Prewar life

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Billow, Harold Segment 1
Billow was born in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. Growing up during the depression was rough, they did not have much. His...
Tyler, Kermit Segment 2
Tyler took primary and basic training at Randolph Field then advanced training at Kelley Field [Annotator's Note: San...
Baptiste, Wallace Segment 2
Baptiste went to the Customs House [Annotator’s Note: in New Orleans] on 5 February 1938 where he was selected with 6...
Crump, Ralph Segment 2
Crump was only aware that the Depression was a tragedy. Times were hard. Crump’s dad was unemployed half of the time....
Carrington, James Segment 2
[Annotator’s Note: James Carrington enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1939 and spent two years in China...
Kuroki, Ben Segment 2
Ben Kuroki’s B-24 outfit was called to North Africa to help out with the British forces who were going against Rommel....
Baptiste, Wallace Segment 3
The Chandler [Annotator's Note: USS Chandle (DD-206)] had 4 stacks and had torpedo tubes and 4 inch guns. Baptiste...
Crump, Ralph Segment 3
All of the Catholic school teachers were nuns. They were not married. High school teachers in Iowa were required to be...
Baptiste, Wallace Segment 4
Baptiste had a janitorial service. One of his clients was a doctor who stayed on Corregidor [Annotator's Note:...
Doi, Michael Segment 6
Michael Doi believes that the war did not change his personality. Doi was an athlete in high school. He was a pole...
Grunte, Leon Sent to the Luftwaffe
[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Leon Grunte to talk about August 1944.] He received an invitation from the...
Yancey, Spencer Service Overview
Spencer Yancey was born in Hunnewell, Missouri in 1910. He is 106 years old. He was born and raised on a farm. He...
Semiatin, Morris Service Overview
Morris Semiatin was born in June 1926 in Baltimore, Maryland. He knew in the late 1930s that there was war going on. He...
Block, Louis Service Overview
Louis Block was born in December 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up and went to school there. He lost his mother at...
Horne, Floyd "Bud" Service Overview, Prewar Life, and Enlistment
Floyd Horne was born in Bowersville, Ohio in February 1922. He spent the first 18 years of life there until July 1940...
Hughes, Harold Serving in India and Burma
[Annotator’s Note: Interviewee randomly claps his hands throughout segment.] Harold Hughes was born in Yalobusha County...
Kelley, Archie Ship Assignments and First Attacks at Pearl Harbor
Archie Kelley realized he was a raw ensign [Annotator's Note: lowest rank of commissioned officer in the US Navy and...
Labauve, Marion Shipped overseas
Marion Labauve came out of school in seventh grade. He went to work and worked hard. His first job was working on a...
Babbits, Oliver Small Town Boy to Soldier
Oliver Donald Anthony Babbits was born in Neenah, Wisconsin in December 1923. He grew up with three brothers. Babbits'...
Cottrell, Edwin Small Town Life
[Annotator’s Note: Birds chirping in the background is audible throughout this segment.] Edwin B. Cottrell was in...
Gallaspy, Garland "Mac" Southern Boy to Army Man
Garland Miller Gallaspy was born in Ottawa, Oklahoma in November 1922. His family moved all over the Southeast while he...
Mills, George Southern Boy to Army Soldier
George F. Mills was born in Spencer, Tennessee in May 1921. His family moved to Rock Island, Tennessee where his father...
Davis, Arthur Special Effects
Before the war, Arthur Davis worked in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] building a plant near the...
Achee, Lorraine St. Joseph's Day and the The Great Depression
Lorraine Achee was a child in New Orleans, Louisiana during the Great Depression. Her family owned a meat market, so...
Gurr, Robert Start of War
Robert Gurr heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor while cleaning a car seat. He saw a panicky neighbor running through...
Anthony, Ray Starting out as an Entertainer
Ray Anthony was born in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania on 20 January 1922. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He left his...
Viera, Conrad Store Worker to Staff Sergeant
[Annotator's Note: Birds and muffled conversation can be heard in the background throughout this segment.] Conrad D....
Cohen, Jack Stories and Emotions
Jack Cohen does get emotional talking and thinking about what he went through. He also thinks about what happened in...
Barnes, Alvin Strange and Funny Incidents
Alvin Barnes had coincidental meetings with a childhood friend during the war. He had a friend named Paul [Annotator's...
Parra, Pedro Struck by Lightning
Pedro S. Parra served in the 854th Engineer Aviation Battalion. He was born in Canadian, Texas in October 1922. He had...
Muelder, Milton E. Study Abroad in Prewar Germany
It was during the Great Depression that Milton Muelder and his brother went to Germany to study in 1930 and 1931. At...
Habeeb, Albert Studying Medicine
Dr. Albert Habeeb was born in Elmira, New York in 1914. After two years, his family moved to Mississippi. During the...
Zilliacus, Patrick Submarine Duty
Patrick Zilliacus thinks that the variety of odd jobs he held before being drafted helped him in duties on a submarine...
Birdsall, Raymond Submarine Duty in the Pacific
Raymond Birdsall was born in Lockport, Louisiana. In 1941, he went over to the high school because they did not have a...
Birdsall, Raymond Submarine Patrols in the Pacific
Raymond Birdsall [Annotator's Note: a Torpedoman 3rd Class on the USS Batfish (SS-310)] was 17 years old when he joined...
Johnson, Wallace Sudden Change in Life
[Annotator’s Note: Sound and video are not in sync throughout segment.] Wallace Johnson was born in April 1925 in Taft...

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