Video: Collections: Iowa's WWII Stories
On December 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II. By the time the war ended on August 15, 1945, almost every person on earth was affected in one way or another. Iowans who were at home had major roles to play in winning the war as well. Their sacrifice helped determine what kind of conditions, both political and social, would exist once the war was over. More than 276,000 Iowans went into military service during World War II. 8,398 never returned. Iowa Public Television's collection of veteran's oral histories is a tribute to those Iowans who put their lives on hold for more than three years to fight against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. This collection preserves the memories of some of those Iowans who served on the home front and the battlefront.
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World War II Veteran: Maurice Hoxie
Maurice Hoxie enlisted in the Navy when he was 17. He worked in meteorology on the West coast, on a frigate in the Pacific, and then in Hawaii. All of the forecasts were sent in code, and the code ...
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World War II Veteran: Norm Kling
Norm Kling served in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Sirago. He tells us about training and qualifications to serve aboard a submarine.
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World War II Veteran: Glenn Clark Underwood
Clark Underwood was a flight engineer aboard a B-17 on a bombing mission over Bordeaux, France. They were shot down and crashed in the Bay of Biscayne.
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World War II Veteran: Mary Adams
Mary Adams rode to Fort Des Moines in the back end of an open pickup truck on a cold December day to join the army. After basic training, she worked on Cape Cod, Massachusetts making up the orders for ...
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World War II Veteran: Ervin Bostwick
Ervin Bostick lived with his grandfather on a farm near Shenandoah and went to country school. He served aboard the USS New Orleans from 1938-1945.
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World War II Veteran: Vince "Pete" Conners
Pete Conners was called up February, 1941 with Company E along with 112 young men from Shenandoah.
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World War II Homefront: Helen Castle
Helen Castle was 19 years old when Company E from Shenandoah was called up. She talks about the parade of soldiers marching to the depot.
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World War II Veteran: Dr. Kenneth James Gee
Dr. Kenneth Gee and a small cadre of people built a 3,000 bed hospital in Batangas, Philippines. They trained medics at Camp Grant who assessed wounded in the field throughout the Philippine Islands.
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World War II Veteran: William "Bill" Tyner
Bill Tyner was a forward observer in the 928th field artillery battalion of the 103rd infantry division. He tells us about various skirmishes with the Germans before his battalion ended up in Austria.
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World War II Veteran: Luther Smith
In the skies over Italy, 24 year-old First Lieutenant Luther Smith of Des Moines, was on his second tour of duty.
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The War - A Ken Burns Film (Preview Clip)
THE WAR, a new seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns, explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective. 01:30
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World War II Veteran: Billy M. Amos (Bill)
Bill Amos landed on Omaha Beach several hours into the invasion of June 6, 1944 on an LCM landing craft. The amphibious tanks that were supposed to lead the invasion sank so the infantry had no protection.... 09:52
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World War II Veteran: Harold Lamont Schoolen
Harold Schoolen of Ottumwa, Iowa was a truck driver in the 2nd Cavalry Division. Harold shares his adventures hauling troops and ammunition in France and Italy. 09:47
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World War II Veteran: Donald R. Vaughn (Don)
Don Vaughn of Ottumwa, Iowa talks about his training after being drafted in the Army in March, 1943 and his service in Europe as Staff Sergeant in the coast artillery and field artillery. 10:25
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World War II Veteran: Richard Henneman
Richard Henneman talks about surviving a brutally cold winter in France, Germany and Belgium. 10:21
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World War II Veteran: Richard O. Keep (Dick)
Dick Keep learned to speak German from his mother and grandmother growing up on the farm. He served as interpreter for his little squadron or platoon of 20 soldiers. 10:18
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World War II Veteran: Robert A. Helgerson (Bob)
Bob Helgerson of Ottumwa, Iowa talks about his '90 day wonder' training in the Navy, and his experiences aboard the Intrepid. 10:58
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World War II Veteran: John Phillips
In January of 1945, 22 year-old John Phillips of Waterloo was part of a group of replacement troops sent to the 106th Infantry Division fighting the Battle of the Bulge. After taking the town of Medell, ...
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World War II Veteran: Thelma Kardon
For some, joining the service was a chance to relocate. Thelma Kardon, formerly Sherman, was a 21 year-old native of Chelsea, Massachusetts who joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in November of 1942. ...
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World War II and the Home Front: Working at Maytag in Newton
Maytag was one of the Iowa firms that stopped producing consumer goods and started making war supplies.
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