Entrance into Service

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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...
Cornelia, Matthew City Boy to Army Draftee
Matthew Cornelia was born in July 1918 and raised in Rochester, New York. His parents were both born in Ireland. At a...
Geller, Robert City Boy to Army Man
Robert Geller was born in July 1922 and grew up in New York City [Annotator’s Note: New York City, New York]. Geller’s...
Velfling, Jacob City Boy to Army Man
Jacob Velfling, Jr. was born in Cadillac, Michigan in May 1926. Velfling played many sports in high school and had a...
Beilman, Robert City Boy to Infantry Man
[Annotator's Note: Recording begins while interviewer is prepping Robert Lewis Beilman. Actual interview begins at 0:01...
Smith, Jacques City Boy to Jump School
Jacques Brewster Smith was born in September 1923, in Buffalo [Annotator's Note: Buffalo, New York]. Due to the Great...
Gambino, Elroy City Boy to Marines
Elroy Gambino was born in March 1925 in the Irish Channel [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana]. He grew up in...
Mittleman, Harvey City Boy to Seabee
Harvey Mittleman was born in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York City, New York] in May 1925. Mittleman and his...
Graham, Marvin City Boy to Staff Sergeant
[Annotator's Note: There is a background noise in the video.] In March 1923, Marvin Raymond Graham was born in New York...
Hanning, David Civilian Life to Military Training
David Hanning was born in May 1927 in Saranac Lake, New York. His mother, a nurse from Montreal [Annotator's Note:...
Estes, Bruce Civilian to Army
[Annotator’s Note: Video goes black at 0:11:11.000 – 0:11:18.000.] Bruce Estes [Annotator’s Note: born in Atlanta,...
Crews, Lorenzo Civilian to Military Training
Lorenzo Dow Crews was born in April 1924 in Memphis [Annotator's Note: Memphis, Tennessee]. His father worked as a...
Lippman, Robert Clarifications
Basic training for Robert Lippman was in Miami Beach, Florida. He learned to salute, and dress right. He thinks he went...
Tyson, Marvin Closing Thoughts
Marvin Tyson served because he would serve his country any time and was drafted. He doubts he would have served if not...
Jordan, James Closing Thoughts
James Jordan is a contributing member to the Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans,...
Culpepper, George Closing Thoughts
George Culpepper was in Farragut, Idaho for school for about three months [Annotator's Note: after enlisting in the...
Colson, Earl Closing Thoughts
It is tough for Earl Colson to remember things from so long ago. He returned home and was discharged at Fort Dix [...
George, Carroll Coast Guard and A Wife
Carroll George enlisted in the Coast Guard because it is always looking out for the welfare of others. It saves lives...
Smith, William J. Coastwatcher Resupply
William Smith went to the Pacific theater as a Second Lieutenant. He flew from Townsville [Annotator's Note: Townsville...
McDowell, Bowdre Code Training and Duty in Hawaii
In early January [Annotator's Note: January 1944], Bowdre McDowell went to Great Lakes, Illinois [Annotator's Note:...
Freeman, Leslie "Vincent" College, Mountain Training and Overseas Deployment
After basic training, Leslie V. Freeman went on maneuvers near Sacramento [Annotator's Note: Sacramento, California]....
Yip, Wallace Combat Across France
[Annotator's Note: Wallace Yip, Sr. was drafted in 1943.] Congress started drafting 18 year olds who registered [...
Pope, Everett Combat at Guadalcanal
[Annotator’s Note: This interview is outside so there is a lot of background noise throughout the clip.] Everett Pope...
Cardenas, Louis Combat Missions
Louis Cardenas was put into the 36th Infantry Division. They learned how to dig foxholes and fire rifles. They would...
Wilson, Paul Combat Reflections
Paul Wilson joined the 17th Airborne [Annotator's Note: Company A, 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne...
Hatala, Albert Coming to America and Wanting to Fight
Albert Hatala was born in 1923 in Czechoslovakia. When he was about six months old his father moved to the United...
Cowan, John Commissioned Twice
John L. Cowan went on active duty in February or March 1945. He was at MIT [Annotator's Note: Massachusetts Institute...
Kellegrew, Kent Country Boy to Army Man
Kent Butzer Kellegrew was born in September 1923 in Duluth, Minnesota. After four years in Duluth, his family moved to...
Skinner, Charles Country Boy to Military Training
Charles Brightman Skinner was born in May 1926 in Jacksonville, Florida. He had an older brother who served in World...
Stefaniak, Joe Court Martial then Overseas
In 1942, Joseph Stefaniak and some friends got a three-day pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short...
Whitman, Philip Crashing on His First Flight
Philip Whitman went overseas on a Liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship]. He went...
Fili, William Crew Training and Deploying to Italy
William Fili went for assignment to Salt Lake City [Annotator's Note: Salt Lake City, Utah]. He had just finished B-26...
Eleser, Carey Crossing the Atlantic on the SS David B. Johnson
Carey Eleser was a Navy Armed Guard radioman aboard the SS David B. Johnson. They left Charleston, South Carolina and...
Jaber, Anton Crossing the English Channel
Anton Jaber took his basic training at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. He went right into advanced training with his division [...
Myers, Homer Crossing the Pacific
Homer Myers flew his own airplane from California across the Pacific. The first flight was 12 to 13 hours. They left...
Gooch, James Cuban Missile Crisis
James Gooch graduated from school and was sent to Florida to replace a Warrant Officer [Annotator's Note: after...

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