Prewar life

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Kneflin, Charles A Family of Soldiers
Charles Kneflin was born in December 1923 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had a very nice childhood. His mother was a home...
Ebersole, William Advanced Flight Training
After finishing Army Air Forces basic training in Miami Beach, Florida, William Ebersole was sent to Nashville,...
Bellecci, John Advanced Training
John Bellecci completed engineering training at Clemson [Annotator’s Note: Clemson College in South Carolina]. He...
Taylor, Amelia After Pearl Harbor
Amelia Taylor discussed the developments of the war while she was in high school. It was very real to them. They...
Beck, Carl Airborne Training
Carl Beck joined the Army at 17 in November 1942. He was born in 1925. He had been working with his father during the...
Shatz, Ewalt American Boy to Navy Man
Ewalt "Walt" Shatz was born in April 1923 in Visalia, California. During the Great Depression, his father worked for...
Tadewaldt, Gordon American Traveler
Gordon Tadewaldt was born in June 1926 in Aurora, Illinois. He was one of five children. When his father lost his job...
Nakagawa, Ittsei Ancestry to Atomic Illness
Ittsei Nakagawa's father's side of the family came over to the United States [Annotator's Note: from Japan] around 1904...
Higgins, Francis "Jack Higgins" Andrew Jackson Higgins
Francis Higgins says a female off camera had his uncle in a spell. [Annotator's Note: His uncle was Andrew Jackson...
Morrow, John Angry About Pearl Harbor and Overseas Deployment
John Morrow was born in April 1924 in Marksville, Louisiana. It is a small town and he knew almost everyone in town. He...
Fitzmorris, James Applying to OCS
James Fitzmorris did not have much college education when he enlisted. He was studying business but wanted to be a...
Nordstrom, Clyde Atomic Bombs
Clyde Nordstrom cannot say that his life changed much after the declaration of war [Annotator's Note: on Japan, after...
Purvis, Frank Attack on Pearl Harbor
Frank Purvis volunteered before Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7...
Brignac, Martin Attack on Pearl Harbor and Defending Puget Sound
Everybody was scraping by during the Great Depression. Martin Brignac and his family made out with what they had. They...
Childs, Charles "Chuck" Aviation Cadet and Marriage
Charles Childs was lucky to graduate [Annotator's Note: in 1938]. He had some friends going to college and they needed...
Brewer, Chester Aviation Cadet Training
Chester Brewer joined the Army Air Corps and was sent to Midland-Odessa [Annotator's Note: Midland-Odessa, Texas] and...
Allen, George B-29 Training
George Allen was in New Orleans, Louisiana on a trip with his family when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was...
Oreck, David B-29 Training and Saipan
David Oreck enlisted in the US Army Air Forces in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wanted to fly in the Air...
Albright, William Basic Training to England
William Albright enlisted in the Army Air Corps because he wanted to fly, even though he had never flown before. He had...
Bahlinger, Marion Baton Rouge Boy to Prisoner of War
Marion Bahlinger was born in August 1925 in Baton Rouge [Annotator's Note: Baton Rouge, Louisiana]. He grew up with...
Zygmuntowicz, Itka Beaten by the Gestapo
Itka Zygmuntowicz was born in April 1926 in Ciechanów, Poland. It was a small town. They lived in two different places...
Rolfson, Jack Becoming a Bomber Pilot
Jack Rolfson born in September 1921 in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in the city, went to school, and would ride his bike...
Kawamoto, Yukio Becoming a Japanese Language Specialist
Yukio Kawamoto was born in Berkeley, California in November 1919. He was drafted into the Army from the University of...
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...
Godbold, Bryghte Becoming a Marine Officer
Bryghte Davis Godbold joined the Marine Corps and attended the basic school for new officers in Philadelphia. The...
Mayeur, Russell Becoming a Merchant Mariner
Russell Mayeur left New Orleans for St. Petersburg, Florida to train for the Merchant Marine. He had no problem with...
Doolan, Robert Becoming a Navigator
From the time Robert Doolan was ten or 12 years old, he wanted to fly. He was in high school and you had to have some...
Tacket, Henry Becoming a Sailor
Henry A. Tacket was an amateur radio operator in his youth. His friends coaxed him into joining the Navy's V3 program...
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...
Halloran, Walter Becoming a Soldier
Walter Halloran had never thought about joining the military until the attack on Pearl Harbor. He knew no one who had...
Lombardo, Frank Becoming a Soldier and Overseas Deployment
Frank Lombardo was inducted into the service and became a private in the Army [Annotator's Note: on 5 March 1942]. His...
Hurley, Wallace Becoming a Soldier, Overseas Deployment and Camaraderie
Wallace Hurley was initially trained as a scout but reassigned to regular infantry. His training was at Camp Robinson...
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...
Aupied, Mildred Becoming a Welder
Mildred Bonvillian Aupied was born in Bayou Black near Houma in Terrebonne Parish [Annotator’s Note: south of New...
Field, Richard Becomming a Paratrooper
Richard J. Field was born and raised in Upstate New York in the small town of Liberty. He lived on the outskirts of...
Scherer, Monroe Being Drafted and Becoming an Engineer
Monroe Scherer had lost a year of studies due to illness as a child. When he turned 18, he was still in high school. He...

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