Entrance into Service

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Dufour, O'Hearn Training in the Navy
O’Hearn “Duffy” Vincent Dufour joined the Navy [Annotator’s Note: in 1940] in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New...
Hamilton, Richard Training in the United States Army Air Force
After Richard Henry Hamilton finished high school in 1940, he raised poultry on the farm as a means of income until he...
Davis, Edna Training in the WASPs
[Annotator's Note: Edna Davis served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs.] Everybody liked the AT-6 [...
Wombacher, Delbert Training Tank Crews
[Annotator's Note: After working on tank trial tests with US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., Delbert...
Chauvin, Ernest Training Then England
Ernest Chauvin was drafted and went to basic training at Camp Croft, South Carolina. It was a pretty camp and was...
Davis, Jack Training then Overseas to France
Jack Davis went to his military training at Camp Pickett [Annotator's Note: now Fort Pickett, near Blackstone, Virginia...
Lansou, David Training to be a Marine
David Lansou was drafted into the Marine Corps [Annotator's Note: in 1943]. His parents were proud that their sons were...
Kelley, John Training to be a Paratrooper
John Kelley was born in Dalton, Georgia in June 1924. He grew up in Atlanta [Annotator's Note: Atlanta, Georgia] where...
Cruise, Leslie Training to be a Paratrooper
Leslie Cruise and 200 new soldiers were shipped out to New Cumberland [Annotator's Note: New Cumberland, Pennsylvania...
Bartley, Irene Training to be a WAC
Irene Bartley was born in December 1923 in Seattle [Annotator’s Note: Seattle, Washington]. She and her twin sister...
Bannon, Calvin Training to be an Army Pilot
Calvin F. Bannon was born in Seattle, Washington in 1921 and had two older brothers. One of his brothers flew a B-17 [...
Parham, Henry Training to D-Day Invasion
[Annotator's Note: There is a very loud humming noise throughout this clip.] After he was drafted [Annotator's Note: in...
Wieland, Kenneth Training to Invade Japan
Kenneth Wieland does not remember too much about his basic training but recalls there was a lot of marching and time on...
Beard, Oral Training to Overseas Deployment
[Annotator's Note: Throughout this clip, a person off-camera answers a lot of the interviewer's questions or gives...
Damiano, George Training with Friends
George A. Damiano graduated from high school shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese...
Armstrong, Henry Training with Mules
Henry Armstrong trained in artillery. He was six feet two inches tall. When they boarded the train after basic training...
Golemi, Frank Trouble in Marrakesh
Frank Golemi was sent to the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center [Annotator's Note: Now Lackland Air Force Base, a part...
Payne, Robert Trouble with Horses
Robert Payne was in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1944 in flight training. It was a small town. What they were doing was well...
Nolan, Warren Tulane, ROTC and the V-12 Program
Warren Nolan had an older brother who was kind of the pioneer of the family. The family is Catholic, so the brother...
Bleuler, Jack Tulsa Boy to Army Air Corps
[Annotator’s Notes: There is a lot of background noise throughout this segment.] Jack H. Bleuler was born in 1923 and...
Stern, Guy Turned Away then Drafted
Guy Stern had come to Saint Louis, Missouri in 1937 when he was 15 years old to escape Nazi Germany. He tried, but...
Zarger, Edward Two Ex-Convicts
Edward Zarger was in basic training with two men who had been in prison for life. They were told if they completed...
Wiswell, George Underwater Ship Repairs
George Wiswell was made a third-class diver in the Navy. Most repair jobs are figured out as they are done. He was in...
Lynch, James US Naval Academy
James Paul Lynch's father worked for a man running for Congress. Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
Rasmussen, Ervin USS Butte (APA-68)
[Annotator's Note: Ervin Lloyd Rasmussen served in the Navy and was assigned to Pier 92 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in...
Dye, Jack USS LSM-232 to the Pacific
[Annotator's Note: Jack Dye served in the Navy aboard USS LSM-232.] There were 60 men and 6 officers on their crew....
Harless, Paul USS Potomac Assignment
Paul Harless was born in Corryton, Tennessee in December 1921. His father worked in various jobs during the Great...
Purvis, Frank USS Snowden (DE-246)
Teaching was fine, and Frank Purvis knew how fortunate he was. He was reading about and seeing guys in the real war....
George, Carroll USS Taney (WAGC-37) to Okinawa
Carroll George trained on the USCGC Danmark (WIX-283) [Annotator's Note: Danmark; full-rigged ship of Danish Maritime...
Franzke, Charles V-12 Program
While preparing to graduate from high school, Charles “Chuck” Franzke was encouraged by his father to take a test to...
Mather, James V-5 Navy Aviation Cadet Program
James Mather joined the V-5 Program [Annotator's Note: V-5 US Navy Aviation Cadet Program, 1939 to 1943] and became a...
Pratt, Robert V-7 Program to LST Duty
After being accepted into the Navy V-7 program [Annotator's Note: V-7 US Navy Midshipmen Officer Candidates Program,...
McCalla, Anna Various Nursing Jobs
[Annotator's Note: Anna McCalla Noren graduated from Nursing School in March 1943.] That summer, she and a friend...
Bucher, Francis Various Tales
Francis Bucher was training pilots for night flying [Annotator's Note: at Naval Air Station Ellyson Field, Pensacola,...
Clancey, Michael Vietnam War
Michael Clancey followed the news of the Vietnam War [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1...
Black, Jerome Vision Issues and Commission
Jerome Harold Black reported to Fort Sill [Annotator's Note: in Lawton, Oklahoma in February 1943] and for almost a...

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