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...
Jackson, Earnest A Great Country
Ernest Jackson was born in Sumter, South Carolina. His family migrated [Annotator's Note: Great Migration, or Black...
Geist, Lloyd A Love for Planes
Lloyd Geist was born in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] in July 1921. His family moved to Houma...
Jackson, Earnest A Proud Moment
Ernest Jackson received his draft notice. He did not know if he was going to qualify. He was amazed he passed that day...
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...
Sapp, Walter Advanced Training Overseas
Walter Sapp went to Camp Walter, Texas for basic training. He did not want to be drafted and did not want to go into...
Matsumoto, Roy After High School
Roy H. Matsumoto went to work in a fruit stand after his high school graduation [Annotator's Note: in 1933]. Jobs were...
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...
Geisler, James Army Service Overview and Early Life
James "Jim" Geisler was born and raised in Pittsburgh [Annotator's Note: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]. He was 18 years old...
Yip, Wallace Arrival in England
Wallace Yip, Sr. went to England and the Germans were sending the V-bombs [Annotator's Note: V1 Buzz Bomb, V-1 pulse...
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...
Sapp, Walter Basic to the Bulge
Walter Sapp's father had been in World War 1 and knew what infantry was about. Sapp did not consult with his family...
McHardy, Arthur Basic Training
Arthur McHardy went by train from Detroit [Annotator's Note: Detroit, Michigan] to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San...
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...
Wheeler, James Becoming a Marine
James L. Wheeler was born in Los Angeles, California, in February 1926. His father was a dairy man, and his mother was...
Borne, Edwin Becoming a Marine
At the time of Edwin Joseph Borne, Jr. 's enlistment [Annotator's Note: in the United States Marine Corps in December...
Culp, Oscar Becoming a Marine
Oscar Culp was born in May 1925 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a young African-American, he saw some of the biases...
Baul, Henry Becoming a Marine
Henry L Baul was born in December 1922 in Fitzgerald, Georgia. His family moved to Florida when Baul was young. His...

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