World War II Veteran: Phyllis Freymann Koopman
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Collection: Iowa's WWII Stories
Phyllis served in the Waves as an Aviation Machinists Mate 3rd Class. She had wanted to be a sailor as a little kid, because a member of her family was in the Navy. The Navy opened to women in the summer of 1943, and Phyllis joined that fall, as soon as she turned 20. Phyllis had hoped to make it her life’s position. But when the War was over, they tried to put her in an office. She’d done office work before, and that’s not where she wanted to be.
Documents:
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Post Date: September 6, 2007
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World War II Veteran: Bob Benson
Bob Benson was farming with his father on 200 acres near Story City. The army deferred him. When it was his time to go, ... 08:21
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World War II Veteran: Jack Smith
Jack Smith says his service really began in High School. He had 3 years of junior ROTC and knew he wanted to fly. He joined ... 12:56
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World War II Veteran: Vincent Martinez
Vincent Martinez served as a first class petty officer 1943-1945. When the war ended, he liked the Navy, and reenlisted. ... 02:02
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World War II Veteran: Maurice Vasquez
Maurice Vasquez served as a ship fitter second class on a net tender.They moved around the southern Solomon islands, Guadalcanal ... 02:54
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World War II Veteran: Anthony Navarro
Anthony Navarro was born in Durango, Mexico. He was a Sergeant 1880 aviation engineers. He worked on the Burma Road in ... 10:29
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World War II Veteran: Samuel A. Vasquez
Sam Vasquez was a sergeant with the 8th field artillery of the 25th infantry – the “Old Hawaiian Division”. He served at ... 08:14
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World War II Veteran: Elizes Chaves "Al"
Elizes Chaves was born and raised in Davenport. He volunteered for the service in September, 1942 because he was mad at ... 07:50
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World War II Veteran: James Peavey
James Peavey was a professional tap dancer in Davenport before the War. He went to intelligence school, and was with the ... 10:20
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World War II Veteran: Ivan W. Crees
Ivan Crees was a farm boy from Atalissa, Iowa. He served in Africa and Italy in the military police. 07:06
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World War II Veteran: Lonnie Conger
Lonnie Conger hitch-hiked 60 miles to Des Moines to enlist in the Navy. He trained as an aviation mechanic and served with ... 10:18
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World War II Veteran: Robert Sullivan “Bob or Sully”...
Sully tells us that patriotism was very high in the 40’s, and at 17, you don’t feel the war can be won without you. So ... 12:50
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World War II Veteran: Jerry Corrigan
Jerry Corrigan was the third oldest of 11 boys on the family farm north of Harper’s Ferry, Iowa. He tells us about the ... 09:14
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World War II Veteran: Don Cottrell
When Don Cottrell turned 17 he told his dad that he wanted to join the Navy, and to do it that very day. 05:44
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World War II Veteran: Francis Toale
Francis Toale joined the Navy on September 6, 1942 and served in the 4th division aboard the U.S.S. Idaho until November ... 06:06
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World War II Veteran: Vernon "Bud" Hall
Bud Hall was in the amphibious forces in the Navy from “44 to ’46. 09:44
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World War II Veteran: Willis Haddix
Willis Haddix served as ground support attached to the second Air Corps in 1944 and 1945. He was attached to the quartermaster ... 05:10
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World War II Veteran: Marvin Boyenga
Marvin served with the 475th Infantry and the Mars Task Force in the China-Burma-India theater, although he had trained ... 10:38
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World War II Veteran: Dick Blunt
Dick Blunt served aboard the U.S.S. Sumner. He was part of the shakedown cruise to Bermuda. 08:06
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World War II Veteran: Ben Colson
Ben Colson tells us that he grew up in the Marine Corps, enlisting at 17 and learning to obey. His first taste of combat ... 11:11
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World War II Veteran: George Temeyer
George Temeyer joined the Army and went overseas with the 28th division as a replacement in January, 1945. They didn’t ... 10:01
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World War II Veteran: Bill Watters
Bill Watters was a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. He was on O'ahu in Hawaii for a while. Then they transported him ... 07:25
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World War II Veteran: Darwin “Dar” F. Reber
The doctors told Dar Reber that he did not have enough sight to be accepted into the Air Force. That was not acceptable ... 09:01
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World War II Veteran: Ed Callanan
Ed Callanan joined the army on April Fool’s Day, 1942. He served with the 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance squadron. 08:16
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World War II Veteran: Art Gratias
June 6, 1944 has two memories for Art Gratias of Mason City. He had been married June 6, 1943. On his first wedding anniversary ...
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World War II Veteran: Willard Leon McCormick, Jr. ...
Mac was in the 58th construction battalion, called the Seabees. After the Admiralty Islands, they joined the 6th Marine ... 14:17
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World War II Veteran: James Van Ginkel (Jim)
Jim Van Ginkel was a 1st Lieutenant with the Army Air Corps, 8th Air Force, stationed in England. He did a tour as co-pilot ... 10:57
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World War II Veteran: Martin R. Grandquist (Marty)
Marty Grandquist knew that he was going to be in the military as a child. He is a three wars veteran, serving in the Marine ... 08:52
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World War II Veteran: Curt Bauer
Curt Bauer of Ames, Iowa served in the Navy 1944 – 1946 aboard a supply ship to the Seabees. 07:59
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World War II Veteran: Edward O’Connor
Ed O’Connor found it difficult to study engineering at Iowa State in 1942 with the draft just around the corner. So he ... 11:51
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World War II Veteran: Leo Soderholm
Leo Soderholm was assigned to the 411th AAA gun battalion as their radar officer. 10:14
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World War II Veteran: Michael Cervantes
Michael Cervantes was in General George Patton’s 3rd army. His service in Europe 1943-1945 includes the Battle of the Bulge....
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World War II Veteran: Burdette Parrott (Shorty)
Sgt. Shorty Parrott was a platoon leader in Company K, 168th Infantry, 34th Division - the “Red Bull Division”. He tells ...
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World War II Veteran: Wilbur Tiffany
Wilbur Tiffany bought a car for $35 in 1942 and drove home to Independence, Iowa to enlist in the paratroopers. He ended ... 16:58
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World War II Veteran: Kenneth Lubben (Ken)
Kenneth Lubben served in the Army as a PFC in the 546th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, called the coast artillery corps ...
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Now Playing
World War II Veteran: Phyllis Freymann Koopman
Phyllis served in the Waves as an Aviation Machinists Mate 3rd Class. The Navy opened to women in the summer of 1943, and ...
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World War II Veteran: Clifford Perry
Cliff Perry served in the Army with the 36th mechanized cavalry. Cliff was the company clerk for two years. When they ran ...
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World War II Veteran: Merton L. Jessen “Stub”
Stub Jessen served with the 28th Division, 707 tank battalion 110th infantry 1942 – 1945. He tells us about being captured ...
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World War II Veteran: John Schnepf
John Schnepf served with the 11th Air Force as crew chief. John worked with the 54th Fighter Squadron in the Aleutian Islands....
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Iowans in World War II - Part 2 (Full Program) (#116)
Full Program: In the spirit of Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The War," Assignment Iowa is looking back at some of our most compelling stories ... 27:45
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Iowans in World War II - Part 1 (Full Program) (#115)
Full Program: In the spirit of Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The War," Assignment Iowa is looking back at some of our most compelling stories ... 27:45
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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: Aurelio Barron
During the battle for Faid (fa-YEED) Pass, Sergeant Barron's mortar squad was nearby, perched on a hill, waiting to protect ...
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World War II Veteran: Henry Leonard
Private First Class Henry Leonard, a 19-year old draftee from Ryan, was sent to fight in the Philippines in January of 1945. ...
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World War II Veteran: Glenn McDole
McDole was at the Cavite Naval Base in the Philippines when the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor began. Because the Philippines ...
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World War II Veteran: Galen Kittleson
In early 1945, 20-year old Galen Kittleson from St. Ansgar was stationed in the Philippines as part of an elite unit called ...
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World War II Veteran: Elvin Moritz
Moritz and other members of the 168th were surrounded by German troops at the Battle of Faid Pass in February of 1943. Major ...
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World War II and the Home Front: Ed Tubbs
To help win the fight from the home front, the U.S. government asked its citizens to increase production of everything from ...
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World War II Veteran: Dean Lettington
As part of the 559th Field Artillery Battalion, Lettington had spent the last few months fighting across France.
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World War II and the Home Front: Working at Maytag ...
Maytag was one of the Iowa firms that stopped producing consumer goods and started making war supplies.
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World War II and the Home Front: Jeanne Ersland and ...
As more men were sent away to fight, women were hired to take over their positions on the assembly lines. Before World War ...
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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 ...
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World War II Veteran: Malcolm Amos
Army Corpsman Malcolm Amos of Afton was among those captured in the Philippines on April 9, 1942. He became one of the more ...
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World War II Veteran: Paul Aschbrenner
Aschbrenner was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Oklahoma was docked in Pearl Harbor, ...
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World War II Veteran: Ray Schleihs
In April of 1944, 27-year old Second Lieutenant Ray Schleihs of Johnston, was starting his overseas tour of duty. Schleihs ...
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World War II and the Home Front: Rex Holmes
As the battle raged on in Tunisia, 15-year old Rex Holmes of Red Oak waited in the Western Union Telegraph office in the ...
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World War II Veteran: Russell Smith
By mid-summer 1944, members of company "I" were attacking German troops somewhere north of Rome, Italy. "Bill" Smith was ...
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World War II Veteran: Ruth Miller
After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Ruth Miller was assigned to the 110th Evacuation Hospital and sent to Europe ...
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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, ...
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World War II Veteran: Verle Buck
Technician Fourth Grade Verle Buck, a 21-year old from Jubilee, had been drafted in January of 1943 and was now a part of ...
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World War II and the Home Front: Vivian Schleihs Builds ...
During some of the breaks between flying missions there was time for relaxation and, of course, letter writing, the most ...
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World War II Veteran: Al Rolfes
After landing on Saipan in June of 1944, First Lieutenant Al Rolfes had dug in above Tannipeg harbor.
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