Prewar life

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Edwards, Charles Family and Early Life
Charles T. Edwards was born in January 1919 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He recalled growing up playing a lot of...
Thompson, Willie Family and Education
Willie Wesley Thompson's grandmother, who had been a slave, remembered when she was seven years old the Emancipation...
Lazarus, Rachel Family Background
Rachel Lazarus was born in May 1939 in Amsterdam, Holland [Annotator's Notes: Amsterdam, Netherlands]. Her father's...
Franzky, Gerhard Family Business
Gerhard Franzky remembers the most important thing after Hitler came to power was that the school schedule changed....
Muelder, Milton E. Family Origins and Education
Milton Muelder, one of seven children, grew up in a Methodist minister's family and was taught the importance of social...
Bowsher, Walter First and Last Arrests
Walter Bowsher made his first arrest while he was in the Army. He was serving as a temporary military policeman when he...
Ganitch, Michael First Attack Wave at Pearl Harbor
Michael Mickey Ganitch enjoyed the sights and sports in Pearl Harbor. He was a bit of a loner because he did not drink...
Trahan, Clifton From an Orphanage to a Troop Ship
Clifton Trahan was born in October 1922 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was put in an orphanage at five years old. His...
Landwehr, Carl From New Orleans to Southampton, England
Carl Landwehr was born in 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His family never had a lot of money, but they never really...
Peters, Madeleine German Occupation
Madeleine Peters and her family evacuated in front of the advancing Germans [Annotator's Note: the Germans invaded...
Alexander, Samson Getting His Name and Learning to Spell Telemachus
Samson Alexander's grandfather was named Eddie Spencer. During the Great Depression, his grandfather ran off a...
Breaux, Lavenia "Lavenia Hickman" Growing Up in New Orleans
Lavenia Hickman Breaux was born in Slidell, Louisiana in 1917. Breaux did not realize she was living through a...
Mervosh, Michael "Iron Mike" Ho Chi Minh, Jane Fonda and the Sacrifice of American Servicemembers
[Annotator's Note: Michael Mervosh served in the USMC in Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine...
Fitzmorris, James Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
James Fitzmorris grew up in Depression-era New Orleans, Louisiana in the Irish Channel neighborhood. They did not know...
Goodrich, James Joining the Marines and Boot Camp
James Goodrich wanted to join the Marine Corps as soon as he saw his first Marine Corps poster. He also enjoyed the...
Stewart, Frank Joining the National Guard, the CCC and the US Marine Corps
When the Battle of the Tenaru River ended, Lieutenant Port recommended Frank Stewart for the Navy Cross but the captain...
Yusen, Jack Joining the Navy and Boot Camp
Jack Yusen grew up in Queens, New York where he lived with his parents, brother and grandmother and was living there...
Reeder, John Joining the Royal Canadian Air Force
Colonel John Acree Reeder was born in January 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended the Boeing School of...
Campbell, John Joining the US Merchant Marine
John Campbell was mostly selling newspapers while in high school. He was making as much as a lot of men who were...
Barnes, Walter Knowing Judo
Walter Barnes did not see much of a change in New Orleans when he returned after the war. Before the war he and his...
Nossbaum, Anneliese Kristallnacht
Anneliese Nossbaum lived in Bonn, Germany and was proud of the synagogue there where her father was the cantor. As a...
Dahlberg, Melvin Life After Discharge
After being discharged, Melvin Dahlberg took two weeks off and then went to work as an auditor at a bank for the next...
Barfoot, Van Life After the War and Perspectives on Human Nature
Van Barfoot grew up on a farm and his family was all on the farm. They grew cotton and corn and made a living during...
Sarosi, George Life Before and After the War
George A. Sarosi was born in Budapest, Hungary in January 1938. His father was born in 1900 in Pozsony. Pozsony was...
Jackson, Arthur Life Before Joining the Service
Arthur Jackson was born in Cleveland and grew up in Canton, Ohio. His father was a watch maker and eventually ended up...
Fisch, Robert LIfe Decisions
Robert Fisch continued to have food consumption as a first priority following his father's reinterment. [Annotator's...
Baron, Judith Life in Hungary
Judith Baron and her family lived in a nice apartment in a mixed neighbor in Hungary. The landlady was not Jewish, but...
Moxon, Milton Life in the Field
For Milton Moxon and the 94th Infantry Division, weather and terrain conditions were horrible on the front. Some men...
Frydman, Louis Life in the Polish Ghettos
Louis Frydman was called Lolak [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling] during the war. It was a nickname his brother had...
Moret, Calvin Love of Flying
Calvin Moret became interested in flying when he was about eight years old. Before the war started, he found himself...
Edward, Isaac Mardi Gras Indian
Isaac Edward was a Mardi Gras Indian in New Orleans, Louisiana. He became one in 1932. He masked [Annotator's Note:...
Fogg, Floyd Marine Brotherhood
Revisiting the time of his enlistment in the Marine Corps, Floyd Fogg said he signed up before he finished high school...
Klepper, Manfred Nazi Persecution
In the early part of 1939, Manfred Klepper and other Jews were made to wear the Star of David on their clothes. Some...
Nolan, Warren Off to Pearl Harbor
Warren Nolan was in the middle of his sophomore year at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana when the Japanese...
Westcott, Marvin Pearl Harbor and Aftermath
Marvin Westcott describes his experiences and observations of the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He...
Clay, Russell Pearl Harbor Before and After the Attack
Russell Clay was at Pearl Harbor prior to the attack. [Annotator's Note: Clay served as a barber and antiaircraft...

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