World War II Veteran: Art Gratias
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Collection: Iowa's WWII Stories
June 6, 1944 has two memories for Art Gratias of Mason City. He had been married June 6, 1943. On his first wedding anniversary - D-Day - he went in to Omaha Beach with the 2nd infantry division as part the biggest land / sea operation that's ever been attempted.
Art had been in Northern Ireland and Tendy, Wales. They knew they were going somewhere - perhaps Norway. Then he got a letter from General Eisenhower telling him they were going to France. He tells us about tying barrage balloons to their ships while crossing the English Channel to prevent the German planes from strafing. Art's story gives us a glimpse of this traumatic experience involving 175,000 soldiers.
Documents:
- Transcript (RTF)
Post Date: September 24, 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
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World War II Veteran: James Van Ginkel (Jim)
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World War II Veteran: Martin R. Grandquist (Marty)
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World War II Veteran: Curt Bauer
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World War II Veteran: Edward O’Connor
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World War II Veteran: Leo Soderholm
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World War II Veteran: Michael Cervantes
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World War II Veteran: Burdette Parrott (Shorty)
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World War II Veteran: Wilbur Tiffany
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World War II Veteran: Kenneth Lubben (Ken)
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World War II Veteran: Phyllis Freymann Koopman
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World War II Veteran: Clifford Perry
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World War II Veteran: Merton L. Jessen “Stub”
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World War II Veteran: John Schnepf
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World War II Veteran: Maurice Hoxie
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World War II Veteran: Norm Kling
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World War II Veteran: Glenn Clark Underwood
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World War II Veteran: Mary Adams
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World War II Veteran: Ervin Bostwick
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World War II Veteran: Vince "Pete" Conners...
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World War II Veteran: Dr. Kenneth James Gee
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World War II Veteran: William "Bill" Tyner...
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World War II Veteran: Luther Smith
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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
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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
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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
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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 ...
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World War II Veteran: John Phillips
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World War II Veteran: Malcolm Amos
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World War II Veteran: Paul Aschbrenner
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World War II Veteran: Ray Schleihs
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World War II Veteran: Russell Smith
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World War II Veteran: Ruth Miller
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World War II Veteran: Thelma Kardon
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World War II Veteran: Verle Buck
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World War II and the Home Front: Vivian Schleihs Builds ...
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World War II Veteran: Al Rolfes
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