Entrance into Service

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Vaadi, Eugene Advanced Flight Training
Eugene Vaadi enlisted in the US Army Air Forces at age 20 and was sent to Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama for...
Jackson, Arthur Becoming a Marine
Arthur Jackson had been influenced by Marine pilots and wanted to fly. At the recruiting office he took the aviation...
Bourgeois, Henry "Hank" Becoming a Marine Aviator and Deployment to Guadalcanal
Henry Bourgeois was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He first flew when he was about seven years old. After...
Long, Donald Becoming a Sailor
Donald Long would have preferred to be in the Coast Guard since a station was near his home. He enlisted in the Navy...
Grieves, Billy Becoming a Submarine Sailor
Billy Grieves was born in Liberty Center, Ohio. At a young age his parents moved the family to Detroit, Michigan for...
McGee, Charles Becoming a Tuskegee Airman
Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1919. After third grade he moved to Illinois. He also spent some time in...
Czaban, Waldeman Draft and Military Training
Waldeman Czaban received his draft notice soon after he graduated high school in January 1943, and left home for boot...
Swanson, Richard Early Coast Guard Duty
Richard Swanson had two friends who had gone to the local military recruiting stations and liked what they heard about...
Knudson, Robert Early Life
Robert Knudson was born in January 1925 in Mason City, Iowa. His father was a successful greenhouse owner, and even...
Peterson, Carl Early Life
Carl Peterson was born in Foraker, Oklahoma. He had three brothers and a sister and when his mother remarried he got...
Scheerer, Richard Early Life
Richard Scheerer was born in December 1915 and grew up in Kansas City [Annotator's Note: Kansas City, Missouri]. His...
Odom, James Early Life
James Odom was born in November 1925 in South Palo Pinto County, about 20 miles south of Mineral Wells, Texas. He grew...
Jenkins, Samuel Early Life and Becoming a Soldier
[Annotator's Note: The interview begins with the interviewer explaining what he will be doing during the interview....
Vaadi, Eugene Early Life and Enlisting
Eugene Vaadi was born 1 July 1921 Watertown, New York. He spent his life there until entering the military. His father...
Johnsen, Erik Early Life and Enlistment
Erik Frithjof Johnsen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in August 1925 and had one brother who had been born in 1922....
Angier, John Early Life and Enlistment
John Francis Angier was born in June 1923 in Burlington, Vermont. He feels fortunate he was brought up on a dairy farm...
Reese, Lloyd Early Life and Enlistment
Lloyd William (Bill) Reese was born in Milton Center, Ohio. His father was a superintendent of schools. They moved to...
Orlando, Joseph Early Life and Enlistment
Joseph Orlando was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in January 1922. He was the 11th child born but four of his...
Callander, Sherwin Early Life and Enlistment
Sherwin Callander was born in June 1920, the first of three boys, in Vancouver, Canada, but grew up in Oakland,...
Weiner, Reuben Early Life and Enlistment
Reuben Weiner was born in Los Angeles, California on Bastille Day [Annotator's Note: national day of France] in July...
Reale, Albert Early Life and Enlistment
Albert Reale was born in March 1925 in New Britain, Connecticut. He had a good childhood among his three brothers in a...
Oreck, David Early Life and Flight School
David Oreck was born in 1923 in Duluth, Minnesota. Around the age of 18, he decided to go to the University of...
Pendleton, Arthur Early Life and Joining the Marines
[Annotator's Note: Interviewer is setting up the interview and it begins with small talk about the war.] Arthur...
Oral history interview with Ray Felts on 15 September 2016 Early Life and Joining the Navy
Ray Felts was born in Cameron, Oklahoma in September 1926, the eldest of three children. He was 15, and on a double-...
Henleben, Edwin Early Life, Enlistment and Amphibious Training
Edwin Henlebin was born in 1921 in St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there his entire life, except for when he was in the...
Caffarel, Carl Early Life, Enlistment and Education
Carl Caffarel was born in 1925 in Plaquemines, Louisiana, and grew up in the nearby town of Port Allen, Louisiana. The...
Rans, Robert Early Life, Entering the Service, Training and Overseas Deployment
Robert Rans was born in Chicago, Illinois in April 1921. Family life was mostly normal until the war started. He worked...
Pizzolongo, Paul Early Life, Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge
Paul Pizzolongo was born in February 1923 in Bronx, New York. His father picked numbers for the bookies and his mom did...
Marovelli, Robert Finding A Calling
Robert Marovelli clearly remembers being in the bathtub on 7 December 1941, when the announcement came over the radio...
Reese, Lloyd Flight training and Europe
Lloyd Reese trained to be a bombardier on the AT-11 [Annotator’s Note: Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan] and then the B-24 [...
Amrod, Paul From Basic Training to Okinawa
Paul Amrod joined the Army because his siblings had set the example, and his love of country obliged him to do his part...
Chaisson, Roland From Louisiana to Sicily to England
Roland Chaisson was born in 1924 in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He went to high school there and played football until he...
Pendleton, Arthur Heavy Weapons and Landing on Guadalcanal
Arthur Pendleton was friends with Johnny Rivers. Pendelton was in 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, which was machine guns....
Breaux, Lavenia "Lavenia Hickman" Joining the Army
Lavenia Breaux wanted to go in the service after Pearl Harbor. She always had a dream of traveling and realized the...
Inoshita, Masaji Joining the Army, Language Training and Overseas Deployment
[Annotator's Note: Masaji Insohita served in the Army as a Japanese translator and interrogator in the China-Burma-...
Chaisson, Roland Joining the Army, Learning of Pearl Harbor and the Sicilian Campaign
Roland Chaisson volunteered for the Army when he was 17. He didn't like the Navy and the Marine Corps sounded too tough...

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