Ethnic/racial identity

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Samuelson, Arne Early Life, Education, and Basic Training
Arne Samuelson was born in January 1922 in Sandefjord, Norway. He was two years old when he immigrated to America with...
Baumgarten, Aaron Early Life, Enlistment and Basic Training
Aaron Baumgarten was born in 1922 in New York, New York, the fifth of the five sons in his family. His father worked in...
Jefferson, Alexander Early Life, Enlistment and Becoming a Pilot
[Annotator's Note: This clip begins with the interviewer attempting to level out the audio.] Alexander Jefferson was...
Kinzler, Robert Early Life, Enlistment and Deployment
Robert Kinzler was born in Newark, New Jersey, but his hometown was just outside the city in Irvington. He graduated...
Denzler, Edward Early Life, Enlistment and Training
Edward Denzler was born in Jamaica, New York. He grew up during the Great Depression and happily attended art classes...
Graham, Chester "Chet" Early Life, Entrance Into Service and Deployment
Chet Graham [Annotator's Note: Chester Earl Graham] was born in Oakland, California in March 1918, and moved around...
Glass, Murray Early Years
Murray Glass was born in 1924 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the Bronx. His father was the manager and part owner...
Cohn, Marthe Earning More Medals
Marthe Cohn took the train from Singen to Freiburg, Germany. That was the last time she took a train because every few...
Porche, Albert Earning Respect
Albert Porche went into the service after Pearl Harbor was attacked. The armed forces were trying to recruit as many...
Smith, John Earning the Bronze Star Medal
Fighting in the Leyte Valley area lasted for two brutal months, and John Smith related the tale of the event that...
Cervantes, Enrique "Henry" Education
Enrique Cervantes was highly influenced by his uncle who taught him about life outside of poverty. Simultaneously, he...
Johnson, Homer Education and Reflections
Homer Johnson remembered that during his two years of service, his mother's hair turned from black to white. People...
Weber, Norman Education in Nazi Germany
As a child [Annotator’s Note: in Berlin, Germany from 1941 to 1944], Norman Weber studied various subjects in school....
Schafer, Leon Effects of the War
Leon Schafer is certain the war affected his life afterwards. Number one, he never left his wife. When he got home, he...
Benjamin, Adelaide El Paso
Adelaide Benjamin remembers the first Christmas tree the family had out there [Annotator's Note: in El Paso, Texas]....
Rodgers, Brigitte Emigrating to America
On her 20th birthday, Brigitte Rodgers traveled by herself to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] to get...
Bass, Leon Encountering Southern Racism
Leon Bass was training in Mississippi. Black soldiers were to be given ideas about why we were fighting the war. The...
Pipes, Richard End of the Cold War
In 1948, Richard Pipes began his teaching career because that was the course that interested him, and never thought of...
Hardy, George End of the War in Europe
George Hardy does not remember when he heard that the war was over. They knew it was close because they were running...
Wheeler, Berle End of War
Berle Wheeler experienced Japanese air raids but slit trenches protected him from the attacks [Annotator's Note: he was...
Bornstein, Lester End of War and Reflections
Lester M. Bornstein could not believe the war was over. He had been in the Army for two years. His unit [Annotator's...
Harris, Robert "Bob" End of War Reflections
Robert H. "Bob" Harris returned to the United States sometime in September or October 1944. While overseas, he knew...
Spinato, Angelo England and Race Relations
Angelo Joseph Spinato's first four days at sea were beautiful. He was in an 88-ship convoy [Annotator's Note: with...
Hardy, George Enlisting as an Aviation Cadet
George Hardy's father persuaded him to not join his brother in the Navy because of the race problem. He would be...
Werner, Jack Enlistment to Attu
Jack Werner felt that he was at home when he came to the United States. It seemed that this is where he belonged. It...
Creek, Roy Enlistment to Commanding Officer
Roy Creek served with several different units but really remembers the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment [Annotator's...
Oka, Walter Enlistment, Deployment and Occupation Duty in Japan
Under the influence of his sister who was a nurse, Walter Oka was thinking of studying to become a laboratory...
Shaner, Robert Ensign to New Guinea
Robert D. Shaner was called up 1 July 1943 to go to a school in Flagstaff, Arizona, the Arizona State Teachers College...
Fayerman, Severin Entering Auschwitz
[Annotator's Note: Severin Fayerman will never forget entering the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp...
Kuwayama, Yeiichi "Kelly" Entering the Army
Kelly Kuwayama was drafted a year before Pearl Harbor and entered the Army. He was assigned to a coastal artillery unit...
Field, Edward Entering the military and Becoming a Poet
Edward Field entered the military to escape his background and the oppression of anti-Semitism. It was wonderful and...
Gibfried, Paul Entering the Navy
Paul Gibfried grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, near Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois]. His family arrived...
Dawson, Zhanna Entertaining the Wehrmacht
Zhanna Dawson worked with a tuner to tune the orphanage piano [Annotator's Note: because of her playing talent, Dawson...
Dawson, Ruffin Entrance into Service
Ruffin Walker Dawson was born in Saint Francisville, Louisiana in 1924 [Annotator's Note: November 1924]. He grew up on...
Neyland, Leedell Entrance into Service
Leedell Neyland joined the Navy in January 1941. He was supposed to do four years, but they were going to do six years...
Dixon, Leon Entrance to Service
Leon Dixon can only remember that it was 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note:...

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