Entrance into Service

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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...
McCreery, Jean Becoming a WASP
Jean McCreery flew under her maiden name, Terrell. She was born in Troy, Ohio in 1924 and worked at WACO [Annotator's...
Rackerby, Archibald "Archie" Becoming an Officer
Archibald Rackerby volunteered to become a Marine Raider. He was a corporal and was in charge of classifying incoming...
Siverts, Hans Becoming an Officer and Transfer to a New Unit
Hans Siverts remembers Sunday, 7 December [Annotator's Note: 7 December 1941; the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,...
Sandoz, James Being a Cajun in the Army
Being a Cajun [Annotator's Note: a member of self-contained communities in southern Louisiana of French Canadian...
Moskin, Alan Being Drafted and Enduring Racism
Alan Moskin was drafted out of Syracuse [Annotator's Note: in Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York]. He went into...
Nolan, Warren Boarding the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)
Warren Nolan went to Pearl Harbor aboard a Navy troop transport ship. It took about six days to get there. He was then...
Kerner, John Bodmin, England
John Kerner took a German passenger ship overseas to Europe. He shared a stateroom with five other officers, and they...
Kneflin, Charles Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Charles Kneflin had never seen anything like the B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber]....
Paul, John Bombing Missions
John Paul and his aircrew arrived in England in January 1944. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Paul if he flew...
Wayne, William Boot Camp
William Wayne was drafted and went to Fort Leonard Wood in Saint Louis [Annotator's Note: Saint Louis, Missouri] for...
Beal, Marion Boot Camp
Marine Corps boot camp was hard, hard, and harder for Marion Meredith Beal. They would have unannounced D.I. [Annotator...
Smith, Arthur Boot Camp and Overseas
Arthur Smith was 17 when World War 2 broke out for the United States. He volunteered so he could get in the Navy. He...
Moore, Calvin Boot Camp at Montford Point
When Calvin Moore arrived at Camp Lejeune [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North...
Colburn, George Boot Camp at Parris Island
George Colburn had never been away from home until arriving at Parris Island [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Recruit...
Brown, Robert Boot Camp to Los Alamos
Robert Brown left for boot camp in February 1943. He went to Fort MacArthur [Annotator's Note: Fort MacArthur,...
de la Vergne, Cyril Boot Camp to Mare Island
Boot camp was entirely foreign to Cyril de la Vergne. She had never seen so many dumb women in her life. They did not...
Dyer, Jimmie Boot Camp Training
Jimmie Dyer entered the service in March 1944 after making a deal with his mother to finish high school. He was sworn...
Steeg, Moise Branded a Communist
Moise S. Steeg, Jr. went to Officer Candidate School in Miami, Florida. He finished in the upper one percent of the...
Muller, Henry Breaking the Japanese Code
Henry Muller was in Papua New Guinea undergoing intensive training. Shortly after arriving, Muller was concerned about...
Smith, Lamar Brothers in the Service
Reverend Doctor Lamar Edward Smith's oldest brother, John Joseph, whose nickname was "Jody", enlisted in the Navy prior...
Duncan, Reginald Bugle Man
Reginald Duncan was born in February 1922 in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in Kearny, New Jersey with his parents and...
DeSalvo, Vincent Business Success then Drafted
Vincent DeSalvo was a barber in New Orleans and was at the hospital to visit a customer of his who had been in accident...
Brantley, Vernon Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky and Duties in Combat
Vernon Brantley was at Camp Polk, Louisiana [Annotator's Note: now Fort Polk, Vernon Parish, Louisiana] for maneuvers...
Bucher, Francis Canadian Allies and Deaths of Friends
Francis Bucher was aboard a World War 1 vessel on his way to Adak [Annotator's Note: Adak Island, Aleutian Islands,...
Neste, Norman A. Capturing German Soldiers
Norman Neste left for Europe in October 1944 after the D-Day invasion [Annotator's Note: the Allied invasion of...
Trahan, Clifton Carrying Cargo and Mules to Italy
After being turned down by the Navy for being blind in one eye, Clifton Trahan was accepted into the US Merchant Marine...
Scherer, Monroe Chess Playing Combat Engineer
Monroe Scherer was the chess champion of not only basic, but later training. He was at Fort Belvoir, Virginia which was...
Miller, Sam Chicago Boy to Navy Man
Sam L. Miller was born in September 1926 and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was an only child because his mother could...
Tindal, Sullivan Childhood and Army Life
Sullivan Tindal was born in September 1925 in Hampton [Annotator's Note: Hampton, South Carolina]. He grew up on a...
Bostick, Thomas Childhood to Military Training
Thomas J. Bostick was born in October 1923 in Laurinburg, North Carolina. His parents, both sharecroppers, traveled...
Golden, James Childhood to Pilot Training
[Annotator's Note: Throughout this clip, a woman off camera interjects with comments.] James Ramsey Golden was born in...
Poulson, Ernest Childhood, Becoming a Pilot and Overseas Deployment
Ernest L. Poulson was born in Ephraim, Utah in March 1921. He lived a very rural life growing up. He did a lot of...
Rupp, Robert Choosing the Field Artillery
Robert Rupp liked the military. He decided while he was in school that if he was going to war, he would rather be an...
Cart, William "Bill" Choosing the Marines
William Cart completed V-7 [Annotator’s Note: V-7 US Navy College Training Program, 1940 to 1945] school and chose the...
Auerbach, Gerald City Boy to Airman
Gerald Auerbach was born in New York City [Annotator’s Note: New York City, New York] in 1924. Because of the Great...

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