World War II Veteran: Al Rolfes
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Collection: Iowa's WWII Stories
After landing on Saipan in June of 1944, now First Lieutenant Al Rolfes had dug in above Tannipeg harbor. Japanese soldiers hiding nearby soon realized he was in charge and began to attack his position.
(Al Rolfes)So, they knew I was a leader there because I was up and down the line checking the men and everything. Well, anyway, I heard this thump on the end of my fox hole and I knew it was a grenade and rather than roll, we had the parapet around the fox hole, it rolled out of my fox hole rather than into my fox hole and it went off and quite an explosion, of course. And two more right behind it. And I still didn't—the other two men in my platoon didn't get hit either.
Tags:Post Date: April 12, 2007
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World War II Veteran: Bob Benson
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World War II Veteran: Jack Smith
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World War II Veteran: Vincent Martinez
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World War II Veteran: Anthony Navarro
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World War II Veteran: Samuel A. Vasquez
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World War II Veteran: Elizes Chaves "Al"
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World War II Veteran: James Peavey
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World War II Veteran: Ivan W. Crees
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World War II Veteran: Lonnie Conger
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World War II Veteran: Robert Sullivan “Bob or Sully”...
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World War II Veteran: Jerry Corrigan
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World War II Veteran: Don Cottrell
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World War II Veteran: Francis Toale
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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
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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
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World War II Veteran: Ben Colson
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World War II Veteran: George Temeyer
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World War II Veteran: Bill Watters
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World War II Veteran: Darwin “Dar” F. Reber
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World War II Veteran: Ed Callanan
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World War II Veteran: Art Gratias
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World War II Veteran: Willard Leon McCormick, Jr. ...
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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
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
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World War II Veteran: Michael Cervantes
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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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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
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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
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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...
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
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World War II Veteran: Dr. Kenneth James Gee
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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
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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)
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World War II Veteran: Harold Lamont Schoolen
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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)
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World War II Veteran: Robert A. Helgerson (Bob)
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World War II Veteran: Aurelio Barron
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World War II Veteran: Henry Leonard
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World War II Veteran: Glenn McDole
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World War II Veteran: Galen Kittleson
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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
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World War II Veteran: Ray 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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