Prewar life

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Synder, Harold Enlistment to Gunnery Training
Before he graduated, Harold Daniel Snyder went to enlist in the Army Air Corps with three others. His parents did not...
Amsden, Ben Enlistment to Naval Aviator
In the Spring of 1942, Benjamin Clark Amsden started pursuing going into Naval Aviation. He found out the eye exam was...
Twigger, William Enlistment to Okinawa
William J. Twigger had a cousin his age. His cousin and his brother had joined the Marine Corps early in the war....
Davis, Jackson Enlistment to Pearl Harbor
Jackson Davis went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to practice law. The Draft Act [Annotator's Note: Selective Training and...
Ronson, Harold Enlistment to Pearl Harbor
Harold Ronson was the only one home living with his father after his mother passed away. His brothers were all serving...
Curran, Philip Enlistment to Radioman
Choosing to go in the Navy [Annotator's Note: in 1944] was natural for Philip Curran. He grew up on the water. His...
Eshelman, Raymond Enlistment to USS LST-801
Ray Eshelman knew everybody was going to be drafted. There was also a universal interest in joining the service and...
Bodson, Henry Entering Service
Henry Bodson went to West Point [Annotator's Note: United States Military Academy in West Point, New York]. It was a...
Gibfried, Paul Entering the Navy
Paul Gibfried grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, near Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois]. His family arrived...
Achee, Lorraine Entertainment, Education and the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Lorraine Achee's father had died when they were very young. Her mother would mention the pending war news once in a...
Shaw, Claude Entrance Into Military Service and Deployment
Life at the Academy [Annotator's Note: United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland] was very good, and Claude...
Wingo, Hugh Entrance into Service
Hugh Wingo was born in August 1918 in South Carolina. When he was 13 years old, they moved to North Carolina. He lived...
Lewis, Claude Entrance into Service
Claude L. Lewis was born in 1922. The Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global economic depression that...
Rice, Rip Entrance into Service
Rip Rice was born in New York City, New York in April 1924. His family was in the restaurant business in lower...
Dawson, David Entrance into Service
David Dawson was born in October 1924 in Tampa, Florida. They moved to Gary, Indiana when he was two years old. His...
Daley, Chris Entrance into Service
Chris Daley was born in October 1923 in Lafayette, Louisiana. He grew up in a small town. His father owned a wholesale...
Craig, James Entrance into Service
James Craig was born in August 1918 in Tennessee. His father worked for the Beaver Brothers. He did a lot of hauling...
Clark, Merrill Entrance into Service
Merrill J. Clark grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His father was employed during the Depression [Annotator's Note: Great...
Geiger, John Entrance into Service
John Geiger was born in Newark, New Jersey in April 1923. He had two sisters. His father was a contractor for trucking...
Britt, James Entrance into Service
James Britt was born in Asheville, North Carolina in March 1914. His mother worked in a bank. His father served in...
Asher, Adolph Entrance into Service
Adolph Edward Asher was born March 1916 in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. During the...
Boeke, Robert Entrance into Service
Robert Boeke and his classmates talked about the war in social studies class. He sang in the boys' choir. They started...
St. Amant, Philemon Entrance into Service
Philemon Andrews Saint Amant graduated high school in 1935 in Baton Rouge [Annotator's Note: Baton Rouge, Louisiana]....
Molen, Herman Entrance into Service
Herman Molen was born in August 1923 in Greenville, Texas. He was studying to be a minister. He was ordained. When the...
O'Brien, William L. Entrance into Service
William O’Brien was born in Dubuque, Iowa in June 1918. His real father passed away when he was four months old. His...
Clayton, Orville Entrance into Service
Orville Clayton was born in Fort Payne, Alabama in May 1921. He grew up in a small town. His father was a physician. He...
Lutz, William Entrance into Service
William Lutz was born in March 1920. He had three younger sisters, and two younger brothers who served in the Korean...
Lopez, Lionel Entrance into Service
Lionel Lopez was born in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] in August 1921. He went to Catholic...
LaRose, Bruce Entrance into Service
Bruce LaRose was born in Pennsylvania. He remembers the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global...
Smith, Clifford Entrance into Service
[Annotator's Note: A dog barks in the background throughout video.] Clifford Smith was born in Jeannette, Pennsylvania...
Simon, Albert Entrance into Service
Albert Simon was born in February 1920. His parents worked on a farm. He was raised on the farm and worked there until...
Hatch, Norman Entrance into Service
Norman Hatch graduated from high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1938. The Depression [Annotator's Note: Great...
Tangradi, Richard Entrance into Service
Richard Tangradi was born in June 1924 in Philadelphia [Annotator’s Note: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. He grew up there...
Dawson, Ruffin Entrance into Service
Ruffin Walker Dawson was born in Saint Francisville, Louisiana in 1924 [Annotator's Note: November 1924]. He grew up on...
Richards, Richard Entrance into Service
Richard Richards was born in July 1916. He grew up on a farm. He graduated high school in 1935. He enlisted in the Army...
Paris, Thomas Entrance into Service
Thomas Paris was born in Nashville, Tennessee in May 1926. He had one sister. His father was a salesman for Remington....

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