Entrance into Service

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Jameson, Andrew Pearl Harbor Attack to 117th Infantry Regiment
Andrew George Jameson heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,...
Wilson, Paul Pearl Harbor to Jump School
Paul Wilson had moved to north Oklahoma City [Annotator's Note: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma] when Pearl Harbor happened [...
McWilliams, Donald Pearl Harbor to the Marines
Donald G. "Mac" McWilliams was in high school in 1941 in Ozona [Annotator's Note: Ozona, Texas]. They were shocked [...
O'Hara, Richard Pearl Harbor to Tinian
Richard O'Hara and his father were in the kitchen and heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note:...
Race, John "Jack Race" Personal Pilot for Montgomery
John T. "Jack" Race had to go through training to become an officer and to take a flight test to qualify him for a...
Rondinelli, Ricardo Pilot Training
Ricardo R. Rondinelli was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in April 1924. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note:...
Riga, Jerome "Jerry" Pilot Training
Jerome "Jerry" Riga graduated from high school and went to work soon afterwards. It was not long before the draft came...
Butcher, Chester Pilot Training
Chester J. Butcher was resting and listening to the radio [Annotator's Note: at the United States Military Academy in...
Annas, Floyd Pilot Training
Floyd Annas had always wanted to fly and enlisting in the Army Air Corps was a way to do it. He was sent to Miami Beach...
Welch, Darrell Pilots Afraid of Combat
Darrell Welch went to El Paso [Annotator's Note: El Paso, Texas] to get his physical. He went to Fort Bliss [Annotator'...
Abadie, Melvin Plantation to US Navy
Melvin Abadie was born on the Evergreen Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana in June 1925. He spent the first eight years...
Bird, Lyle Playing in a Band
Lyle Bird was born in May 1926 in Bakersfield, California and grew up in Oakland, California. Bird was one of three...
Bala, Walter Polish Boy to Airman
Walter Bala was born Walter Baloski in September 1923 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Polish...
Blatnik, Robert Poor Boy to Army Man
Robert Joseph Blatnik was born in Cleveland, Ohio in February 1920. He was the fifth of sixth children with two...
Clark, Earl Poor Chicago Boy to Mountaineer
Earl Ervin Clark was born in July 1919 in Londonderry, Vermont. He grew up during the Great Depression and struggled...
Coop, Willard Postwar
After World War 2, Willard Haul Coop re-enlisted and went to Korea for one year during the Korean War [Annotator's Note...
Flores, Belisario Postwar and Closing Thoughts
When Belisario de Jesus "Bel" Flores got out of the Army, he still had a dream of being an officer. There was a...
Culpepper, George Postwar and Prewar Stories
Subic Bay [Annotator's Note: Subic Bay, Philippines] was a nice Naval establishment before it was all lost [Annotator's...
Mather, James Postwar Life
James Mather joined the V-5 Program [Annotator's Note: V-5 US Navy Aviation Cadet Program, 1939 to 1943] and flew...
Ream, John Postwar Life
John Ream remembers that if anyone kept a diary, the FBI [Annotator’s Note: Federal Bureau of Investigation] would...
Horne, Floyd "Bud" Postwar Life and Careers
After the war, Floyd Horne got into investigations. This was in 1946. He got out of the service as a First Lieutenant....
Gibfried, Paul Postwar Life and Reflections
Paul Gibfried does not think he would have served if he had not been drafted. He did love being in the Navy. His first...
Sturman, William Postwar Navy
By the end of the war, William Sturman was a Third Class Petty Officer. He used the G.I. Bill to attend New Mexico...
Uttero, Cosmo Pre-Invasion Life in England
Cosmo Uttero loaded onto a ship and in three days he was in Glasgow, Scotland [Annotator's Note: in November 1943]....
Raquepau, John Preflight to the Pacific
John "Jack" Raquepau got called to go to Preflight School in early November 1942. He went to boot camp which was called...
Schultz, Philip Preparing for D-Day
Philip Schultz went through basic training like any other new recruit. Subsequently, he sailed to England and was there...
Floravante, Emile Preparing for D-Day and Che Guevara
Alfred Alvarez was about 16 years old when Pearl Harbor happened [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor...
Bertolini, Roger Preparing for Normandy
Roger Bertolini served in the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He did his basic training at Camp...
Nannini, James Prewar
James Nannini was born in Chicago, Illinois in July 1923. His father and mother were both Italian immigrants who left...
Brunt, Julian Prewar and Army Training
[Annotator's Note: The video is scrambled for the first ten seconds of the interview. There is a minute and a half of...
Freeman, Frederick Prewar and ASTP
Frederick Freeman was born in Saint Louis County in Kirkwood [Annotator's Note: Kirkwood, Missouri] in May 1925. His...
Della Vedova, Dominic Prewar and Draft
Dominic Della Vedova was born in a coal mining camp called Bear Creek west of Ottumwa, Iowa in June 1919. His father...
Durio, Aristide Prewar and Enlistment
Aristide "A.D." Durio was born in Sunset, Louisiana in July 1926 and grew up there. His father worked in rice fields,...
Morisak, Daniel Prewar and Enlistment
Daniel Morisak was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in January 1921 and was raised in Akron, Ohio with three brothers. He...
Howie, Alice Prewar and Family Life
[Annotator's Note: The interview starts mid-sentence.] Alice Howie was born in February 1925 in Barrineau Park, Florida...
Weseman, Wilfred Prewar and Joining the Air Corps
Wilfred Lawrence Weseman grew up during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global...

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