Experience with death

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Gohlke, Marvin Combat Patrol
Marvin H. Gohlke was on a combat patrol. They were supposed to get an object or area. He was on the extreme left flank...
Garbo, William Combat Patrols
William Garbo first entered a combat zone in an Army DUKW [Annotator's Note: an amphibious truck, referred to as a Duck...
Schultz, Philip Combat Photography Team
Philip Schultz was a combat cameraman and part of a team that filmed the wartime action [Annotator’s Note: Schultz was...
Wilson, Paul Combat Reflections
Paul Wilson joined the 17th Airborne [Annotator's Note: Company A, 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne...
Smith, Thomas Combat Stories
Thomas J. Smith, Junior was looking forward to seeing the enemy. The Marines were under the Navy. After training, they...
Pigott, Terrell Combat with General Patton
Terrell Lavern Pigott reached Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France in November 1944]. He was to be attached to...
Foster, Robert Combat, Fear, and Death
The first time somebody shoots at you, the bullet pops when it goes past your head. Robert E. Foster remembers that...
Long, Thomas Combat, Kamikazes and a Pet Monkey
Thomas Long said they made four landings among the small islands around Okinawa, under limited enemy fire. Their...
Orlando, Joseph Combat, Saipan and Being Anti-War
Joseph Orlando was assigned to Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot, Hingham, Massachusetts to be a Drill Instructor but it...
Nicholson, Elmer Combat, VE-Day, and Losing His Brother
Elmer Nicholson, Jr. remembers the Germans had patrols. Both sides knew they were not going anywhere. The Germans did...
Cross, William Combating against the Germans
William V. Cross [Annotator’s Note: with the 261st Infantry Regiment, 65th Infantry Division] made passage to France on...
Raaen, John Coming Ashore on D-Day
John Raaen landed after the first wave [Annotator's Note: on Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944]. The first wave had...
Sullivan, George Coming Home
[Annotator's Note: George Joseph Sullivan was a prisoner of war of the Japanese and was working as slave laborer on the...
Fogg, Floyd Coming Out Alive
The second and final time Floyd Fogg was wounded, the Marines were taking Hill 515 for the fifth time. They were...
Grunte, Leon Coming to America
Leon Grunte ended up in London, England and started training to be a nurse. He wanted to stay there. London was fun. He...
Pierce, Wayne Command Decisions
Wayne Pierce felt the night attack on Cauyuigy was the right thing to do. The attack failed because the 400 Americans...
Fallon, John Commanding Good Men
John T. Fallon lost his Colonel Lombard [Annotator's Note: of the 36th Engineer Combat Regiment] and was not the first...
Whitaker, Fred Commanding Officers
Fred Whitaker crossed the channel [Annotator’s Note: the English Channel between England and France] and landed at Le...
Sarosi, George Communism in Budapest
George A. Sarosi grew up hating the Russians. He did not hate the Germans as much because they were more remote. The...
LeBlanc, Dale Comrades
Dale LeBlanc went to boot camp in San Diego. Marines who went to boot camp in San Diego were referred to as Hollywood...
Lazinger, Sol Comrades
Sol Lazinger remembers one of his officers was marked as missing in action in every official Army record. Sixty years...
Paege, Harry Concentration Camp and Home
The place [Annotator's Note: Nordhausen sub-camp of Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, Nordhausen, Germany, 11 April...
Geldner, Mala Concentration Camp and Liberation
Mala [Annotator's Note: née Gerstner] Geldner was sent to the Oberstadt working camp [Annotator's Note: Comthurey...
Willett, Richard Concentration Camp and Mainz
[Annotator's Note: Richard Willett asks the interviewer to cut the tape for a minute to catch his breath. The video...
Hartzell, Frank Concentration Camp Victims
Frank Hartzell felt animosity toward the enemy when he encountered a column of concentration camp survivors. He had...
Medicine Crow, Joseph Concentration Camps
After Joseph Medicine Crow had spent time in Italy, he returned to southern Germany then went to Poland. It was there...
Frydman, Louis Concentration Camps
Louis Frydman was removed from the Warsaw ghetto. A train took the surviving ghetto uprising participants to Majdanek...
Quigley, Tom Concentration Camps and Culture Shock
After the Battle of the Bulge Tom Quigley was taken out of combat and sent to a hospital due to an injury to his back...
Kaufman, Luna Concentration Camps in Germany
Luna Kaufman was shipped to Germany to work for the same factory who owned them before [Annotator's Note: Kaufman was...
Kaufman, Luna Concentration Camps in Poland
Luna Kaufman had to pack just one valise for her transfer out of the ghetto [Annotator's Note: the Cracow ghetto was...
White, Alexander Concentration Camps, Extermination, Survival and Liberation
During the entire year of 1943, Alexander White and his father worked at the air base and lived in the barracks. In...
Witmeyer, John "J.J." Conclusion
John Witmeyer recognizes the value of The National World War II Museum and is glad that the museum affords the public...
Jagoe, Armiger Conclusions
While Armiger Jagoe was based in Corsica, he took advantage of every R...
Rinas, Bruno Conditions in the POW Camps
Bruno S. Rinas was able to complete the work he was given because he was being fed. He never saw the Japanese shoot...
Morrow, John Confidence in the Crew
John Morrow does not really remember his first mission as a radio operator on a B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17...
Leese, Robert Conquest of New Guinea
By the time the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Robert Leese had completed his...

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