US Army Air Forces

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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...
McGovern, George Political Life, Mission Targets, and German Flak
George McGovern never really used his doctorate. After he finished, he ended up working for the Democratic party of...
Cole, Homer Politics
Homer Cole parlayed his skill at bowling alley management plus his people skills to begin a political career in 1985 as...
Poulson, Ernest Post Military Career
[Annotator's Note: The interviewer pauses the interview to ask the interviewee to face him.] After retiring from the...
Galbraith, Wendell Post Traumatic Stress and Russians
Wendell Galbraith did not suffer from any survivor's guilt. The only thing he experienced, not long before the...
Neher, Lisle Post War Life
After the war, Lisle Neher stayed in the Reserves. He ended up with an M Day assignment, or Mobilization assignment, in...
Jagoe, Armiger Post War Life and Career
After he left the service, Armiger Jagoe went back to Harvard, but left after a week because he couldn’t sit in a...
Beckman, Kenneth Post War, Korea, and Vietnam
At the conclusion of World War 2, Kenneth Beckman stayed in the Air Force and eventually wound up in Japan with his...
Paul, John Post-mission Briefings
[Annotator's Note: John Paul served in the US Army Air Forces as a pilot flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy...
Dobbs, Clarence "Jack" Post-War Career
He took the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jack Dobbs went right to work, hauling building supplies. He established a...
Buschmeier, Frank Postwar
Frank William Buschmeier returned to the United States after being a prisoner of war in Europe for nine months. He was...
Arrow, Kenneth Postwar
Following World War 2, Dr. Kenneth Arrow pursued his PhD in Economics from Columbia University. During this time, the G...
Schrader, William Postwar
During his time in the Samar Islands, the Philippines, William Schrader [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 23rd...
Ratcliff, Henry Postwar
Henry Ratcliff almost arrived home after his outfit did [Annotator's Note: 860th Aviation Engineer Battalion, 5th Air...
Rinas, Bruno Postwar
Bruno S. Rinas began working on a rented farm and eventually got better. He believes that if you leave many things...
Ruck, Elmore Postwar
Elmore Ruck used the G.I. Bill and attained a mechanical engineering degree after the war. He attends reunions but...
Tyner, Grover Postwar
After Grover Tyner left the Army and signed up for the Reserves, he attended seminary school in the fall of 1946 on the...
Towle, John Postwar
John W. Towle returned home to Tennessee and married his wife in May 1945. Although he had attended the same high...
Cole, Homer Postwar
When the war ended in Europe, Homer Cole was sent to Alexandria, Louisiana to begin training on B-29s [Annotator's Note...
Peterson, Cleveland Postwar
Cleveland Peterson did not take advantage of the GI Bill for education, but he did use it to build a house. After the...
Grubb, Paul Postwar
After Paul James Grubb returned home on a transport [Annotator's Note: after completing 50 missions in Europe as a tail...
Moret, Calvin Postwar
Calvin Moret was still a 19 year old teenager when his mother pinned his wings on him. The war in the Pacific ended...
Brainard, William Postwar
After William White Brainard returned home and was discharged from the Air Force in San Antonio [Annotator’s Note: San...
Gemperline, Eugene Postwar
After a brief furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], Eugene J. Gemperline was...
Wisher, Charles Postwar
Charles “Chuck” Wisher reached the Philippines [Annotator’s Note: as a crewman on a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very...
Field, Edward Postwar
After the war, Edward Field was given the task of flying ground troops home via France and North Africa. He was later...
Bala, Walter Postwar
Walter Bala enjoyed going to his bomb group [Annotator's Note: Bala was a member of the 732nd Bombardment Squadron,...
Ruess, Richard Postwar
At the conclusion of World War 2, Richard R. Ruess had 85 points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on...
Dullnig, Roland Postwar
After war in Europe ended, Roland Dullnig had to wait until he earned enough points to return home [Annotator's Note: a...
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...
McCowen, William Postwar
After being discharged from the service, William McCowen attended college at Denver University [Annotator's Note:...
Garten, Perry Postwar
Perry Garten did not want to remain in the military after the war. Upon returning home, his former company did not...
Paulk, William Postwar
William Morris Paulk did not talk about his World War 2 service when he returned home. It was years before he related...
Eustis, Lawrence Postwar & Reflections
Lawrence Eustis did not use the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944,...
Fitzpatrick, Thomas Postwar & Reflections
After he returned to the United States, Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick was discharged from the military. He took advantage of...
Rineer, Robert Postwar & Reflections
After Robert Rineer was discharged from the Army Air Corps, he married his fiancée and then used the G.I. Bill [...

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