Experience with death

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Cowell, Ernest Becoming a Soldier and Overseas Deployment
When Ernest Cowell was in high school, his friends started being drafted. One boy was a tanker [Annotator's Note: part...
Tsubota, Thomas Becoming a Soldier and Pearl Harbor
Thomas Kiyoshi Tsubota trained at Schofield Barracks [Annotator's Note: in Honolulu, Hawaii] as a member of the 298th...
Schneider, Richard Becoming a Tail Gunner
Richard "Dick" Schneider was trained at various locations in the United States but spent most of his time at Gulfport...
Morse, Ralph Becoming a War Correspondent
Ralph Morse was born in Manhattan in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] in October 1917. His father...
Glass, Helen Becoming a WAVE
Helen Anderson Glass enlisted but could not enter active service until she was investigated by governmental security...
Towle, John Becoming an Airman
John W. Towle volunteered for the service. He had been attending the University of Tennessee but had a wreck and was...
Sonnier, Lorcey Becoming an Airman
Lorcey J. Sonnier was born in May 1924. During the Great Depression, he did not have shoes. The town did not have roads...
Vancheri, Edith Becoming an Army Nurse
[Annotator's Note: There is a lot of background noise in this interview.] Edith Vancheri was born in February 1923 in...
Viani, Bruno Becoming an Officer
Bruno Viani was asked by his company commander if he would consider applying for OCS [Annotator's Note: Office...
McConn, John "Jack" Becoming an Officer
John McConn experienced German machine gun fire at the battle of Saint- Dié. The enemy fired their guns at the...
Steele, Ben Before the Surrender
While working on a road, Ben Steele would see men covered with mosquitos. They did not have mosquito nets to sleep with...
Elfer, Rosemary Before the War
Rosemary Elfer was born in Grand Bay, Alabama in 1924 even though all of her ancestors were born in Louisiana....
Scales, James Beginning of the War and Leaving Japan
James Shelton Scales was in the Marine Corps when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese...
Geiger, John Behind Enemy Lines
John Geiger [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit, known as the Alamo Scouts] and...
Tweed, Earl Being a Company Commander
Earl Tweed advanced from being a platoon commander with 35 to 40 men at full strength to being a company commander with...
Shook, Hal Being a Flight Instructor
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Harold Shook was "just a junior birdman," and at the start of his time there witnessed a...
Rougas, Beverly Being a Marine
The war was on and all of the men were being drafted. After the first year, women were allowed to join the military, so...
Halloran, Walter Being a POW
Walter Halloran would carefully pick his spots as he advanced in enemy territory. He would try to keep trees and brush...
Bollich, James Being a POW in Manchuria
Once he was strong enough, James Bollich was transferred to Mukden, Manchuria [Annotator's Note: Mukden, Manchuria,...
Rosendahl, Robert Being a POW in Mukden, China
[Annotator's Note: Robert Rosendahl served in the USAAF as an aircraft mechanic with the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, 24th...
Golden, James Being a Prisoner of War
[Annotator's Note: Throughout this clip, a woman off camera interjects with comments.] James Ramsey Golden was captured...
Flynn, David Being a Prisoner of War on Java
While David Flynn was in the water, he was only concerned with staying alive, not with thoughts of what would happen if...
Smith, Thomas Being a Scout and Runner
Thomas J. Smith, Junior was out scouting [Annotator's Note: as part of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment,...
Mayer, Philip Being a Sergeant
Philip Mayer was a sergeant [Annotator's Note: in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division]...
Puissegur, Baptiste Being a Staff Car Driver and Nightmares After the War
Baptiste Puissegur was a staff car driver during the war. He liked the officers he served with. He enjoyed the duty...
Kafka, T. Being a WAC
T. Toby Kafka enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in 1944 at the age of 20. Her family, particularly her brother,...
Garbo, William Being Ambushed
A day after William Garbo and his machine gun squad successfully ambushed a group of Japanese soldiers in a mountain...
de Jonge, Wim Being Ambushed and Wounded
Wim de Jonge accompanied an officer to Jakarta. They traveled alone in a jeep through the mountains without convoy...
Lefever, Paul Being an Aerial Gunner
The first mission Paul Lefever participated in was the second Schweinfurt mission [Annotator's Note: on 14 October 1943...
Bradley, John Being an Aide and Going to Korea
John Bradley served in the Army infantry and attended jump and Ranger school. He volunteered to join the 101st Airborne...
Dyson, Freeman Being an Analyst for RAF Bomber Command
Freeman Dyson gathered information during World War 2 for Bomber Command [Annotator's Note: British Royal Air Force...
Scales, James Being an Officer
When James Shelton Scales was promoted to captain and given his own company [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion...
Pavlovich, Theodore Being Awarded the Silver Star Medal
While the 35th Infantry [Annotator's Note: 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division] waited on Guadalcanal [...
Roxandich, George Being Captured
George H. Roxandich [Annotator's Note: with the 104th Infantry Division] was at a reunion when a fellow veteran...
Matsumoto, Roy Being Compromised
Roy H. Matsumoto was successful in his covert work against the communists [Annotator's Note: he had been called into...
Scherer, Monroe Being Drafted and Becoming an Engineer
Monroe Scherer had lost a year of studies due to illness as a child. When he turned 18, he was still in high school. He...

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