Northern Germany, eventually meeting the Soviets. He was then shipped back to the US and was supposed to go to Japan, but the war ended before this could happen. He worked a desk job at Fort Carson, Colorado until he was discharged in 1946.
- Date Created:
- 2008-11-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Richard Swanson was born in Lucas County, Iowa, in 1930 and graduated from high school in 1948. He received his draft notice in 1951, just days after he had gotten married. Richard went through training in Arkansas for only 6 weeks and was then sent to Japan to work with the 176th Artillery Unit. Richard spent 16 months fighting on the front line in Korea and worked to support a South Korean unit.
- Date Created:
- 2010-01-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Glendle Callahan served in the Korean War in the United States Army from February 1951 to November 1952 in Alabama and Korea. In this interview, Callahan tells of the day he received his draft letter and why he volunteered to go to Korea after being at Camp Rooker, Alabama. Once overseas he attended supply school and became involved in the Field Artillery.
- Date Created:
- 2007-05-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Thomas McIntire enlisted in the US Army three days after his graduation from high school. He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for boot camp, and later for truck mechanic school. The Army sent Thomas to Germany, where he worked in the motor pool on a base there. Thomas was discharged in June of 1968, and came back to Michigan to become a tool and die maker.
- Date Created:
- 2005-05-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- John Reilly was born in Kittery, Maine, in 1946, and grew up in New Jersey. After graduating from college in 1968, he decided to enlist in the Army before he was drafted. After basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Reilly went through the Army Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Although initially slated for officer training, Reilly dropped out and deployed to Vietnam in June 1969. Once in Vietnam, Reilly joined the 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Trained in fire direction control, he served at Firebases Airborne and Berchtesgaden in the latter stages of the 1969 campaign in the A Shau Valley, and later served with the battalion headquarters at Camp Eagle, where he was stationed at the start of the Ripcord campaign.
- Date Created:
- 2011-10-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Eugene Schmidt was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1918. He joined the National Guard during high school and was federalized on October 15, 1940. Eugene was assigned to a Head Quarters Company and he was deployed to Australia. Then he was sent to New Guinea and was injured by a loose fuel barrel on the way over. He had to stay in the rear while his company went to Buna and after they were done he met up with them in Australia for amphibious assault training. They went on 2 assaults in New Guinea at Saidor and Aitape. In October of 1944 he was sent back to the US and was assigned to be a MP in Detroit, Michigan. Eugene was discharged in July of 1945.
- Date Created:
- 2008-07-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Vander Laan is a Korean War era veteran who served in the 7th Army 966 Field Engineering Battalion. He was sent to Germany during his time in the service, and was never involved in any active combat. However, he witnessed the aftermath of WW II during his travels throughout Europe. He also discusses his reaction upon being taken by the Army to several concentration camps in the Munich are. He also recalls the difficulties of basic training during the summer in Louisiana.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ken Vandenberg of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was drafted into the Army in 1961. After basic training at Fort Knox, he went to Fort Gordon, Georgia for military police training, and was then sent to La Rochelle, France, where he served until 1963.
- Date Created:
- 2010-04-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Steve Collison was born in 1961 in Pontiac, Michigan and served in the Army starting in 1981. He had a troubled childhood, and joined the Army to get away from home. He served as a cook at bases in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. When he completed 6 years he returned home and married another veteran.
- Date Created:
- 2007-03-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Michael McGregor, born in Indiana in 1943, served in the U.S. Army from November of 1966 through late 1968 in the 1st Cavalry Division in the Vietnam War. After receiving his draft notice, Michael trained at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was then sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he began his work in field artillery. In the fall of 1967 Michael was sent to Vietnam and was placed in the 1st Cavalry. He served in the Phan Thiet area at the end of Operation Byrd, and moved up to the Hue area after the start of the Tet Offensive, and later in the Khe Sanh area and the A Shau Valley.
- Date Created:
- 2010-05-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Henry Shuster Jr. served in the Army during the Vietnam War. After attending Officer Candidate School and going through training, he was assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division where he dealt with many search and destroy missions in Vietnam. His station was between the border of Cambodia and the city of Saigon, which was his company's top priority to protect.
- Date Created:
- 2009-05-30T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ralph Slager was born in Comstock, Michigan on January 9, 1928. He grew up in Comstock during the Great Depression and World War Two and graduated in June 1945. The draft was still in effect after the war ended, and after turning eighteen in January 1946 he was susceptible to being drafted. He decided to enlist in the Army for an eighteen month commitment on March 8, 1946. He reported to Fort Custer, Michigan and Fort Sheridan, Illinois for his physical and getting inducted, and was then sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and artillery training. He was then stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky with a signal company in the 5th Division, and then was sent to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey for high speed radio operator training. After that training he was reassigned to a signal company in the 3rd Division at Fort Meade, Maryland where he worked as a radio operator in Baltimore, Maryland and at a hospital on base. He was discharged on September 7, 1947.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-18T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Richard Dahlen served in Army between 1969 and 1972, and spent about a year as an air traffic controller for the Army at Cu Chi in Vietnam. He discusses his specialized training for his assignment, his work at Cu Chi, and his impressions of both the American operations that he was involved in and the Vietnamese people he worked with and observed on the base. He also discusses his views of the war itself and comments on common misperceptions of the war and the men who fought it.
- Date Created:
- 2007-10-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Charles Hennesen was born in Fort Erie, Ontario and grew up in Buffalo, New York. He joined the Army Reserves while in college and was then called into Active Duty upon graduation. He served in 39th Regiment, 9th Division, in the European Theatre, specifically in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, and Germany. He was wounded in the hip during an assault on the town of Aachen, and spent around a year and a half in hospitals in both Europe and the United States.
- Date Created:
- 2008-08-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Uwe Meyer, Born in Germany in 1949, moved to Iowa as a child and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969. After training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, he was sent to Vietnam. Upon arrival, he was assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 506h Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division. He spent his first few months in Vietnam in early 1970 patrolling the area around Camp Evans, and was then moved into the hills to the west and participated in the fighting on and around Firebase Ripcord. He participated in his company's failed attempt to establish the Ripcord base on April 1, 1970, and from mid-June served as a machine gunner on the base until it was evacuated in July. Upon returning to the US, he spent the rest of his enlistment at Fort Hood, Texas, working with ground radar units.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Raymond Paul Opeka was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956. He convinced his mother to give him written permission to join the Army before he graduated from high school. He was sent to Fort Polk for basic training where he did very poorly on many of the physical tests and activities, and in the advanced training. Opeka was able to remain in the Army at that time because of the shortage of enlisted men. Raymond was sent to Germany, where he continued training. Many of the men he was stationed with were doing lots of drugs and there were also many racial fights.
- Date Created:
- 2008-09-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Charles Hammond was born in Columbus, Ohio on August 24, 1919 and was drafted in 1940. He trained at Fort McClellan in Alabama. He was assigned to the 4th Armored Division and served in France, Belgium, Germany and Czechoslovakia as a military policeman who dealt with prisoners of war. He traveled through France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. The prisoners that he dealt with were very well behaved and did not have many troubles with them, the only problem he complained about was the sheer size of some of the groups that they had to escort.
- Date Created:
- 2008-02-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ronald Sabin, Sr. was born in Wyoming, Michigan in 1935 and graduated from high school in 1954. Ronald enlisted in the Army during the Korean War only a few months after he had graduated. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for basic training for 8 weeks and then to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas for guided missile training. After training in Texas, Ronald continued there working as an instructor and was there for a total of about 2 years. He then moved back to Michigan and was on call with the Wisconsin Reserves for another 12 years.
- Date Created:
- 2009-09-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Notes:
- Madeline McGregor was born in 1946 in South Bend Indiana. She married her husband Mike McGregor in 1965, at age 19, and her husband was drafted the next year. Around the same time she became pregnant, and had her son Mike Jr shortly before her husband left for Vietnam. While her husband was training but before her son was born Madeline sold typewriters at a store. After he served his two years Mike returned and they had another child named Melissa.
- Date Created:
- 2014-10-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Frank Anthony was born in Muskegon, Michigan on February 6th, 1947. He attended college at Ferris State University after graduating from high school in 1965. He joined the military in 1967 and attended basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in May of the same year. He then did advanced infantry training (AIT) at Fort McClellan, Alabama. After completing AIT, he continued on to the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy and became a Warrant Officer. Frank also attended ranger/special forces training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was participating in long-range recon school when his request to go to flight school was accepted. He went to flight school in 1968, which lasted for 9 months. He arrived in Vietnam in the middle of 1969. In Vietnam, he was the Safety Officer for a short period of time before becoming the Executive Officer of the Aviation Company, all the while working as a helicopter pilot. He was a part of the 52nd artillery division located in Pleiku, Vietnam. He flew a variety of helicopters while stationed in Vietnam. Frank was involved in several different skirmishes during his time in Vietnam, including the incursion into Cambodia. Frank also participated in jungle environmental survival training in Subic Bay, Philippines while on R and R. He completed a tour and a half before he left Vietnam on December 23rd, 1970. While in the military, Frank received numerous awards, including the award of the Red Banana. After leaving the service, Frank worked in law enforcement for many years.
- Date Created:
- 2017-06-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jack Floyd served in the United States Army, 1st Engineers, 5th Infantry Division, during WW II. He was part of the Third Army and describes Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and General Patton. He also describes trapping, skinning and eating muskrats. He was involved in the Field Training exercises in the southern Mississippi River Valley, and was also stationed in Iceland, England, Ireland and continental Europe.
- Date Created:
- 2005-09-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ed Henk was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 21st, 1944. After graduating from high school, Henk attended Grand Rapids Junior College for three semesters before transferring to Ferris State University to study data processing. However, in 1966, the middle of his junior year at Ferris State, Henk received his draft notice. Following basic training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for combat engineering, Henk attended OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia for sixteen weeks, although he never completed the school. After leaving OCS, Henk deployed to Vietnam in 1967 and served with the 1st Air Cavalry Division. While in Vietnam, Henk fought through the Tet Offensive, including the defense of the MACV compound in Hue. Following the completion of his tour, Henk returned to the United States and received his discharge.
- Date Created:
- 2011-03-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bernard Lakowicz was drafted in February 1943. He went to Kalamazoo, Michigan (most likely Fort Custer) for processing, and from there went on to Camp Grant, Illinois and then on to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training. Joined the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis and was stationed there for nine months. In November 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Force and trained at Sheppard Field, Texas and Kansas State College, Kansas. Prior to D-Day he was removed from the Army Air Force and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for infantry training where he joined K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division. He received amphibious training at Camp San Luis Obispo, California and Camp Callan, California. He and the rest of the 97th deployed to the European Theatre out of New Jersey in early 1945 and landed at Le Havre, France in March 1945. The 97th moved up to the frontline and crossed the Rhine River at Bonn, Germany in April 1945 and advanced steadily through Germany closing the Ruhr Pocket and taking thousands of German prisoners of war. The unit stayed briefly in Czechoslovakia and then got redeployed to Japan for occupation duty. He was sent home in early 1946 and got discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Steve Avgerinos was born in Chicago in 1949. He enlisted late in 1968 to stay ahead of the draft. He took basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, then AIT at Fort Lewis, and then went on to NCO school at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was then sent over to Vietnam, and joined D Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, based at Camp Evans. In March, 1970, his company began a series of patrols in the hills and jungle west of Camp Evans, operating out of several different firebases. In May, his platoon's perimeter on a hilltop designated Maureen was overrun by enemy sappers, but Avgerinos and those still able to fight held the position. He was injured in the battled and sent to Japan and back to the US for treatment. He completed his enlistment as an instructor at Fort Leonard Wood.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Peter Meloro was born on April 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted in the Army in 1967 and received his basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for his clerical training. He was stationed West Germany with an artillery unit from March 1968 to June 1969. Peter received orders for a deployment to Vietnam and was sent over in July 1969. He joined C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as a company clerk. He worked at Camp Evans doing paperwork for the company and also monitored radio traffic when the company was in the field. He left Vietnam on July 9, 1970, and was discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington.
- Date Created:
- 2016-10-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Hank DeYoung born in 1928 in Spring Lake, Michigan. He left high school in the tenth grade and worked with his father in his father's construction business as a business partner. In the summer of 1950 he received his draft notice and on December 15, 1950 he reported for basic training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. After completing his basic training he got married to his wife on February 6, 1951 and was also in Cook School training to be an Army cook at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He served with the Headquarters Battery of the 194th Field Artillery Battalion of the Iowa National Guard back at Camp McCoy. In July 1951 he was deployed to Germany with the 194th Field Artillery Battalion and served at Wurzburg. From Wurzburg he was reassigned to the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion at Nauheim and then went into the field with them patrolling the East/West German border. In November 1952 he returned to the United States and was discharged.
- Date Created:
- 2014-08-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Randy Austin was born in Paw Paw, Michigan on December 30, 1945 and was drafted shortly after graduating high school in 1965. He was not happy about being drafted and expected to be sent to Vietnam. Instead he began training in aviation electronics and was sent to a base in Germany to work on electronics maintenance for an armored unit. He said the base in Germany was very laid back and he took every moment he had off to travel around in Europe.
- Date Created:
- 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- This interview session recaps the first part of Bassett's tour in Vietnam, and then covers the second half, when he was a brigade-level staff officer in the 9th Division. Bassett supervised long range reconnaissance patrols, organized and ran a provisional company working with experimental ground radar, and dealt with an unstable commander. He would remain the Army until 1997, working both with the Rangers and in intelligence work. He spent a total of eight years in Germany, including the period immediately before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and also went to Saudi Arabia and Iraq at the time of the Gulf War, and also worked at the Pentagon. After retiring for medical reasons, he continued to work as a civilian contractor for the military, helping the Colombian army and national police with counterinsurgency training and later working with civilian contractors sent to the Middle East at the time of the invasion of Iraq.
- Date Created:
- 2011-04-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jerry Muir, born April 14th 1924 in Grand Rapids ,Michigan, was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943. Sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for basic training, he was assigned to the Signal Corps and began learning Morse Code. He took an opportunity to transfer to the Army Air Corps, and spend several months taking college courses in preparation for flight training, but the program shut down after three months, and he was now sent to Fort Warren, Wyoming, for Quartermaster Corps training. After this, he want by ship to New Guinea, and then to a replacement depot in the Philippines, where he waited over a month for an assignment. He was eventually assigned to the J.M. Davis, a ship that provided repair services for Army transport ships. He served aboard the Davis for the last few months of the war, and went to Yokohama, Japan, after the surrender.
- Date Created:
- 2011-11-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Francis Scott was drafted in October of 1942. He was trained to be a radio operator and attended college at Washington State from June of 1943 to March of 1944. He was stationed in California for a short while before he was sent to Europe, where he served in England, the Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Germany as a radio operator in the 11th Armored Division. At the end of the war he saw many refugees, helped liberate two concentration camps, and participated in the capture of 2,000 Hungarian soldiers in Austria.
- Date Created:
- 2008-11-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- In order to avoid the draft, while still a junior in high school, Joseph Scott elected to join the Michigan National Guard in 1965. After about a year and a half in the guard, he decided to go on active duty and trained as an aircraft mechanic at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He volunteered for Vietnam, and was assigned to the 540th Transportation Company, 34th Battalion, 14th Transportation Division stationed at an airfield in Qui Nhฦกn. While at the Qui Nhฦกn airfield, Scott split his time between working as a mechanic and as part of the base security force. He also spent some time Tan Son Nhut and Vung Tau. During Scott's tour, which he extended to a second year, he experienced the 1968 Tet offensive, during which the Viet Cong placed the Qui Nhฦกn airfield under a four-day siege.
- Date Created:
- 2013-01-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William Sterzick served in the US Army during the Korean War, but never saw combat. Stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, he met his future wife while working as an orderly in a hospital. He discusses life in Germany at the time and the condition of the city after World War II.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Gerald served as an instructor in the Army from 1953 to 1955, despite failing his physical for the Navy. Gerald focuses mostly on his home life prior to and after enlistment. He also briefly recounts the complications of integration of the armed forces.
- Date Created:
- 2007-05-30T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tom Sibley was born in 1945 in Muskegon, Michigan. After college, he applied for the Peace Corps and was accepted, but was concerned that he could still be drafted after he got back, and decided not to go. He was drafted in May, 1968, and sent to Vietnam later that year. He served as a mortar crewman in the 4th Infantry Division in the Central Highlands for several months, and then became a company clerk before back problems took him out of the field entirely. He has since returned to Vietnam and been involved with helping Vietnamese refugees in the US.
- Date Created:
- 2010-07-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- John Kuennen was born in New Hampton, Iowa, in 1950. After graduating from high school in 1968 he attended college for one year before volunteering for the draft. He trained as an infantryman at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and went to Vietnam in November, 1969. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division and patrolled the Mekong River Delta area as a radioman. In mid-March 1970 the 1st Infantry Division was sent back to the United States and he was reassigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division based out of Camp Evans as an infantryman and then as a radioman. He took part in the establishment of Firebase Ripcord on the edge of the A Shau Valley and later in the Battle of Firebase Ripcord specifically on Hill 902 on July 2nd and then on Hill 1000 on July 7th and 8th. After the fall of Firebase Ripcord on July 23rd, 1970 he was reassigned to the Battalion Tactical Operations Center at Camp Evans as a radio operator. In the fall of 1970 he returned to the United States and completed his service in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas in April 1971.
- Date Created:
- 2014-10-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Michael Robinson was born in Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1947. He graduated high school in 1966 and only attended college for a year before recieving his draft notice. So, Robinson decided to enlist into the Navy in which he trained as a gunner's mate and was assigned to a minesweeper based at Charleston, South Carolina, becoming the crew's designated diver repairman. He was then transferred to San Diego for training in Swift Boats before being deployed to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Robinson was assigned to a Swift Boat unit based at Cat Lo, conducting patrols, searches, raids, escorts, and fire support missions in the Saigon and Mekong River deltas during which he served primarily as a machine gunner. After his tour was over, he returned to Charleston to complete his enlistment.
- Date Created:
- 2018-11-12T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Emil Hurbanis served in the U.S. Army from approx. 1969-1971 in the latter half of the Vietnam War. Emil spent 1 year in country. He was first assigned to the 1st Infantry Division where he worked with unattended ground sensors on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia. He was later transferred to the 9th Infantry Division. He retained his same job but had to perform it in rice paddies. He was awarded 3 Bronze Stars. After service Emil continued his career as an accountant working to the U.S. Treasury Department.
- Date Created:
- 2012-02-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Byron Gibbs was born in Clare, Michigan on December 7, 1916. He graduated from college in 1938 and was drafted into the Army in 1941. Byron trained in Louisiana with Company C of the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division, and was sent to Australia in 1942. They continued training in Australia, traveling to Adelaide and Brisbane and then were sent to New Guinea, where his unit fought at Buna. While that campaign continued, he was transferred back to the US for signal corps training, and eventually returned to the Pacific and served as a signalman at MacArthur's headquarters in the Philippines.
- Date Created:
- 2008-10-19T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- George William "Bill" Sefton was born in 1922 in Anderson, Indiana. Prior to the war he was taking classes at Ball State Teacher's College. He enlisted in the Army shortly after the war started, trained as an officer and served briefly with the 131st Infantry Regiment guarding the Soo Locks in northern Michigan before being accepted for paratrooper training. He went to Camp Taccoa, Georgia and began training with the 501st Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He went with his unit to England and jumped into Normandy on D-Day. He served with his unit in Normandy until they withdrew to prepare for Operation Marked Garden. He made his second jump as part of that operation in September, and served with his unit in the Netherlands until they were withdrawn in Novermber, and then went to Bastogne, Belgium in December 1944 to fight back against the German advance during the Battle of the Bulge. After the fighting at Bastogne, his unit moved to the Alsace-Lorraine region and on into Germany. With the war over he was transferred to the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division where he served with them in France as the athletics officer and club officer (in charge of athletic supplies, and officers' club supplies) for his unit. At the end of the war he met his wife who was an Army nurse at the time.
- Date Created:
- 2003-09-18T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Green served in the military for two years during the Korean War. He was drafted, but served at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was raised in Lowell, Michigan along with his two younger siblings. While in the Army, he was a mechanic on tracked units. He reminisces about some of his camp experiences, and explains some of the training he underwent.
- Date Created:
- 2006-06-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Leo Homrich served in the Army during World War II. He was born in 1925 to a family of farmers, and was drafted into the Army at 18. After training, he was shipped to the Pacific, where he served in New Guinea and the Philippines. He worked as a both a radio man and as an operator of the Browning Automatic Rifle while he was in the Pacific theatre.
- Date Created:
- 2009-03-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jack Lofgren is a World War II veteran who served in the Quartermasters Corps of the U.S. Army from November 1942 to 1945. In this account, Lofgren discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and basic training in the U.S. and his service time abroad. What is most interesting is the brief details he gives in regards to the fighting in Italy, S. France, and his acquaintanceship with Audie Murphy. Lofgren concludes by sharing what impact his time in the service had on him.
- Date Created:
- 2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Charles Shapin served in the US Army during World War II. He trained both as an artillerist and an infantryman, and eventually shipped over to Europe with an artillery battalion attached to the 75th Division. He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, and later in the Netherlands and Germany. He provides detailed discussions of training and army life, as well as of his experiences in Europe, both in and out of combat.
- Date Created:
- 2008-04-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Chuck Mulder was born in September 1925 in Grand Haven, Michigan. He grew up there and in the fall of 1943 he was drafted into the Army. He reported for duty on December 21, 1943 and was sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri for basic training and Signal Corps training. In the summer of 1944 he was assigned to an antitank platoon in the Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion of the 302nd Infantry Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division. He was sent over to Europe in August 1944 and was sent to France on September 8, 1944. He saw action around Lorient and Saint-Nazaire, France and then in January 1945 saw action in the Battle of the Bulge around the Saar-Moselle Triangle. In the spring of 1945 the 94th Infantry Division advanced into Germany and from the end of the war on May 8, 1945 through the summer of 1945 he was stationed in Czechoslovakia as part of the occupation force. He was sent back to the United States in late 1945 and was discharged from the Army at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tex Campbell was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 1949, and was drafted into the Army in 1968. After training in Fort Bliss, Texas, he was sent to Vietnam and assigned to an infantry company in the 101st Airborne Division. His unit patrolled around Phuoc Vinh and Cu Chi for several months, and then moved north and operated out of Camp Evans. His unit spent most of its time in the field, and was involved in actions in the A Shau Valley in 1969. Upon his return from Vietnam, he spent the last part of his enlistment at Fort Carson, Colorado.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William Peterson was born on May 1, 1924 and enlisted in the Navy for 3 years of active duty during WWII. He was stationed in New Guinea where he worked taking aerial photographs for making maps and also taking photographs of the civilian population. After his time in New Guinea, William worked as an instructor for a few months in Florida teaching photography and skeet sharp shooting.
- Date Created:
- 2009-06-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Cooley joined the US Army in 1940 and served through World War II. He was a platoon sergeant in the 5th Infantry Division, and was stationed in Iceland, England and Northern Ireland before landing in France after D-Day. He saw action at St. Lo, Metz, and in the counterattack after the Battle of the Bulge before advancing into Germany and Czechoslovakia. His account includes descriptions of life on garrison duty in Iceland, combat in the Norman hedgerows, taking German prisoners and coming upon a small concentration camp shortly after it was liberated.
- Date Created:
- 2008-03-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- George Keller grew up in Michigan and before his service during World War II, he taught in several rural schools and was a principal for a few small schools. He was drafted in February of 1943, and sent to Louisiana to train with the 103rd Division. He was assigned to the divisional headquarters because of his clerical skills, and was promoted from Private to Sergeant so that his rank fit his position. His division landed in Marseille in the fall of 1944 and joined the 7th Army in Alsace. In 1945, they crossed the Rhine and ended the war in Innsbruck, Austria. After thw ear was over, he was transferred to General Patton's headquarters in Munich, where he worked for several months before being shipped home.
- Date Created:
- 2009-05-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- George Robinson was born in Allegan, Michigan in 1922 and enlisted in the Army shortly after graduating from high school. George went through basic training in Missouri, radio code training in Kansas City, and amphibious training in Virginia. He then went to England to prepare for the Normandy invasion, and landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. After the invasion George was sent to Hawaii to train for the invasion of Japan. The war ended before George was shipped across the Pacific and he was discharged shortly after.
- Date Created:
- 2008-06-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Photograph of Edward "Ned" Manley leaning on Military Police jeep
- Date Created:
- 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Notes:
- Milton Devries was drafted in 1941 and sent to Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, to join the 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division. He served with this unit on New Guinea, where he was badly wounded at Buna. After an extended hospital stay, he saw duty in Australia and the United States before being discharged.
- Date Created:
- 2007-10-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Thaddeus Zator grew up in Michigan and was drafted in the Army during World War II. He trained as a communications specialist, first at Camp Crowder, Missouri, and then in Arlington, Virginia, before being sent to England in 1943. He was based in London, and traveled around to repair communications equipment. After D-Day, he was sent to France, where he moved from unit to unit to work on equipment as needed, often flying in small planes to his assignments from a base near Verdun, France.
- Date Created:
- 2010-11-30T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jimmy Butt was born in Tippo, Mississippi, on October 13, 1921. He was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Auburn University and graduated in February 1943. He attended the Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned as an officer on June 23, 1943. He completed Survey School a month later. In September 1943, he went to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, and joined the 863rd Field Artillery Battalion of the 63rd Infantry Division. On Christmas Day 1944, he sailed to the European Theatre and in January 1945 joined the rest of the 63rd near Saarbrucken. He participated in the fighting on the Siegfried Line and the eventual crossing of the Rhine River into Germany. He was with the division as it advanced through Germany and witnessed the liberation of multiple slave labor camps. After Germany's surrender in May 1945, he was part of the Army of Occupation and served in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. He left Germany in summer 1946 and was discharged at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in September 1946.
- Date Created:
- 2017-01-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Gene Pasma was born on August 28, 1923 in Moline, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was drafted in January 1943. He received basic training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland as well as went to a technical school to learn how to be an armorer. He was stationed at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts from mid-1943 to fall 1944 servicing small arms for men going overseas. He was pulled from that duty and received further training at Camp Plauche, Louisiana and Camp Howze, Texas and was sent to the European Theatre in January 1945 as a replacement infantryman. He joined the 69th Infantry Division in England and was assigned to 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 271st Infantry Regiment. They went over to Europe in late January 1945 and he saw action on the Siegfried Line, in the Rhineland, and across Germany until he was wounded on April 25, 1945. After recovering from his wounds he rejoined his unit in Germany and stayed with them until the end of August 1945. He left Europe in late August 1945 and was finally discharged from the Army at Camp Polk, Louisiana in Novembber 1945.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Floyd "Bud" Hall enlisted in the United States Navy at age 16. After a short time in air-sea rescue, Floyd decided to join the paratroopers. He describes the paratrooper training process and the numerous practice jumps that were required. Floyd was eventually sent to Korea in 1952 and served as a tank commander until the end of the conflict in 1953.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ron Hudson was born in Three Rivers, Michigan in 1950. In the spring of 1969 he enlisted in the Army and after training in Fort Polk, Fort Walters, and Fort Sill he became a field artillery specialist. He was attached to the HQ Company 1st Battalion 39th Field Artillery which was a part of the 108th Artillery Group 24th Corps. He conducted fire missions predominantly on the DMZ and his unit helped provide covering fire during the pullout from Firebase Ripcord. After getting married to his high school sweetheart in Hawaii and finishing his tour in 1971 he returned to Michigan for college at Ferris, relocated to Virginia, and eventually served with the National Guard Reserve for twenty seven years up to and including Operation Desert Storm.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- John Kangas was born in Cedar Springs, Michigan in 1981. After graduating high school he was unemployed for awhile before enlisting in the army in 2001. He received his training at Ft. Sill. He worked the radar, assigned to 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery. Mr. Kangas spent almost a year in Germany before going to Iraq. He worked on three different bases in or near Balad and Fallujah while staying in Iraq for a year. He then spent more time in Germany before going home. He was recalled into the military in 2009 and served in Iraq for another 7-8 months driving a truck back and forth from Kuwait to Iraq.
- Date Created:
- 2011-06-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Glenn Lyons was born April 4th 1920 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and drafted into the Army in November, 1941. After a year of training, he was shipped to North Africa, with the 2nd Armored Division. He spent most of his military service as a jeep driver in a light tank company in that unit. He missed the invasion of Sicily due to illness, but was with his unit from Normandy until the end of the war.
- Date Created:
- 2005-12-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Joseph Borst was drafted into the United States Army during World War II. He was sent to Europe after going through training and fought in France, Germany, and Luxembourg. Joseph spent about 6 months in Europe and had two different machine gun crews working under him. He did not enjoy fighting in Europe and had a difficult time working there. After the war Joseph returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan and it took him about 10 years to re-adjust to civilian life.
- Date Created:
- 2009-05-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Frank was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 21, 1949. He graduated from high school in June 1966 and had two unsuccessful attempts at college. He worked for the United States Postal Service and received his draft notice on his twentieth birthday 1969. Frank was drafted into the United States Army. After basic training and AIT, he attended mortar school and the NCO training school in Fort Benning, Georgia. He served for several months as the training NCO at Fort Riley before being sent to Vietnam. Frank was attached to Charlie Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne and was stationed out of Camp Evans. Frank was involved with Firebase Ripcord and later operated the TOC at Camp Evans and was in charge of base defenses.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Gunther Kirschner, born in October of 1948 in Germany, moved to the U.S. at a young age and lived near Grand Rapids Michigan. After completing high school he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Gunther served from August of 1969 to February of 1971, spending several months as a rifleman in the 101st Airborne Diviision during the Vietnam Conflict. While he was with his unit, his company was not heavily engaged, although other units in his battalion and brigade were. His tour was cut short by infections, and he was sent home for treatment, and completed his service in the U.S.
- Date Created:
- 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Albert Manes was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1919, but grew up in Michigan. He was drafted in 1941 and was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division. He served in the headquarters section of an infantry company. He saw action with his unit in the Aleutian Islands, the Marianas, on Leyte in the Philippines, and on Okinawa. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service on Leyte.
- Date Created:
- 2004-11-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Doug Mills was drafted into the United States Army in 1965. He trained in Tennessee, Kansas and Georgia before being sent to Vietnam with the 199th Brigade. He served as a heavy weapons unit MP and would look after POW's for the last few months of his service before returning home.
- Date Created:
- 2010-05-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Willard Brock was born on June 8, 1936 in Gaines Township, Michigan. Around the time that he turned 18 years old he enlisted in the Army. He received basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and medical training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and Fort Riley, Kansas. He was deployed to West Germany in 1956 and served 18 months at the 20th Station Hospital in Nuremberg, Germany for 18 months where he worked in the maternity ward. At the end of his time in Germany he returned to the United States and was discharged from active duty at Fort Sheridan, Illinois and served for two years in the Reserves.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Fred Chambers was born in Orlando, Florida in 1940 and graduated from Jones High School in 1959. After graduating from high school Fred volunteered for the draft in the Army so that he would serve a term of 2 years instead of 3. He went through basic training for 8 weeks at Fort Jackson and then volunteered for Jump School at Fort Bragg. After his 2 years Fred re-enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the 187th Infantry Brigade, where he served for 2 tours in Okinawa and 2 tours in Vietnam. After serving overseas Fred working as a recruiter for the Army in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 13 years before he retired.
- Date Created:
- 2009-11-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Cornelia Ooms was a nurse in the U.S. Army during World War II. She was stationed in Italy and worked in the field hospitals with French, North African, British and American soldiers. She hurt her back in Italy and had to return back home to the states where she finished school and married. While she spent time in Italy in a hospital, Cornelia met Bob Dole and two other soon to be senators. She volunteered to feed Mr. Dole, who at the time could not use his arms to feed himself.
- Date Created:
- 2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Carl J. Strom served in the United States Army in France and Italy during WW II from July 1942 to May 1945. In this interview, Strom and his wife, Eleanor, talk about their wartime experiences. Eleanor discusses life as an Army wife and how she followed her husband from boot camp to boot camp. Strom was a member Company B, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division and lead the first platoon of soldiers across the Rapido River at the Battle at Cassino. He and one other soldier were the only people to survive from their Platoon's crossing. Strom's account of the Battle at Cassino is told in great detail. Strom shares stories of leaky boats, the bombing of the Abby, and intense casualties. He also discusses his Division's invasion of Southern France and an unlikely friendship between himself and a German Captain. Strom integrated maps, photographs, and his medals into the video interview.
- Date Created:
- 2006-05-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Dr. Richard Muir was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 2, 1939. After graduating from high school in 1957 he attended Northwestern University, Albion College, and Wayne State University studying medicine. After completing his internship in 1966 he was drafted in spring 1966 and reported for active duty in August 1966. He received training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and volunteered to be deployed to Vietnam. He reported to Travis Air Force Base, California on November 2, 1966 to be deployed to Vietnam. He was stationed in Pleiku where he worked at a provincial civilian hospital treating civilians and training Vietnamese medical personnel. He also would go into the hills and villages of Vietnam to treat the Montagnards as well as rural Vietnamese. He was sent back to the United States in November 1967. He was stationed at Fort MacArthur, California for nine months and was discharged from there.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Bolinder is a World War II who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps with the 423rd Night Fighter Squadron from February 1941 to October 1945. Bolinder describes Robert Bolinder is a World War II who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps with the 423rd Night Fighter Squadron from February 1941 to October 1945. Bolinder describes the specialized training for night fighter pilots, the missions he flew over France, Belgium and Germany. Toward the end of the war, he was removed from night fighting because of vision problems, but could still fly, and wound up serving as the pilot for the commander of an infantry division, a duty that took him to Torgau, Germany, for the first meeting between US and Soviet generals. Personal narrative and pictures appended to outline.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ron Dykstra was born on July 6th, 1948 in Holland, Michigan. Following graduation from high school in Grandville, Michigan, Dykstra received his draft notice in 1968 and reported in 1969. After completing his basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky and his AIT at Fort Polk in Louisiana, Dykstra deployed to Vietnam. Originally, Dykstra fought in Vietnam as a member of the 1st Infantry Division. However, when the 1st Infantry returned to the United States as part of President Nixon's downsizing, Dykstra still had time let on his tour, so he transferred to the Americal Division, where he served for the remainder of his tour.
- Date Created:
- 2011-03-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ray Janssen was born in Wisconsin in 1923 and then grew up on a farm in Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1942 and was drafted shortly after in 1943. Ray trained in terribly hot weather in Alabama for eight months and then trained in California for about three weeks before leaving for Australia. Ray worked with Australian civilians in supply warehouses for one year before traveling to Leyte, where he was wounded in a kamikaze attack on his ship. He recuperated on New Guinea and returned to duty in the Philippines at the end of the war, where he helped to destroy leftover supplies and munitions.
- Date Created:
- 2008-08-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Melvin Van Dis was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan and served in the Army during World War II. Van Dis was drafted into the Army in 1943, and was sent to Europe as a replacement for killed or injured troops. He was attached to the 1st Division, which had lost a number of men during their previous campaigns. He landed in Normandy on D-Day as part of the second wave to hit the beaches. He was injured in Normandy in a friendly fire incident. He recovered and was sent back to his unit, serving with them across France and into Aachen, only to succumb to trench foot in the Hurtgen Forest. He finished his tour of duty working for the American Legion back in the United States.
- Date Created:
- 2009-07-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Edward Ramon was born in 1942 in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated high school in May of 1960. Ramon received a scholarship to play football at Texarkana Junior College, but decided to join the Army in 1961. He completed his Advanced Individual Training at Fort Ord, California, and his Finance Training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, before he trained as a medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Ramon was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis response in the early '60s and trained as a helicopter pilot after reenlistment. He was deployed to Vietnam in January, 1966, with the 1st Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne Divisions. While he primarily flew gunships, he also participated in various rescue missions in Vietnam.
- Date Created:
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Freddie Gilbert is a Vietnam War veteran born in1949 in Vermont and was raised in Prairieville, Maryland. In 1969 he was drafted for the Vietnam War and was attached to D Company in 2nd and 506th of the 101st Airborne. His unit was heavily engaged in the fighting around Firebase Ripcord in 1970. After the war he enlisted in the Army and served as a trainer and made that his career until he retired from service on June 1st 1989. Afterwards he took a job in the civilian security sector with the Pinkerton Guard Business and is still serving with them.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- George Smith was born in Coopersville, Michigan on April 28, 1922. George was drafted into the Army when he was 20 years old. He was assigned to the 105th Artillery and mostly trained in Georgia. George landed in France and moved into Germany where his job was to support the infantry with artillery. His unit was pulled off the front lines in Germany to help out in Bastone, Belgium where he was wounded by a mortar. George was put in a horse arena that was converted into a hospital and got gas gangrene. He lost his left leg and his big toe on his right foot. George was sent home and spent over a year at a hospital in Texas.
- Date Created:
- 2008-05-21T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William Van Luyn was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925, and was drafted into the Army in 1943. He wanted to go, and was disappointed when he was rejected due to an eye problem, but later talked his way past the recruiter and sent to Camp Ellis, Illinois, to train as an engineer. He joined the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment and was assigned to B Company, which specialized in bridge construction. He shipped out to England with his unit in the spring of 1944, and deployed to Normandy shortly after D-Day. After the Normandy breakout, his regiment followed Patton's 3rd Army across France, building and rebuilding bridges all along the way, sometimes under fire from enemy artillery or aircraft. His unit got caught up in the Battle of the Bulge, and then participated in the invasion of Germany, building their longest bridge across the Rhine near Remagen. Shortly after the Germans surrendered, the unit was deployed to the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Japan.
- Date Created:
- 2011-08-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Audrey Bronkema served in the U.S. army from approximately 1989-1993. Audrey had her basic training at Fort Jackson South Carolina and was then sent to MOS training at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Audrey spent several years of her service as a telecommunication center operator in Germany. She was stationed in Germany at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, and her unit was put on alert for deployment, but the alert was cancelled once the war ended.
- Date Created:
- 2011-10-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Anthony Critchlow was born in Boise, Idaho in 1948. When he was nineteen years old he decided to enlist in November of 1967 as a cook in the military. He went to basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington for eight weeks before going to Fort Lee, Virginia for another eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training. Anthony was then assigned to Frankfurt, Germany but was eventually sent to Verona, Italy where he remained for one year. He volunteered to serve in Vietnam and, after addition training at Fort Lewis, he was sent to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. Anthony was sent to Fort Evans until he volunteered to serve as a replacement for Firebases. He initially served at Firebase Blaze until he was sent through Firebase Bastogne and Firebase Birmingham. His final Firebase came in May of 1970 when he was sent to Firebase Ripcord. He worked in a small field Kitchen at Firebase Ripcord until he was sent home. He re-enlisted three years later and stayed in the Army until 1990, serving in Germany, Denmark and Korea, as well as at Fort Hood, Texas.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Marcia Van Ess was born in 1949 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school she went on to attend the nursing program at Mercy Central School of Nursing in Grand Rapids at St. Mary's Hospital and during that time enlisted in the Army as a nurse. After graduating from nursing school in December 1969 and passing the nursing test in February 1969 she attended basic training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. In April 1969 she was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky and remained there until she received orders for Vietnam in late summer of 1970. She was deployed to Vietnam in October 1970 and was assigned to the 24th Evacuation Hospital at Long Binh. During her time there she was stationed in the pre-operation and recovery ward, had experience with severe burns, amputations, traumatic head injuries and treating the wounds of both U.S. soldiers and Vietnamese prisoners of war. She stayed in Vietnam until November 1971 when she returned home and was discharged from the Army. She is now an active member in a Vietnam War historical group and speaks about her experiences in Vietnam.
- Date Created:
- 2014-03-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Keith King was born on April 5, 1921 in Greenville, Michigan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army in 1942. He was processed at Camp Custer, Michigan then went to Camp Roberts, California for three months of infantry training and vehicle maintenance training. From Camp Roberts he was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina and was assigned to a Service Company in the 310th Infantry Regiment of the 78th Infantry Division. He went on maneuvres, got married, and worked at Camp Butner until the division was deployed in fall 1944. They crossed into France in late November 1944 and took up positions in the Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German border. He took part in the Battle of the Bulge then the advance into Germany, crossing the Rhine River in March 1945 and fighting in the Ruhr Pocket until Germany surrendered in May 1945. He stayed in Germany until September 1945 when he was sent back to the United States and discharged at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
- Date Created:
- 2015-08-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bert Jones II was a combat soldier in the Vietnam War for the U.S. Army. He mainly fought in the Tan Yen Province, but was in Cambodia for 45 days, as well. He does not discuss in specific detail what he did during the War, but he does describe the emotional impact it caused.
- Date Created:
- 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Nickoli Kotchka is a World War II Veteran who served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945 in Africa, Italy, France, and Austria as a member of the 15th Infantry 3rd Division. Soon after Pearl Harbor, Kotchka was drafted into the Army and sent to Europe. Kotchka discusses his time in Europe and some of the fighting in Italy, as well as his life after the war.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- William A. Sikkel joined the Michigan National Guard before World War II and served in the army on active duty between 1940 and 1945 in the 126th Regiment, 32nd "Red Arrow" Division. He attended Officer Candidate School before the division shipped out to the Pacific and served in Australia and New Guinea as a platoon and company commander and as a staff officer. He remained in the National Guard after the war, and also served as mayor of Holland, Michigan.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-14T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Carolyn Greene was born in Jackson, Mississippi on June 23, 1948. Her father was in the US Air Force and she grew up where he was stationed at Kessler Air Force Base in Mississippi. When Carolyn was a teenager she was active in the Civil Rights Movement, working with the Freedom Riders, NAACP, and even got to meet Martin Luther King. She enlisted in the Army in 1972 after graduating from college, and went through basic training in Fort Jackson in South Carolina. She then went to Fort Rucker in Alabama where she took AIT classes and spent the rest of her service working in an office. In the interview, she notes continuing problems with racism in Alabama and some of the problems that returning veterans from Vietnam brought with them
- Date Created:
- 2006-08-21T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Don was born in South Amboy, New Jersey on April 6, 1949. He graduated from high school in 1967 and worked for two years as a machinist before being drafted into the United States Army in 1969. He attended basic training at Fort Dix and AIT at Fort Lewis. Don was sent to Vietnam in 1969 and was assigned to Charlie Company, 101st Airborne. He was in the battle of Hill 902 and Hill 1000 and operated around Firebase Ripcord. Don spent a total of 50 weeks in Vietnam.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Letter from Alexis J. Goffan, guardian of Arthur B. Smith, requesting a copy of the discharge and death certificate of Smith's father.
- Date Created:
- 1897-08-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Notes:
- Felix Gullick spent most of his childhood on a farm in Kansas, and then moved to Muskegon, Michigan in 1939. He was drafted and served in the US Army between 1943 and 1946. He did his basic training in California, and spent about a year working on the docks in Los Angeles and Long Beach, and later was shipped to India and spent the last year of the war with the 45th Engineer Battalion, which was building and maintaining part of the Burma Road. He was the dispatcher for his company, and effectively commanded his unit much of the time. After the war, he returned to Michigan and played semiprofessional baseball during the last days of the Negro Leagues.
- Date Created:
- 2008-11-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)