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100
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/215158d1b22ce578f3eea62eb6612695.pdf
d1fd24fc12b62f5a10c38f2dbcff6115
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection
Description
As part of RICHES of Central Florida, UCF intends to record, archive, and make accessible oral history interviews of Central Florida veterans. Diversity is a main focus for this project since there are many different subgroups under the group veterans, all with important stories. While the histories will be largely archived and made available through the UCF library, a portion will be contributed to the ongoing Veterans History Project based out of the Library of Congress.
Contributor
<a href="http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/" target="_blank">Special Collections and University Archives</a>, University of Central Florida Libraries, University of Central Florida
Alternative Title
CVHP Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
United States. Army
Army
United States. Navy
Navy
United States. Air Force
Air Force
United States. Marine Corps
Marine Corps
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Jacksonville, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Great Lakes, Illinois
Long Island, New York
Newport, Rhode Island
Norfolk, Virginia
Germany
Qaasuitsup, Greenland
Keflavik, Southern Peninsula, Iceland
Azores Islands, Portugal
Mediterranean Sea
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
External Reference
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">About the Project</a>." UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/.
Has Part
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/109" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Grossi, Jared
Interviewee
Holtz, Alan R.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Oral History of Alan R. Holtz
Alternative Title
Oral History, Holtz
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Navy
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Operation Desert Shield, 1990-1991
Operation Desert Storm, 1991
Persian Gulf War, 1991
Iraq War
Description
An oral history interview of Alan R. Holtz, who served in the U.S. Navy, during the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm. Born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, Holtz enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He later joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and helped mobilize Reservists during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. This oral history interview was conducted by Jared Grossi on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include enlistment, boot camp, the USS <em>Hancock</em>, the Vietnam War, the Naval Reserves, Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:33 Background<br />0:01:45 Enlistment<br />0:02:50 Boot camp and USS <em>Hancock</em><br />0:05:55 Vietnam War<br />0:09:22 Naval Reserves and going back to school<br />0:10:23 Liberty and awards<br />0:12:48 Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm<br />0:14:43 Off-duty activities<br />0:16:07 Keeping in contact with other sailors, injuries, and September 11th<br />0:17:31 Civilian life<br />0:18:55 Lessons learned from the Navy<br />0:19:20 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Alan R. Holtz. Interview conducted by Jared Grossi in Orlando, Florida, on November 13, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/502/rec/1" target="_blank">Holtz, Alan R.</a>. Interviewed by Jared Grossi, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016189, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>
<a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/24" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
13-page digital transcript of original 21-minute and 27-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/502/rec/1" target="_blank">Holtz, Alan R.</a>. Interviewed by Jared Grossi, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016189, UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Vietnam
Philippines
Creator
Holtz, Alan R.
Grossi, Jared
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-11-13
Date Issued
2015-02
Date Copyrighted
2014-11-13
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
432 MB
164 KB
Medium
21-minute and 27-second Digital (DAT) audio/video recording
13-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Jared Grossi and Alan R. Holtz.
Rights Holder
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Herring, George C. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5126110" target="_blank"><em>America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975</em></a>. New York: Wiley, 1979.
Matthews, Eamonn, Ben Loeterman, and Will Lyman. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/34145115" target="_blank"><em>The Gulf War</em></a>. Alexandria, VA: PBS Video, 1996.
Anderson, Michael G. <a href="/www.worldcat.org/oclc/27694401" target="_blank"><em>The Air Force Rapid Response Process: Streamlined Acquisition During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm: Project Air Force Analysis of the Air War in the Gulf</em></a>. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp, 1992.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/502/rec/1" target="_blank">Holtz, Alan R.</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>Three.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Today, it is November 11<sup>th</sup>, 2014. I am interviewing Alan [R.] Holtz, who served in the Navy. He served in Vietnam [War] and helped mobilize Naval Reservists during Operation Devert[sic]—Desert Shield, and Operation Desert Storm. He completed his service as an E[nlisted]-6 rank. My name is Jared Grossi. We are interviewing Mr. Holtz as part of the UCF Community Veterans History Project. We are recording this interview at—in Orlando, Florida.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Alright. So Mr. Holtz…</p>
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>Yes?</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Where were you born? </p>
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>I was born in Brooklyn[, New York City], New York.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi <br /></strong>Okay. What was your childhood like?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>My childhood? It was very good. I, uh—my parents were very, very good. I had three brothers. We had a great time. I really had a good childhood. I liked it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>You, uh—are you the oldest of the brothers?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>No, I’m the second. I have one older brother and the rest are younger than me.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Okay. Um, what did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz <br /></strong>Uh, my father was in the Army during World War II, but then he was—but then he, uh—he worked for a packaging company, I believe, in—in Brooklyn.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz </strong>And my mom, uh, stayed home and raised us four kids. I don’t think she worked outside though.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi </strong>Alright. Um, did—Other than your father, did anyone else enlist before you?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, my father I had a couple of uncles that were in during World War II, and that’s it. My brother tried to enlist in the Air Force, and I think his vision wasn’t good, so he didn’t—he didn’t make it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, what type of education did receive before your service?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, right—right out of high school, I enlisted.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />How old were you when you enlisted? I mean, you said it was after high school.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Yeah, 18.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, what caused you to enlist?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, it’s kind of a long story. They had the draft at that time, and people were being drafted into the Vietnam War, and it was, uh, sort of a lottery system, where would they tell you your number and you had a better chance of getting drafted, so I had a pretty good chance that I was going to be drafted. So to get a better choice of where you want to go, I enlisted.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. What did your family think of your enlistment?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, they—they were happy about it. Like I said, my uncle was in the Navy and said it was the best one of the services, even though my father was in the Army. So they were happy about it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Uh, what was, uh, boot camp like in the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Boot camp—it was—it was very tough for me, because it was the first time I was like away from home, alone there, and not, you know—scared what was going happen, but I ended up doing good[sic], ‘cause I had, uh—I was in pretty good shape. So the physical stuff wasn’t that hard for me, so I—I did good[sic].</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. Um, where were you stationed after completing your training?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, after—after boot camp, I went to training in San Diego, California, and the first place I was stationed was onboard an aircraft carrier, U—USS <em>Hancock</em></p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Uh, what was your experience when you first arrived where you were stationed?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />When I first arrived, it was—it was just very different than anything that I had seen before. Nev—I’d never been on a ship, and it was really big. Um, lot of people. You have to live in, uh—sleeping on a little bunk in a room with a lot of other people. So it was—it was hard to get used to.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Um, what was your instructor like?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz<br /></strong>In—in boot camp, you mean?</p>
<p><strong>Grossi<br /></strong>Uh, yes.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, he, eh—He was good. You—first you get there, and you’re scared, and you’re—hate them and everything, but you get used to it. Then once you graduate, you appreciate what he did, you know, what he taught you, and everything.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />So you mentioned living on the carrier. What was, uh, the Navy life like?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, I—I liked it. Once you get out of boot camp, you realize it’s more like a job and it’s not all going to be like you were—like it was in boot camp. So you, uh—you get used to it pretty fast. It was good. It was fun. Some of it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. Um, was there any—what was not fun about it?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />What was not fun was the hours. You work a lot of hours, a lot of hard work, and, uh, the thing I got trained for was, uh, personnel, which is human resources. So when you work in human resources and in an office, they—the other people on the ship don’t think you’re doing anything, ‘cause you’re not out there manning the guns, or steering the ship, or anything important. Your, uh—you know, according to them. So you get volun—you get volunteered to do other work to help other departments. So it’s—it’s a lot of work, a lot of hours.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. So what were some of your other duties then?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, I worked in the—in the laundry, pressing uniforms and stuff, and, um, just, uh, security watches and stuff, go—security. Guard duty is called “watches” in the Navy.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Um, what were the watches like?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, you get different hours, like you’d have f—a four-hour period, where you just, you know, stand guard over something or, you know, security of the ship.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. Uh, what was your assignment during the Vietnam War?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, I was in the personnel office on the aircraft carrier, and I was, uh, in support of an air squadron, where they—the, uh, pilots would fly off the carrier and do whatever they had to do over there, and just their support, like their—make sure their pay, their paper work got done, you know, transfers, retirements, whatever they had to do. All the office work.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, tell me about your, um, Western Pacific [Ocean] and your Mediterranean [Sea] cruise?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />That, uh—well, the Western Pacific was while I was on the aircraft carrier, and where they would go off the coast of Vietnam for a while, and then after that, they would go into different ports. So I got to see a lot of the world over there. It was—it was really good. The Philippines was my favorite place.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Oh, what made it your favorite place?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, just that the people are very—they’re very friendly. They’re very nice. They—they support, you know—they supported the military. Met a lot of nice people there, and also the, uh, beaches, mountains, everything—just a beautiful place to relax, after being out at sea for a long time. </p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. What was the typical day like during this period?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />A typical day? Uh, like I said, there’s—there’s[sic] long hours, and your—Besides the regular office hours, which is—they try to make it eight to five, but then you’re on call and other things come up, so you end up staying there a lot longer or being called in the middle of the night, and then, if you had one of those, uh, watches or some other duties you had to do that—they don’t take the hours away from your regular office work. You still have to be there. So some days you’d be working without any sleep.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />What was the food like?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />The food was—was actually good. I know people complain about it, but it was—it was good. You had a lot of choices. You got—you don’t have that much time to eat sometimes, but the—the food was really good. They did a—they did a good job.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Um, what would you do to entertain yourself at times?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, they had different activities, and s—you know, sports. ‘cause we would like—‘cause when I’m on an aircraft carrier that has a big flight deck, so during the times that they’re not, uh, landing and taking off aircraft, they’re—use it for sports, games, and they had movies, and they—we would get our mail stuff, and they didn’t have the Internet back then, but…</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />We could make phone calls and send messages.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Did the Navy change after the Vietnam War?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, it cha—Yeah. It changed a lot. A lot of things changed.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Could you tell me about some of the changes?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, well, see, it seemed during the war, they were more relaxed about, you know, haircuts, uniforms, A lot of things. Uh, even—even drug use was pretty prevalent during the Vietnam War, and they didn’t—seemed like they really cared that much, and it went from that to the zero tolerance policy pretty quickly. You know, I guess they realized it was getting quite out of hand [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />[<em>laughs</em>] Um, tell me about the Naval Reserves.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />They—well, after— after my first four years, I got out for a few months. was going back to school, but then I decided to go back in and I went into the—it was called Training and Administration of the Reserves program, Where I’d work at Reserve centers and air stations, just training—training Reserves, and supporting them, doing there paper work, and keeping records and things.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. You said you went back to school. Um, what’d you go back to school for?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, I—I went back to get an AA [Associate of Arts] degree, which I did, you know, start. When I got out, I started going full-time, but then I went back in the military and went just part-time ‘til I finished then.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright, and then you said you wound up going back in? Um…</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Why’d you decide to do that?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, I got married, and then I was going to have a kid. So I thought that would be—I thought that would be a good, uh—good career to have, since I liked it a lot for the first four years. So I decided to go back in and make a career out of it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, what was your job in the Reserves?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Um, tt was still office work. It was, um, personnel, but, uh, helping with the training of Reserves. Like the Reserves that would come in one weekend a month, and they’d get trained. The—the person—the administrative ones—I would help train them, and also keep all there records and everything for all the Reserves. You know, transfers, retirements, promotions. Everything they do.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, how did moving up through the ranks change your responsibilities?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, it changed a lot. You get a lot more responsibility pretty quick[sic] from when you first go in and just—I made it all the way up to E6, which is, uh, supervisor. So it’s a lot of responsibility, because you have a lot of other people to worry about and make sure there doing their job as well.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Uh, what was one of your most memoral[sic]—memorable days throughout your service in your career—in the serving career?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, most memorable days? Uh, I guess, uh, being on a ship and traveling. You know, any one of those days, when you’re—you know, you work hard, but then when you finally get into a port, they give you a lot of time off to do what you want and relax, and I like that part of traveling. Seeing new places.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Traveling must have been fun. Um, what were some of the things you do when you um, would dock at ports?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, they would have—they would have tours available, you know, they’re trying to encourage you not to just go out to bars, like some people did. Um, so I didn’t do too much of that. I went on a lot of the bus tours and they had events scheduled for us. Like you could go help, uh, different charity events, go help, like—I remember one time, we painted a church or helped this, uh, shelter for people. A lot of things like that, where you can help the community too. They didn’t want us to just go out there and have fun and leave [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />[<em>laughs</em>] Um, did your receive any awards?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Yeah, I’ve got a lot of—a lot of different medals and awards for different things. I don’t even remember them all.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />How did you help exactly in Operation Desert Storm and [Operation Desert] Shield?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, well, that—at that time, I was at a Reserve center, and they mobilized some of the Reserve units to send them over there to—to, uh, well, fight, or set up things, whatever, and so we were—when you’re in the Reserves, they have these drills all the time about mobilizing the Reserves and calling them into active duty, and you think it’s never going to really happen, but that was the real thing. We had to mobilize them—and I think it was about three hundred people from our Reserve units—and get them ready, get them there orders, paper work and everything, and travel arrangements, and send them over there.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. You said there was[sic], uh, drills and you actually wound up having to do them. Um, did the drills you feel help? Or was the actual event…</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, the actual event’s a lot different than—it—it helped—it—the drills helped you prepare for it, but then when it actually happens, they—there isn’t time to actually to do it—there wasn’t time to actually do it step-by-step the way you plan. You know, Set up the incoming—set up the tables, set up the—what forms they’re going to need. So it—it worked out a lot different than you planned, but you still got it done.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, did your experience in Desert Storm and Shield differ from Vietnam?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, yeah. It was a lot different, ‘cause I was just at the Reserve center, and—and preparing these other people to go where I—I—In Vietnam War, I was actually on the ship, right off the coast there, and even though I was working the office, I was more, you know—closer to the action that was going on, supporting the people, but, uh, for that for that—for that operation, I was just at the Reserve center, and getting them ready to go there. So it seemed like it was further from the actual thing.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, what kind of activities did you do while off duty? Um, I know you mentioned you—you’d go on tour and stuff…</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />During the dockings. Um, was it just—I mean, uh—I guess when you’re off duty, what did you do?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Oh, just—well, if I’m in a different—At the Reserve center or at the…</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Uh, I—just In general</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, if you’re…</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />When you were off duty.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, when it—when it—it’s different when you’re off duty overseas. I would just, you know, travel, see, you know—See what I could find, enjoy the scenery and new places, but once I was at Reserves center, Reserves center is in the—in that program, I was back home. So I was married and had kids. So I was just doing normal, you know—normal daily life, and it was more like a regular job, than when you’re on a ship.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Did you visit back home often?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Yeah, I would. Yeah, my parents were still in New York most of that time, so I would—I would fly home whenever I could. Get vacation. They gave you a lot of time off in the military, when—when they can.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Um, when you were back home, what did you do for work or just entertainment then?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Oh, spend time with my parents and my brothers, and visiting, mostly.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Um, did you still keep in contact with any of your friends you made in the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, I did for a while, but it was hard to do that, ‘cause so many people get transferred, and you don’t see them again, and—So I lost track of a lot of them, but there was a few that I—that I still kept in contract[sic] —contact with.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, could you tell me about some of the injuries you received?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, first injury—first injury I got—when I was working on that aircraft carrier, I worked in the laundry, and pressed my hand down on…</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />On the steam press. So that’s how I got that injury. So I call it my “Vietnam War injury,” but not really. It was on the aircraft carrier, working in the laundry, and got—got that hand burned, and some other things: I just hurt my back while I was there, so— but nothing too serious. I’m still able to work.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. How did, uh, the events of 9/11<a title="">[1]</a> affect you?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />How did it affect me? I was—I remember being very angry when it—when it happened, and wishing I was back in the military, so I could go do something about it, you know? Help fight whoever was doing it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />How was the transition from the Navy life into the civilian life?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, it was very hard, at first, to—when you’re looking for a job, and you try to relate what you did in the military to civilian job. So you work in an office and, you know, you find out that all you’re qualified to do is be a secretary, or something like that. So actually, I was, uh, a medical services secretary, when I first got out. That was the first job they had at, uh, Humana[, Inc.] health care.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, how—how has the civilian life affected you?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Oh, well—well, I got used to it pretty quickly, and I had other jobs since then, and then finally found UCF [University of Central Florida], which I like.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. How have the—the way the civilians treated you over the years—how has that been?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />It’s—it’s been good, mostly. Most people—most people, you know, they appreciate what you did. they—there’s, you know, this preference for veterans, and a lot of jobs that you go for, you know—to at least get you the interview to see if you’re qualified to get the job, but, uh, most people treat you—treat you good[sic]. I never had anybody who didn’t.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />What lessons, from your time in the Navy, do you consider valuable?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Uh, I think I learned a lot about working, do, uh—doing the best job that you can, getting it—trying to get everything done, so you can enjoy your time off, and, uh, doing a good job working with other people—Team work. A lot—a lot of things you learn there, you know, still relates to whatever job you have outside.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Do you have any, uh, unusual or funny stories in your time of the service?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Um, no, not really [<em>laughs</em>]—not really that I can think of. I’m sure there were some.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Um…</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Well, now, there’s some unusual things when I was working at the Reserve centers. There sometimes—sometimes, they’re the only military in the area. So they’ve let you—make you volunteer for a lot of different things, like security and different things that you don’t need security for. They just wanted the local military to be there, and doing funerals, and things that I didn’t like to do.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, is there anything else we missed or you would like to talk about?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Um, no, not—not really. Not that I can think of.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. Uh, do you have any messages or lessons you’d like to pass on to the young—the young people?</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Oh, about the military? Just that it—it is a good career. Uh, the benefits are great, now that I’m retired. I did—I did, you know, 20 years. Now that I’m retired, it’s really worth it to, uh—the benefit you get, through retirement, the medical care, everything. So it’s worth it.</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Alright. Uh, questions?</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Grossi</strong><br />Okay. Um, well, I’d like to thank you, Mr. Holtz, for your time. I and the UCF community really appreciate you coming out today and telling your story, Um, in the—in the short time in the interview [<em>laughs</em>]. Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Holtz</strong><br />Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> September 11<sup>th</sup>, 2001.</p>
</div>
</div>
1st Gulf War
1st Iraq War
9/11
aircraft carrier
aircraft carriers
Alan R. Holtz
basic training
boot camp
boot camps
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Community Veterans History Project
conscription
CVHP
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Desert Shield
Desert Storm
drafts
E-6
education
Enlisted Rank 6
enlistment
First Gulf War
First Iraq War
Gulf War
Hancock
instructors
Iraq War
Jared Grossi
Kuwait War
liberties
liberty
military education
military training
naval instructors
North Vietnam
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Persian Gulf War
Philippines
Republic of the Philippines
Republic of Vietnam
San Diego, California
selective service
September 11th
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam
TAR
terrorism
terrorists
training
Training and Administration of the Reserve
U.S. Naval Reserve
U.S. Navy
USS Hancock
veterans
Vietnam
Vietnam War
watch
watches
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/96ef7c2cbd663cfba7044fdc015e951d.pdf
3ce052d3842e4f16e2ff28def70d7638
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Vietnam War Collection
Alternative Title
Vietnam Collection
Subject
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Veterans--Florida
Description
The Vietnam War was a Cold War Era "military conflict." The war was originally waged between Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States became involved as a preventive measure to combat communism. The date of the war has been disputed, but a study in 1998 by the Department of Defense definitively put the start of the Vietnam War as November 1, 1955.
The first combat military troops 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade didn't arrive until 1965. With the arrival of the combat troops came the first traditional battles of combat fighting in the war. During the Vietnam War, not only did American military go into battle with and for South Vietnam, the military also trained members of South Vietnam to fight alongside during the war. Peace talks were attempted, with France moderating, beginning on May 10, 1968. These talks were unsuccessful and lasted over three years.
The longest battle of the Vietnam War began on January 21, 1968 and didn't end until the U.S. reclaimed Route 9 on April 8, 1968, 77 days later. While the military conflict ended in April of 1975, it was a long process towards reunification and redevelopment as a country. The conflict left Vietnam in both political and economical ruins.
Contributor
<a href="http://digitalcollections.net.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/24" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Vietnam
Contributing Project
<a href="http://digitalcollections.net.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a><span>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida</span>
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a><span>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida</span>
External Reference
<span>"</span><a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">About the Project</a><span>." UCF Community Veterans History Project, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/.</span>
Herring, George C. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5126110" target="_blank"><em>America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975</em></a>. New York: Wiley, 1979.
"<a title="American Experience" href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl3.html" target="_blank">American Experience</a>." Public Broadcasting Company. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl3.html.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Hanke, Gabrielle
Interviewee
Blank, William "Bill"
Location
Orlando, Florida
Original Format
Digital (DAT)
Duration
45 minutes and 8 seconds
Bit Rate/Frequency
157kbps
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Oral History of Dr. William "Bill" Blank
Alternative Title
Oral History, Blank
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Army
Persian Gulf War, 1991
Cold War
Global War on Terror, 2001-2009
Yom Kippur War, 1973
Iraq War, 2003-2011
World War II--United States
Description
An oral history of Dr. William Blank, who served in the U.S. Army (USA) from 1971 until 1974. Dr. Blank ultimately reached the rank of Specialist 4 and was stationed in Mannheim, Germany. Now the Director of Career Development at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Dr. Blank discusses his experiences during and after his military service. Some of the topics include the Yom Kippur War and the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, benefits of being in the military, personal experiences in Europe, the evolution of the military and public opinion of veterans, working with international students, and opinions of the military today and modern conflicts.
Table Of Contents
0:00:01 Introduction
0:00:32 Entering the Military
0:03:32 Training and assignment
0:04:59 Feelings on the Vietnam War
0:07:17 First experience in Germany
0:08:41 1972 Summer Olympics
0:10:28 The Yom Kippur War
0:12:42 Personal benefits of being in the military
0:14:06 Post-military experiences
0:17:13 Preparation and thought process in the Army
0:18:52 Personal time in Germany
0:20:58 Destruction of the Berlin Wall
0:22:17 Evolution of the military and public opinion of veterans
0:26:09 Issues with government
0:27:43 Homecoming
0:28:22 Family feelings on enlistment and war
0:29:07 Feelings on assignment
0:29:47 Relationships in the Army
0:31:39 Fun in the Army
0:33:00 Travel experiences and relationship with host family
0:34:43 Working with international students
0:35:12 Summary of international experience
0:35:32 Stand-out memories
0:37:13 Opinion of entering military today
0:41:16 Opinion of recent wars
0:43:37 Admiration for evolution of military and public opinion
Abstract
Oral history interview of Dr. William Blank. Interview conducted by Gabrielle Hanke.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/264/" target="_blank">Blank, Bill</a>. Interviewed by Gabrielle Hank. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
Multimedia software, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank"> QuickTime</a>.
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/92" target="_blank">Vietnam War Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Digital transcript of original 45-minute and 8-second oral history: <a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/264/" target="_blank">Blank, Bill</a>. Interviewed by Gabrielle Hanke. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Mannheim, Germany
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
Munich, Germany
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Marine Corps Base Quantico, Triangle, Virginia
Vietnam
Watergate Office Complex, Washington, D.C.
Bad Tölz, Germany
Bastogne, Belgium
Kehlsteinhaus, Germany
Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France
Creator
Hanke, Gabrielle
Blank, William
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-11-21
Date Copyrighted
2014-11-21
Format
video/mp4
application/pdf
Medium
45-minute and 8-second oral history
21-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Gabrielle Hanke and William Blank and published by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Rights Holder
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/veterans/" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>
Curator
Cravero, Geoffrey
Digital Collection
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, UCF Digital Collections, University of Central Florida
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl3.html" target="_blank">American Experience</a>." Public Broadcasting Company. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl3.html.
Herring, George C. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5126110" target="_blank"><em>America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975</em></a>. New York: Wiley, 1979.
Rottman, Gordon L., and Duncan Anderson. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/190967872" target="_blank"><em>The US Army in the Vietnam War 1965-73</em></a>. Oxford: Osprey, 2008.
Rabinovich, Abraham. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52464595" target="_blank"><em>The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East</em></a>. New York: Schocken Books, 2004.
<span>Herzog, Chaim. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1500167" target="_blank"><em>The War of Atonement: October, 1973</em></a><span>. Boston: Little, Brown, 1975.</span>
Transcript
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Okay. Today is the 21<sup>st</sup> of November, 2014. My name is Gabrielle Hanke and I am here interviewing Dr. William "Bill" Blank. He served in the Army from 1971 until 1974. He ultimately reached the rank of Specialist 4 and was stationed in Mannheim, [Baden-Württemberg,] Germany. I am interviewing him as part of the University of Central Florida’s [Community] Veterans History Project and this interview is being conducted in Orlando, Florida. Alright, so let’s start off with your early years.</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Okay. Um, well as with most military vets, I would guess they would say a couple of words that might define their experience would be “conflict” and “adventure.” I think, you know, traditionally, that the military definitely offered both of those, and when I think of the conflict, I actually think of conflict here at home rather than abroad. Um, that was a—a pretty tumultuous time, um, in our society regarding world events, world affairs, and the military’s involvement in those events, um, specifically looking at the Vietnam War. And uh—it—it really began after I had already begun college.</p>
<p>I was a—a college student. I’d been going to school for several months and, uh, back in 1971. In the fall of 1971, they had the lottery, and it’s not like you think of the lottery today where you can win a million dollars, but rather, the lottery was determining who was going to be getting a draft notice. And, uh, my number happened to be 31. And up until about 100, those individuals could be expecting to get a draft notice. And so, uh, we—we had a—an opportunity—I guess I’m going to call it, uh—if you knew you that you were going to be getting a draft notice, you had several months typically to enlist as a—a prelude to getting that draft notice or—or in lieu of getting that draft notice. What were the advantages of that? One was that we—we had—we were actually kind of transitioning into what they called the “all-volunteer Army,” which began a year later. So this was really a year to sort of field test some of the constructs of that all-volunteer Army. And by enlisting prior to getting the draft notice, we were able to go in under something they called the “buddy system.”</p>
<p>And so my best friend from high school—who was coincidentally my college roommate—who also had a very low number for that lottery, we decided together to go ahead and enlist in the Army and that would give us the opportunity of going in under the buddy system. And what that really meant is that we were able to go through basic training together. And if you can imagine a couple of kids from a small industrial town, uh, in North Central Wisconsin, who had not previously ventured far from their backyard, were going to be going somewhere around the world, um, experiencing this major adventure. And so by at least starting off by having that kind of security blanket, that—that familiar face going through basic was really important and, um—and it actually meant a lot, I think, to many people, um, who had that opportunity.</p>
<p> So we went in, we volunteered, uh—enlisted. Uh, we—we went to basic training together. And then the second benefit of enlisting rather than actually getting the draft notice was we had the ability to have input in terms of what we would be doing in the military. And since I had taken electronics classes in high school, uh, they had determined to send me to a—a communications technician program—electronics training basically—which worked well for me.</p>
<p>And then the third benefit of enlisting was that—although it was not a guarantee—it—it really came down to the demand of the military at that time, but, um, you could at least give preferences for where you wanted to be stationed. um, and one of mine was to—to be able to go to Germany and, uh—actually, when we finished our training, I—I started off with orders for Vietnam, but because they were starting to pull back on the numbers of people they were sending to Vietnam, uh—they backed down on the Vietnam, uh, orders and transitioned them to Germany, and so I did get to go to Germany for three years. So I thought that was going to be a pretty positive experience for me.</p>
<p>And—and, um, to—to maybe give just a little bit more background, it was—it was a really difficult time actually, um, for young men primarily—although there were some women that were also going in—but men were the ones that were getting drafted, because of the societal views on the Vietnam War.</p>
<p>It was not a righteous war. Um, America had not been threatened. Our interests abroad had not been threatened. And so for many people in the country, um, there was resistance to the war and—and that was especially evident, um, on college campuses. Uh, having been a college student, you know, we all—we all had kind of a common perception of the war and, um, and that probably peaked in 1970, when at Kent State [University], the [Ohio] National Guard killed—I believe it was four or five students and then many others were injured as well, when the Ohio National Guard opened up on—on a group of protesters at that institution.</p>
<p>Um, and so, going into the military, going from student to—to soldier literally in a couple of short months created, I guess, a great deal of, um, cognitive dissonance, or at least it made me really question my values and philosophies about living and learning versus, um, you know, doing my duty and, um, you know, agreeing to uh, protect, and pr—um, protect society, uh, which—which was something that, um—in my family, you know—it was pretty conservative. That was kind of a—a passed down value, um, or—or philosophy, I guess, on life.</p>
<p>You do what you’re told to do by the authorities and—and you do it gladly. And uh, my grandfather had been in World War I and I—I remembered talking to him frequently and seeing all of his photographs. And so there was kind of that sense that, um, I need to pick up the torch in my family system and—and do my job for the military. So, two—two conflicting, um, life views really. Um—and—and I was not alone. That was pretty common I think for many young people at that time.</p>
<p>But nevertheless, I ended up going to Germany. And, um, one of my very first experiences in Germany, ironically, was being the point person, um, in a riot squad. When you think of a riot squad as a “V” and—and they ask for somebody, or they told somebody, “You’re going to be the point person.” And that was developed because of some of the international protests to the Vietnam War. Uh, [President Richard Milhous] Nixon had been doing quite a lot of carpet-bombing, where he would just saturate the country with explosives and—and so European students were protesting, as well. So I’m a student one day and a few months later, I’m actually wearing a uniform with an M-16, with a bayonet on it, and I’m the point person with students from Germany, um, attempting to infiltrate our base or—or surge our fences—and—and that put me in a really awkward position as well. Fortunately, um, nothing happened to the extent that we had to make contact with them, um, but—but nevertheless, it—it really made me question what I was doing and—and whether or not it was a valid, um, experience. Uh, so—so that was my introduction to Germany.</p>
<p>And then, um, just about a year later, I was actually going to teletype school, which was just outside of Munich[, Bavaria, Germany] in a small town called Bad Tölz [, Bavaria, Germany]. Teletype was sort of the prelude or the precursor to, um, e-mail. And, uh, just a—a few weeks into that training, uh, there was an attack at Olympic Village.<a title="">[1]</a> the—the 1972 Summer Olympics were going in Munich, by, um, a group of, um—uh, I guess for a lack of a better word, I would call them “terrorists”—the Black September [Organization] group—the—they were known as, attacked Israeli athletes and ended up—they kidnapped them initially in exchange for, um, over 200 prisoners that were in Israeli jails, uh—Arab prisoners. And, um, when Israel did not negotiate with them, they—they actually ended up killing all of the athletes, along with a German police officer. And, being in Munich at that time, all of the American soldiers were put on alert and, um, it was a pretty tense few days not knowing if that terror would—would, um, transition into some of the American facilities. Um, Mark Spitz was a—a—like a five—I think he won five golds that year for swimming. Uh, they—they rushed him out of Germany and—and flew him back to the United States being a—a Jewish athlete. So again, political, um, unrest and violence across the world, um, was starting to really boil. I think that was probably a, uh, maybe a—an omen of what was to come for America up the road, um, with the Middle East.</p>
<p>And—and we got through it and things seemed to settle down a bit and then, literally a year later, um, my armor unit, we had about 30 to 40 tanks in—in the unit that I was stationed with in Germany, um—80-ton tanks—60-ton tanks, I guess they were. And each year, we would go up to Northern Germany to qualify those tank crews on the firing ranges. And in 1973—in the fall of ‘73—we were up there doing just that, when, um, a number of Arab countries, um, attacked Israel, um, and—and that that was led, um, primarily by, um, let me see. I need to—to—to kind of just refresh my memory. The coalition of Arab states<a title="">[2]</a> was led by Syria. Egypt and Syria were the two countries that were really kind of spearheading that attack. Um, they were trying to win back, uh, land that was lost years earlier in the Three Day War. This was called the Yom Kippur Wer[sic]—Wer[sic]—War, because it was occurring during that holiday—that Jewish holiday<a title="">[3]</a>—um, and also the Arab<a title="">[4]</a> holiday of Ramadan. And so, um, it was kind of ironic that we’re celebrating these two religious holidays, and in the midst of them, they—they create another war.</p>
<p>At any rate, um, literally overnight, all of our tanks were, um, repainted in desert camouflage to—to make us ready to, um, be transported to the Middle East to intervene. Both Russia and the U.S., uh, really mustered their forces in terms of supplies and armament to their respective allies in the Middle East. And—and—and we came this close to, um, a world war with Russia at this point—the two superpowers colliding. Um, fortunately after three weeks, a—a ceasefire though occurred and, uh, that was, uh, the beginning of, um, a series of peace talks that helped to create a little bit more harmony in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Uh, so at any rate, I—I had a number of conflicts that were right on the edge of reality, in terms of drawing my unit into all of them. And so, probably not unlike with most soldiers, there’s always that, um, impeding war or that impending, um, “police action”—as Vietnam and Korea were called—uh, on the cusp of—of every morning.</p>
<p>Um, but—but in spite of all of that, I would say that I—I got a great deal out of the experience that I had in the military. I think when—when I look at, um, what that did for me, in terms of just the confidence and the self-responsibility, um, just the—the, um, I—I think ability to—to live my life more independently and autonomously. Um, the military was truly responsible for that. I think, in addition to that, there were relationships that were forged while in the military that were like no other relationships since, in terms of being very authentic and—and really, um, having that sense of cohesion that common bond or shared reality with other soldiers. Um, those relationships really truly turned out to be lifelong relationships.</p>
<p>And then, in addition to, um, being able to benefit from the GI Bill [Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944], as a first generation college student, I was able to—to get my education—undergraduate and graduate education—um, at least partially funded by the military. um, gave me the opportunity to really get back to the, uh, goal of—of living and learning life, helping other people, uh, develop academically as a—an educational counselor and—and educational teacher. I think ultimately, all of that cumulatively allowed me to give back to the military in that, after getting my—my graduate degree in counseling, I was able to, um, develop a course for chronically unemployed Vietnam vet[eran]s, and—and, um, administer that six-week course throughout the state of Wisconsin, resulting in a national award with an over 80 percent placement rate at the end of that year for—for these, uh, participants.</p>
<p>And then, beyond that at other institutions, um, at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne[, Wyoming], I—I taught ongoing workshops for military, who are retiring after 20 or 30 years, to help them more easily transition into civilian life and the civilian workforce. And then even here at—at UCF [University of Central Florida], I have the opportunity to work closely with veterans.</p>
<p>When we had the war with Iraq, and many of our UCF students were called out who were National Guard or Reservists, I actually created a—a long distance career counseling service for those veterans and extended it to all of their cohorts. um, and—and helped them to really, um, evaluate their life experiences in—in the face of being a warrior and how that was influencing changing career goals and helping them to adjust their academic programs, and then also to help assist them with the transition once they came back to college. Um, so, and—and then more recently, with the—the veterans academic resource grant that we got, I’m one of the committee members for that grant, and I’ve been able to really help infuse some professional development programing for veterans with job fairs and things of that nature.</p>
<p>So ultimately, you know, I—I can go back 40 years and I can see how the military really shaped me and—and how that military thread has consistently woven through my life, um, to, you know, my—my early 60s, where I am now, and—and how that’s been such a—a, I guess a pivotal experience in my life. It shaped me truly more than any other experience I’ve had thus far. So, that’s—that’s the summary of my story and, um, I stand by it.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Well, that was very good. Um, if we could go into some more details such as, uh, how were you trained during this time of there was conflict, but then there wasn’t almost. Like, it was a very iffy time. Could you tell me a little more about that?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Well, I—I think with—with anyone in the military at any time, you’re—you’re on constant alert and you’re involved in continuous training and we were always prepared for the worst. Um, we were ready to be mobilized as with, uh, the war, uh, in the Middle East. Literally in a few days, our entire, uh, battalion would be ready to transition over to the Middle East from Germany. Um, constant training. And I think, uh, there was also, um, quite a lot of educational programming, um, helping us to—I—I think, understand where we fit with all of the world events that were going on. Um, I don’t think we were discouraged from challenging ideas and beliefs, but I think because we were the military, there was always that, um, underlying focus on it’s our job to—to go in the event that we’re called out and do what we’ve been trained to do. It was our duty—our responsibility. So no matter where one might have been, um, in terms of their political ideologies, they were ready to do their job. And I am absolutely confident that—that we all would have done what we would have been asked to do as—as were soldiers in every war before ours.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke</strong>Okay. And then, um, I know there was, um, the issue of the Warsaw Pact<a title="">[5]</a> coming around. Um, what was it like uh—I mean like the air? The aura almost of being in Germany—being so close?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Well I—I did, because I was in Germany and—and because I so much enjoy and appreciate history, I did spend a—a great deal of my personal time while there learning about the history of, um, all of the events of World War II and how Europe had transformed as a result of the war.</p>
<p>And then with the Berlin Wall going up around, um, the time of my birth, uh, it was interesting to learn more about that and—and experience what it was like behind the Curtain—the Iron Curtain. And while I was there, I spent all of my—my vacation time, uh, travelling throughout Europe, um, going actually to Southern Europe to, um, the—the Third Reich headquarters, um, and Bavaria[, Germany], and seeing some of the—the facilities—the Eagle’s Nest<a title="">[6]</a> that [Martin] Bormann had built for [Adolf] Hitler.</p>
<p>And, um, and then also going to some of the countries that had been, um, uh, freed as a result of American intervention in the war. Um, France, and going up to Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, seeing where the Battle of the Bulge occurred in Bastogne[, Belgium]. Um, and talking to people up there and actually living with a German family for the three years. I was there and hearing their stories. They were terrified of the Nazis,<a title="">[7]</a> I think, as any European may have been at that time. Um, it—it was really interesting to get that personal perspective from people and—and talk to people who had actually been there during those wars—during that war—and, uh, hearing their, um, personal life histories.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Yeah. That’s very interesting. And then, um, let’s see. How did you feel—I know you weren’t there at the time—but when the Berlin Wall finally came down?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Um, it—it was amazing to me. and—and I—I guess what—what I guess the personal connection for me—it went up the year I was born and it was torn down the year my sons were born.<a title="">[8]</a> And—and so I look at, within that lifetime, what a dramatic change. And that was certainly an indication of, uh, what was to come with some of the, um, eastern countries, and now the Middle Eastern countries as well, um, as far as that goes—in terms of democracy and in terms of people having freedom of choice.</p>
<p>So when I thought about that, it helped to legitimize my involvement during the Vietnam period, again which was pretty tumultuous, um, politically- and society-wise, um, especially as a—an 18 year old not very knowledgeable about much in life at that point. Um, every experience I had, uh, was sort of a first time exposure for me. I didn’t have the—I guess the cognitive ability to—to maybe put it all in perspective early on, it really evolved over time.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>And then, um—how do you feel? Has the military changed in its attitudes? As you were saying, um, your generation—you did your duty. Do you feel that that has carried over to this generation?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /> </strong>It—it—it has, um, to my amazement and to my pleasure. I have seen amazing, amazing, changes. Colonel [Richard] Toliver talked about that even from, uh, pre-Vietnam era and World War II era—how things have changed. And I think for veterans, in particular—during the Vietnam era, we were either openly discriminated against, um, chastised, or we were politely tolerated at best, but we were never, never celebrated. I can honestly say that in 40 years, not one person ever even acknowledged my time in the service, much less thank me for it, until a couple years ago, um, here at UCF when—when the veterans’ memorial was—was opened up, about two years ago, I guess it was.</p>
<p>And now, it’s totally amazing, is that anytime people realize that—that I had been a veteran, if I have my—my flag on or if I go to a—a veteran program here, um, they all say “Bill, thank you for your service.” I came into work on Veterans’ Day and—and there was a—a card taped to my door and all my staff had signed it, uh, thanking me for my service. And that’s like something I never ever would have expected to happen. I mean, you can’t imagine, unless you lived through it, um, you know, returning war veterans being spit upon and—and criticized and—and yelled at—to—to being thanked. I mean, that is a true, positive transition. I think it speaks volumes about how the American military is viewed in this country, at least today. Um, I had an opportunity to go to the, um, the Marine officer training school in [Marine Corps Base] Quantico[, Triangle, Virginia], and, uh, it was amazing how—how they were so excited about the opportunity to—to put themselves in harm’s way to protect their country. Um, a real different attitude, not just by society, but by soldiers as well.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Do you have an opinion on what caused this?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Well, you know the concept of nationalism. During World War II, there was this wave of nationalism. We were attacked and we were going to defend our country. We were going to do what we needed to—to protect our families and our way of life. And, um, now again, with the attack on the World Trade Centers[sic] and—and the terrorist attacks coming from the Middle East, we have been threatened. And, um, our—our interests abroad have been threatened. Um, our—our homeland has been threatened and, indeed, attacked. And so, that’s what it requires, I think, for that wave of nationalism to occur.</p>
<p>During Vietnam, again as—as I said earlier, none of that was threatened, and there were so many questions about why are we there, what we were doing. Um, are we causing more harm than good? And so, when—when the war’s not a righteous war, you’re not going to get that support. When the war is righteous, that support with be there. Hopefully, um, our s—our government, our politicians, you know, learn something from that and they—they won’t be too eager to go to war un—unless there’s just cause.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Yeah, and, um, speaking of politicians, I know it was around the Vietnam War where things were really—people were starting to question it and especially with Watergate [Scandal] —what do you remember of that?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Yeah. Watergate actually happened when I was still in Germany, but I remember coming back and, um, you know—how that—that was the—I guess you could call it the—the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak for Nixon. Um, as early as the—the late 60s, he was—Nixon was—was being viewed as the person who was escalating the Vietnam War. Um, I think already there was a—a tide of resistance about him and then Watergate pretty much cinched it for him.</p>
<p>Um, but it—it—it didn’t help to sort of regain confidence in government. I think it helped to further, um, support the concept that the government doesn’t always make good decisions and—and they’re not always, um, principled and ethical people who are running government. And so I think for—for Vietnam era veterans, you know, it—it sort of justified the views that they may have held about government. And—and we were separating military from government. A lot of people in the military didn’t necessarily support what heads of government—heads of state were—were doing and—and the kinds of decisions that they were making.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>And then, um, what was your homecoming like? Did people distinguish between you were in Vietnam or you were in Germany? Or did they…</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>No. If you had a uniform on, you weren’t seen in in a positive light. And so veterans quickly learned to not present themselves as returning veterans. Um, as soon as we got back, um, I can vividly recall my duffel bag with all my uniforms and gear went into a Goodwill bin. Um, the first thing I did was grow my hair out so I wouldn’t look like a veteran. Um, I didn’t want to be, um, targeted and—and truly they—they were. We were.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>And, um, how did your family feel about you going into the military at this time and…</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>They didn’t really want me to, quite honestly. But again with—with the draft, there wasn’t really an option. I—I think they were probably ambivalent about the war as well. and when literally every single night for a—at least a full hour on the national news, we were seeing clips of Vietnam with—with people’s sons and husbands and fathers being killed left and right and in large numbers. Um, there—there wasn’t a lot of support from family members for their sons to go into that situation.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>So, now you said you were initially, um, listed as going to Vietnam, correct? How did…</p>
<p><strong>Blank</strong>Right. Right.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>How did you feel about that?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>I—I was concerned about it, but, you know, if—if that’s where they needed me to be, uh—just like every other individual who went through basic training or advanced individual training, you went where they told you to go. The military was very effective at, um, kind of creating that—that cohesion and that common bond where you go and support your fellow veteran—your fellow, um, soldiers, rather.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>And then, um, you said uh, it was thr—through the military you made these very unique relationships. Do you still keep in contact with people?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Um, not—not so much anymore at this point in in my life, um, but for the first decade or so after getting out, um, there—there was ongoing contact. Unfortunately, um, probably of the—the two or three people that I really bonded tightly with in my unit, uh, one of them was killed, um, in Germany, um, through—through an accident. And, uh, the other one relocated back to Pennsylvania, which was on the other side of the country as me. I was, um, in Wisconsin and then ultimately Colorado. So we—we sort of lost touch as well.</p>
<p>But, um, one of my coworkers picked up grandparents the other day from the airport, and took them to Lakeland, where her grandfather was reconnecting with a—a military cohort from his time during World War II. And she was sharing with me how rewarding it was when she saw them, um, connect, um, for the first time. and—and they embraced each other and literally, uh, began crying because, I—I think when—when you see those people after so many years, it’s that whole flood of emotions that that come to the surface. Colonel [Richard] Toliver talked about that when he wrote his book,<a title="">[9]</a> um—how it’s a bit difficult, because so many of the emotions from wartime resurface. But—but I think they can be positive emotions too. It’s not just all negative memory. It’s—it’s the relationships that were so crucial, I think, to that lifelong, I guess, association with the military.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>And, um, I know it was a very serious time, but what did you guys do for fun?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Well, that’s the, uh, the other side I talked about, you know, for everybody going in the military. It’s conflict and adventure. And—and it’s kind of a strange combination, because sometimes they may be one and the same. But, um, being in an armored unit, um, as an 18 year old kid and we have these 60-ton tanks, uh, it was pretty amazing to be able to play with them. We—we had some areas where we would practice, um, driving them. And—and Americans would discard cars in that area that they couldn’t take back to the States, because they didn’t have seatbelts, safety glass, all of that. So imagine a Volkswagen with—with 60-ton tanks driving over it, one after another. Um, those—that was the kind of activity that made it pretty exciting.</p>
<p>But then beyond what we did in the military, um, uh, you know, beyond when—when we’d go on maneuvers, I would be driving our operations major, scouting a place to camp out with—with you know 30 tanks and all the crews and support peoples. So I had a four-wheel drive Jeep and we’d—we would be going through the hillsides and having quite an adventure of it.</p>
<p>But, in addition to all of that, when I wasn’t working, um, I traveled a lot. I got my international driver’s license as soon as I could, bought a car, and every single weekend I was gone. I was visiting all parts of Western Europe. In a weekend, you could go just about anywhere, because Europe is such a small landmass. Took all my vacations over there. Um, my parents came over, um, for a couple weeks to—to visit, and we traveled all over Western Europe to—to help them experience it, as well.</p>
<p>Um, and then the German family I lived with, they—they sort of adopted me as a—a[sic] international, um, son—I guess for lack of a better term. And they—they took me everywhere with them when they would go off on weekends. They helped me to really experience the culture and the diversity of Germany and really learn to appreciate what Germany is today. And I think as a result of that, um, you know, knowing what it felt like to be a stranger in a foreign land and then to have people befriend me and kind of help me. Whether it was, you know, teaching me how to, um—say “vergaser,” which is German for carburetor, which I needed to know when I went to the auto-mechanic to tell him I needed a—a “neu vergaser.” Um, to—to, you know, teaching me how they celebrated, um, the holidays and—and what Christmas meant to them, taking me to church with them on Christmas Eve. Uh, all of that was really eye opening.</p>
<p>As a result of that, I became an international student mentor here, um, for our international students, where each year I take one on and, um, have that mentor-mentee relationship to help them adapt and adjust to the United States and to UCF, and just guide them through the everyday issues that—that one faces when—when one is in a foreign land.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>That’s very good.</p>
<p><strong>Blank <br /></strong>So a lot of adventure, um, and—and again, I think it’s that combination of coming into adulthood and experiencing, um, all of those new challenges and—and adventures that, um, people in the military never ever, ever forget.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Is there, uh, any specific moments that stand out to you? That you can still see?</p>
<p><strong>Blank <br /></strong>Um, well, one time, when—when we were on a maneuver—in terms of a memorable experience—the German forests are pretty dense and—and pretty rugged still. They have wild boars which—which have large, razor-like teeth, and—and—and, um, horns, and they can be literally deadly, if you’re caught out in the open with them—if they do attack you. And I recall one night—this may seem a bit bizarre—but having to relieve myself, I left the safety of the 60-ton tank and walked out into the woods, and I heard something snorting. And it didn’t take me but about two and a half seconds to get back on top of that tank. And sure enough, a herd of razorback came running by me, and, um, I felt fortunate I wasn’t out there.</p>
<p>Um, and—and then—and then maybe, um, another time I—I guess I remember well—was actually a trip to Paris[, France] to do some sight-seeing. And—and I was able to really experience Paris and [the Palace of] Versailles and all the history, and—and I didn’t fully appreciate what I was witness to until I got back to the States and began college. And I was in a world history class where the professor was talking about the French Revolution, and, um, Queen [Marie] Antoinette, and—and the guil—guillotines, and Versailles and—and all the other students had kind of a blank look on their face. And I’m thinking <em>Oh, yeah, I—I know that, I was actually there.</em> When he talked about the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, I was there.</p>
<p>Um, when they got into the World War II history and—and talked about some of the early meetings between, um, the different diplomats at, uh, the Eagle’s Nest, or Hitler’s tea house, I was there. Um, everything that was being discussed, I had actually been there in person and had experienced personally. Um, and so, it, I think it made me fully, at that point, understand what a treasure that was for me to have had that opportunity for travel and just seeing parts of the world unknown that I never would have been able to experience had I not been in the military.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>So, what would you say to someone who is considering enlisting in the military today?</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>It—it’s a—it’s a dangerous time to go in the military right now, uh, but I would never discourage it. Um, I actually teach a course—a graduate career counseling course—for, uh, graduate students who are preparing to go into school counseling. And every semester, I bring in, uh, representatives from the military to teach them about opportunities in the military, so that they at least are aware of them when they work with their high school students up the road. And—and I share with them, you know—it’s a personal decision for individuals, but we need to be letting young people know this is an opportunity.</p>
<p>Um, war—war can certainly be dangerous, but there are so many benefits in the military and—and especially in terms of helping to, um, complete one’s education. The military is so supportive of that financially and otherwise. Um, and so, I wouldn’t discourage anyone. um, it—it’s awkward though, because I—I know there’s a good chance today that people could absolutely be, um, in a combat situation and, um, knowing what can happen in combat it—it creates a bit of dissonance with me. But I—I regret that young people today don’t have the same opportunity I did. They—they—young men, in particular—we—we needed that kind of safe haven to—to mature and develop.</p>
<p> At 18, most young men are not ready for college and they’re not ready for life. And so to have that three year period where they—they have the protection of the military. Someone to feed and clothe and house you, but yet challenge you to mature and become responsible. I—I regret that young men don’t have that today. I regret that my own sons, who are 25, have never had that experience.</p>
<p>Ironically, I’ve got a 29 year old, young man who works for me now—a new staff member—and, um, he’s never ironed his shirt. And in the military, we learn to press and starch all of our uniforms to great precision. And, um, this is probably my experience of the year—for me this year. He brought his ironing board, his iron, and a can of starch along with a shirt and a pair of pants and he asked me to teach him how to iron based on my knowledge of how to do that from the military. We—we took pride in our appearance and we were called on it if we weren’t attentive to it. And I—I try to encourage young men today to do the same. One—one of many, many, um, benefits or—or attributes to being in the military.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke </strong>Yeah. Um, uh, speaking of the recent conflicts in the Middle East, you said the conflicts that you experienced personally—you feel they were ominous almost?</p>
<p><strong>Blank </strong>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke </strong>So, um, how did you feel about first [Operation] Desert Storm<a title="">[10]</a> and then the recent [Iraq] War?<a title="">[11]</a></p>
<p><strong>Blank </strong>Supportive of it, because their sovereign country had been attacked—Kuwait had been attacked. And—and, uh, I—I—I think, as—as, I believe, every past veteran would have seen, that was a—a just action.</p>
<p>And, um, I think the difference though there versus in Vietnam, um—they put the full military behind it. In Vietnam, uh, there—there were so many restrictions about how that war was approached. And—and as a result of that, it went on. It actually started in in 1954 with [President Dwight David] Eisenhower, when—when he showed political and financial support for South Vietnam.<a title="">[12]</a> Um, but then, as it continued, uh, into the 60s—with the advisors and over war, and then escalated numbers of U.S. soldiers going there, um, it was never looked at as, “Here’s a war. Let’s put the full force of the military behind it.” But it was rather a trickle of U.S. soldiers going, um, for an extended period of time, not getting the kind of support that that they needed to—to do it right. And—and I was proud—proud of—of the military for the way they handled the first Iraq War.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>Now with, um, these most recent wars, they’ve been going on for quite a while.</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Yeah, the—the face of war has really changed. Starting with Vietnam, you didn’t know who your enemy was and—and same today with terrorism. But, because terrorism directly threatens the United States and all of us who live here, um, it has to be addressed. You know, I—I don’t see other options than to continue to be involved in in what we’re doing.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke <br /></strong>And then, um—I think you’ve answered almost everything. Um, so, is there anything else you’d like to talk about?</p>
<p><strong>Blank <br /></strong>Um, I—I think just my—my delight at how things have changed with the military. Um, when we—we saw, um—we hosted the film <em>Red Tails</em> in our office. The Tuskegee Airmen, and—and it was during [National] Veterans [Awareness] Week. Um, it was really amazing to see the pioneers for, um, bringing equality into the military, which, in my era, then continued with women coming into the military.</p>
<p>And then I think the second major thing that I’m really pleased to see is that not only has the military, um, really come to a point where they honor diversity and recruit for diversity, but I think they—they also now are being valued more. All—all veterans of every war are being so much more highly valued than was ever the case, from my perspective. And that brings me great joy to—to just know, even after having waited four decades to—to see that, finally, you know, people are supportive. The—the general public is supportive of what the military is doing and—and honoring those past veterans as well.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke<br /></strong>We’re good? Time is good? Okay. Alright. Well, that concludes the interview, and I would like to personally thank you for both your time and your service.</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>You’re welcome.</p>
<p><strong>Hanke <br /></strong>Thank you very much.</p>
<p><strong>Blank<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Munich Massacre.</p>
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<p><a title="">[2]</a> The coalition also included Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as Cuba.</p>
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<p><a title="">[3]</a> Yom Kippur.</p>
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<p><a title="">[4]</a> Correction: Muslim holiday.</p>
</div>
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<p><a title="">[5]</a> Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance.</p>
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<p><a title="">[6]</a> Kehlsteinhaus.</p>
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<p><a title="">[7]</a> National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP).</p>
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<p><a title="">[8]</a> 1961.</p>
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<p><a title="">[9]</a> <em>An Uncaged Eagle: True Freedom</em>.</p>
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<p><a title="">[10]</a> There is only one Operation Desert Storm.</p>
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<p><a title="">[11]</a> Operation Iraqi Freedom.</p>
</div>
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<p><a title="">[12]</a> Republic of Vietnam.</p>
</div>
</div>
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/264/" target="_blank">Blank, Bill</a>
Date Issued
2015-01
Extent
387 MB
203 KB
1972 Summer Olympics
9/11 Attacks
Adolf Hitler
all-volunteer military
An Uncaged Eagle: True Freedom
anti-war protest
anti-war protests
Arab-Israeli War of 1973
Bad Tölz, Germany
basic training
Bastogne, Belgium
Battle of the Bulge
Bavaria, Germany
Berlin Wall
Bill Blank
Black September Organization
BSO
buddy system
carpet bombing
carpet bombs
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Christmas
civilian
civilians
cognitive dissonance
cold war
college
colleges
conscription
Desert Shield
Desert Storm
diversity
draft lotteries
draft lottery
draft notices
drafting
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David Eisenhower
Eagle's Nest
educator
educators
Egypt
enlistment
Europe
Francis E. Warren AFB
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
French Revolution
Gabrielle Hanke
Games of the XX Olympiad
gender segregation
Germans
Germany
GI Bill
Global War on Terror
guidance counseling
GWOT
Hall of Mirrors
Halloween Massacre
homecoming
Ike Eisenhower
international students
Iraq
Iraq War
Iron Curtain
Israel
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Kehlsteinhaus
Kent State Massacre
Kent State Shooting
Kent State University
KSU
Kuwait
Mannheim, Germany
Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen
Marie Antoinette
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Mark Spitz
Martin Bormann
May 4 Massacre
MCB Quantico
mentors
Middle East
military
military assignments
military drafts
military training
Munich Massacre
Munich, Germany
National Guard
National Socialist German Workers' Party
National Veterans Awareness Week
nationalism
Nazi Germany
Nazi Party
Nazis
Nixon, Richard, Milhous
North Central Wisconsin
NSDAP
October War
Ohio National Guard
Olympic Village
Olympics
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Wrath of God
Palestine
Persian Gulf War
police actions
protesters
Ramadan
Ramadan War
razorbacks
Red Tails
Republic of Vietnam
Richard Milhous Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Toliver
riot squads
riots
Russia
segregation
September 11 Attacks
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944
South Vietnam
student protests
Summer Olympics
Syria
tanks
teachers
terrorism
terrorists
Third Reich
Three Day War
Treaty of Friendship, co-operation, and Mutual Assistance
Tuskegee Airmen
U.S. Army
UCF
universities
university
University of Central Florida
veterans
Veterans' Day
Vietnam
Vietnam War
volunteer military
volunteers
war protests
WarPac
Warren AFB
Warren Air Force Base
Warsaw Pact
Watergate
Watergate Scandal
wild boars
William Blank
Wisconsin
woman
women
World Trade Center
World War II
WWII
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur War
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/c15371e0c6ae5885bc6f64ccd636cea1.tif
61de1989e782d8c8396d65702b9fa1dc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
U.S. Census Collection
Alternative Title
Census Collection
Subject
Census--United States
Population--United States
Orange County (Fla.)
Marion County (Fla.)
Brevard County (Fla.)
St. Lucie County (Fla.)
Seminole County (Fla.)
Volusia County (Fla.)
Flagler County (Fla.)
Lake County (Fla.)
Osceola County (Fla.)
Description
Collection of United States Census population records for various counties in Central Florida from 1840 to 2000.
The Census Act of 1840 was signed into law on March 3, 1839 and later amended on February 26, 1840. This piece of legislation established a centralized census office during each enumeration. Congress designated the census questionnaire designs to the Secretary of State. However, each household received inquiries regarding "the pursuits, industry, education, and resources of the country" and included questions related to school attendance, literacy, and vocation.
In March of 1849, Congress pass legislation that established a census board consisting of the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Postmaster General. The board was responsible for preparing and printing forms and schedules for enumeration related to population, mining, agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, education, etc. The 1850 Census also increased population inquiries to include every free person's name (as opposed to just the head of the household), as well as information on taxes, schools, crime, wages, estate values, etc.
The Census Act of 1850 authorized the U.S. Census of 1860 and stipulated that its provisions be adhered to for all future decennial censuses should no new legislation be passed by the first of the year of said census. In May of 1865, the U.S. Census Office was abolished and many superintending clerks were transferred to the General Land Office.
Although the 1870 Census was conducted under the provisions of the Census Act of 1850, a new act was passed on May 6, 1870. The new census legislation required two changes in procedures related to questionnaire return submission dates. Moreover, penalties for refusing to reply to inquires were expanded to apply to all questions and questionnaires. The questionnaires themselves had to be redesigned due to the end of the "slave questionnaire", as slavery had been formally abolished slavery nationwide via the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This left five schedules for the census: General Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics. In addition, the use of a Charles W. Seaton, a U.S. Census Office chief clerk and later superintendent, invited a rudimentary tallying machine that partially alleviated the difficulties of tallying and tabulating questionnaire responses. Finally, the new superintendent for the Ninth Census, General Francis A. Walker, introduced employment examinations to test the qualifications of applicants to the Census Office, allowing for increased efficiency in the process of collecting census data.
The newest act authorizing the Census of 1880 provided for supervision of enumeration by "supervisors of the census", selected exclusively for the collection of census data. All supervisors, as well as the superintendent, were to appointed by the U.S. President and approved by the Senate. Census enumerators were required to personally visit each household and family within his subdivision. The new census act also allowed for the collection of data related to the condition and operation of railroad corporations, incorporated express companies, and telegraph companies, as well as data related to the condition and operation of life, fire, and marine insurance companies. Corporations who refused to provide the census with "true and complete" answers were subject to fines. In addition, the census superintendent was required to collect and publish data on the population, industries and resources of the District of Alaska. Finally, the 1880 Census consisted of five schedules: Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Social Statistics, and Manufacturing.
The Census of 1890 was authorized by an act modeled after the 1880 enumeration and signed into law on March 1, 1889. The 1890 Census was supervised by 175 employees and enumerators were required to collect all information by personally visiting each household. The 1890 Census included essentially the same inquires from the 1880 Census, with some notable additions, such as questions about home and farm ownership and indebtedness; and the names, units, length of service, and residences of former Union soldiers and sailors, as well as the names of the widows of those who were no longer alive. Racial categorization was expanded to include "Japanese", along with "Chinese", "Negro", "mulatto", "quadroon", "octoroon", and "White". Herman Hollerith, a former employee of the U.S. Census Office, invited the electric tabulating system, which was widely used in the 1890 Census, allowing data to be processed faster and more efficiently. On October 3, 1893, Congress passed a law that transferred census-related work to the direction of the commissioner of labor. Congress passed another act on March 2, 1895, effectively abolishing the U.S. Census Office and transferring the remaining responsibilities to the Office of the Secretary of the Interior.
Congress limited the Census of 1900 to content related to population, mortality, agriculture, and manufacturing. Special census agents were authorized to collect statistics related to incidents of deafness, blindness, insanity, and juvenile delinquency; as well as data on religious bodies, utilities, mining, and transportation. The act authorizing the 1900 Census designated the enumeration of military personally to the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of the Navy, while Indiana Territory was to be enumerated by the commissioner of Indian Affairs. Annexed in 1898, Hawaii was included in the census for the first time. In 1902, the U.S. Census Office was officially established as a permanent organization within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The office became the U.S. Census Bureau in 1903 and was transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor.
The Census of 1910 was approved by legislation introduced in December of 1907 and enacted in July of 1909. The delay was the result of a disagreement over the appointment of enumerators. President Theodore Roosevelt supported the hiring of enumerators via the civil service system, while Congress supported enumerators as positions of patronage. President Roosevelt successfully won the debate. This census act also changed Census Day from the traditional date of June 1st to April 15th. Additional questions regarding the nationality and native language of foreign-born persons and their parents. Funds for the U.S. Census Bureau were also increased to expand the Census' permanent workforce and created several new full-time positions, including a geographer, a chief statistician, and an assistant director. The assistant director was to be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, while all other census employees were hired on the basis of open, competitive examinations administered by the Civil Service Commission. Despite the use of automatic counting machinery, issues with the tabulation process persisted. Finally, with the United States' entrance into World War I in 1917, the U.S. Census Bureau became a source of even more valuable purpose: the Census was able to use population and economic data to report on the populations of draft-age men, as well as information regarding each state's industrial capabilities.
The Census of 1920 changed the date of Census Day from April 15th to January 1st, as requested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which argued that farmers' memories and harvest information would be more accurate on this day. The U.S. Census Bureau was also authorized to hire additional employees at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and to create a special field force to collect census data. The legislation authorizing the 1920 Census also allowed for a census of manufacturing to be conducted in 1921, and for such a census to be repeated every two years thereafter, as opposed to the traditional five-year census cycle. Furthermore, a census of agriculture and livestock was to be conducted in 1925 and to be repeated every ten years thereafter. In addition, penalties for those who refused to supply information or those who supplied false information were strengthened. As a result of these changes, census of population, manufacturing, and agriculture and livestock became increasingly independent of one another.
The "usual place of abode", the location where residents regularly slept, instead of where they worked or were visiting, became the new basis for enumeration in the 1920 Census. Those with no permanent or regular residence were listed as residents of the location that they were enumerated at. Enumeration related to institutional inmates and dependent, defective, and delinquent classes were also modified. Unlike the previous census, the 1920 Census did not have inquires related to unemployment, to Union or Confederate Army or Navy service, to the number of children born, or to the length of time that a couple had been married. The Census of 1920, however, did include four additional questions: one regarding year of naturalization and three regarding native languages. Issues also arose as a result of changes in international boundaries following World War I, particularly for persons declaring birth or parental birth in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, or Turkey. In response, enumerators were required to ask said persons for their province, state, or region of birth. Enumerators were not required to ask individuals how to spell their names, nor were respondents required to provide proof of various pieces of information. Race was determined by the enumerator's impressions.
The act authorizing the 1930 Census was approved on June 18, 1929, allowing for a census of population, agriculture, irrigation, draining, distribution, unemployment, and mining. For the first time, specific questions for inquiry were left to the discretion of the Director of the Census. The Census encompassed each state, as well as the District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The Governors of Guam, American Samoa, the Virginia Islands, and the Panama Canal Zone were responsible for conducting censuses in their territory. Between the date that the census act was passed and Census Day (April 1st), the stock market crashed, plunging the entire country into the Great Depression. In response, there were public and academic requests for access to unemployment data collected in the 1930 Census; however, the U.S. Census Bureau was unable to meet this demands and the bureau was accused of present unreliable data. Congress required a special unemployment census for January 1931, which ultimately confirmed the severity of the economic crisis. Another unemployment census was conducted in 1937, as mandated by Congress. Because this special census was voluntary, it allowed the Census Bureau to experiment with statistical sampling. Only two percent of households received a special census questionnaire.
Congress authorized the 1940 Census in August 1939, providing the Director of the Census the additional authority to conduct a national census of housing in each state, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska. The housing census was conducted separately, though enumerators often collection housing information at the same time that they collected population information. The Census of 1940 was the first time that the U.S. Census Bureau used advanced statistical techniques. In particular, the census used probably sampling, which had only previously been tested in a trial census of unemployment conducted the Civil Works Administration during 1933-1934, in surveys of retail stores in the 1930s, and in an official sample survey of unemployment conducted amongst two percent of American households in 1937. Probability sampling allowed for the inclusion of additional demographic questions without increasing the burden on the collection process or on data processing. Moreover, sampling the U.S. Census Bureau was able to publish preliminary returns eight months before tabulations were completed. Likewise, the census increased its number of published tables, and also was able to complete data processing with higher quality and more efficiency. New census questions focused on employment, unemployment, internal migration, and incomes—reflecting on the concerns of the Great Depression, the country's housing stock, and the need for public housing programs.
The Census of 1950 encompassed every state, Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Panama Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other small American territories. For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau enumerate American living abroad to account for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, vessel crew members, and government employees residing in foreign countries. The U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Maritime Administration, and several other federal agencies were responsible for distributing and collecting census questionnaires in a cooperative effort. Persons living abroad for reasons other than what is listed above had their census information reported by families or neighbors residing in the United States, but such data was criticized as unreliable and were not published in official statistics. The 1950 Census also included a new survey on residential financing collected separately on a sample basis from owners of owner-occupied properties, rental properties, and mortgage lenders. The accuracy of the new census was increased by improved enumerator training, the use of detailed street maps for enumerators, the publication of "Missed Person" forms in local newspapers, and the designation of a specific night to conduct a special enumeration of transient individuals. Moreover, a post-enumeration survey was conducted to further verify the accuracy of the original enumeration. A sample of approximately 3,500 small areas was compared to the original census data to identify households that may have been omitted initially. Likewise, a sample of approximately 22,000 households were re-interviewed to identify persons omitted in the original enumeration count. Though not used for the 1950 Census, the UNIVersal Automatic Computer I (UNIVAC I), the first non-military computer, was used to tabulate some of the statistics for the 1954 census of economy. In August of 1954, Congress codified various census statutes, such as the Fifteenth Census Act of 1929, authorizing the decennial census and other census.
The Census of 1960 was the first to be mailed to respondents. The U.S. Postal Service delivered census questionnaires to households, the head of household was required to complete the questionnaire, and an enumerator was to pick it up. The enumeration process was divided into two stages: first, select data for each person and dwelling unit was collected; and second, more detailed economic and social data was collected from a sample of households and dwelling units. The census questionnaires for the second stage were hand-delivered by enumerators as they were collecting data from the first stage. Households receiving the second census questionnaire were to complete the form and mail it to their local census office. Twenty-five percent of the population was giving additional sample questions. Because of the increased use of sampling, less populated areas were prone to sampling variation; however, this did not significantly decrease the usefulness of census statistics gathered. Moreover, increased use of sampling reduced data processing costs. Additional questions included in the 1960 Census were related to places of works and means of transportation to work. By 1960, nearly all census data was processed using computers. The U.S. Census Bureau used a Film Optical Sensing Device for Input to Computer (FOSDIC) for the first time, thus decreasing the amount of time and money required for data input.
In 1966, the U.S. Census Bureau sought suggestions from advisory committees and from the public, resulting in numerous proposals for additional inquiries related to the scope and structure of the census, as well as in public interest for the publication of additional census data. Researchers also concluded that the 1950 Census and the 1960 Census had undercounted certain segments of the population. Moreover, they noted a growing distrust of government activity and increased resistance to responding to the census. Simultaneously, both the public and private sectors expressed need for accurate information. The U.S. Census Bureau decreased its number of questions from 66 to 23 in an effort to simplify its products. A register for densely populated areas was also created to ensure that all housing units were accounted for. A Spanish-language questionnaire was also enclosed with census questionnaires in areas with a significant amount of Spanish-speaking households. Additionally, a question on Hispanic origins or descent was asked independently from race, but only on a five-percent sample. Only five questions were given to all individuals: relationship to household head, sex, race, age, and marital status. Additional questions were asked in smaller sample groups. This was also the first census in which respondents of urban areas were asked to mail their forms to the Census Bureau, rather than to hold questionnaires for enumerators.
Address Coding Guides were used to assign census geographic codes to questionnaires. Counts, a series of computer tape files, were an additional innovation used to increase the accuracy of census data. Count 1 consisted of complete count data for block groups and/or enumeration districts. Count 2 contained census tracts and minor civil/census county divisions, while Count 3 consisted of census blocks. Counts 4-6 provided sample census data for geographic areas of various population sizes. The Census Bureau also produced six Public Use Microdata Sample files, each of which contained complete information for a sample of approximately two million people. Finally, the Census Bureau developed the Summary Tape Processing Center Program, which was a group of organizations, both public and private, that processed census data from computer tapes.
For the 1990 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau utilized extensive user consultation prior to enumeration in order to refine both long and short form census questionnaires. The short form consisted of 13 questions and was given to the entire population. The long form asked 45 questions and was given to a 20 percent sample. The long form included topics related to marital history, carpooling, residence, residential elevators, and energy usage. Unlike the 1980 Census, the new census eliminated questions regarding air conditioning, the number of bathrooms in a residence, and the type of heating equipment used. A vast advertising campaign was marketed to increase public awareness of the census via public television, radio, and print media. Like the previous census, the Census of 1990 made a special effort to enumerate groups that have historically been undercounted in previous censuses called "S-Night": individuals in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, bus and railway stations, and dormitories (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "M-Night"); and permanent residents in hotels and motels (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "T-Night"). Following legal issues filed in response to the 1980 Census regarding statistical readjustment of undercounted areas, the Census Bureau initiated a post-enumeration survey (PES), in which a contemporaneous survey of households would be conducted and compare to the census results from the official census. In a partial resolution of a 1989 lawsuit filed by New York plaintiffs, the U.S. Department of Commerce agreed to use the PES to produce population data that had been adjusted for the projected undercount and that said data would be judged against the unadjusted data by the Secretary of Commerce's Special Advisory Panel (SAP).
The Census of 1990 also introduced the U.S. to the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (TIGER), which was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau. TIGER used computerized representations of various map features to geographically code addresses into appropriate census geographic areas. It also produced different maps required for census data collection and tabulation. Five years earlier, the Census Bureau became the first government agency to publish information on CD-ROM. For the 1990 Census, the bureau made detailed census data, which had previously been only available to organizations with large mainframe computers, accessible to any individual with a personal computer. Census data was also available in print, on computer tape, and on microfiche. Using two online service vendors, DIALOG and CompuServe, the Census Bureau also published select census data online.
As with previous censuses, the 1990 Census undercounted the national population, and again, the African-American population had an estimated net undercount rate that was significantly higher than the rate for other races. In July of 1991, the Secretary of Commerce announced that he did not find evidence in favor of using adjusted counts compelling—despite SAP's split vote on the issue—and chose to use unadjusted totals for the official census results. In response, the New York plaintiffs resumed the lawsuit against the Department of Commerce. A federal district court divided in favor of the DOC in April of 1993. The U.S. Court of Appeals, however, rejected the previous court ruling and ordered that the case be reheard by the federal district court. In March of 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of the Secretary of Commerce's decision to use the unadjusted census date, but did not rule on the legality or constitutionality of the use of statistical adjustment in producing apportionment counts.
For the 1990 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau utilized extensive user consultation prior to enumeration in order to refine both long and short form census questionnaires. The short form consisted of 13 questions and was given to the entire population. The long form asked 45 questions and was given to a 20 percent sample. The long form included topics related to marital history, carpooling, residence, residential elevators, and energy usage. Unlike the 1980 Census, the new census eliminated questions regarding air conditioning, the number of bathrooms in a residence, and the type of heating equipment used. A vast advertising campaign was marketed to increase public awareness of the census via public television, radio, and print media. Like the previous census, the Census of 1990 made a special effort to enumerate groups that have historically been undercounted in previous censuses called "S-Night": individuals in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, bus and railway stations, and dormitories (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "M-Night"); and permanent residents in hotels and motels (enumerated separately in the 1980 Census on "T-Night"). Following legal issues filed in response to the 1980 Census regarding statistical readjustment of undercounted areas, the Census Bureau initiated a post-enumeration survey (PES), in which a contemporaneous survey of households would be conducted and compare to the census results from the official census. In a partial resolution of a 1989 lawsuit filed by New York plaintiffs, the U.S. Department of Commerce agreed to use the PES to produce population data that had been adjusted for the projected undercount and that said data would be judged against the unadjusted data by the Secretary of Commerce's Special Advisory Panel (SAP).
The Census of 1990 also introduced the U.S. to the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (TIGER), which was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau. TIGER used computerized representations of various map features to geographically code addresses into appropriate census geographic areas. It also produced different maps required for census data collection and tabulation. Five years earlier, the Census Bureau became the first government agency to publish information on CD-ROM. For the 1990 Census, the bureau made detailed census data, which had previously been only available to organizations with large mainframe computers, accessible to any individual with a personal computer. Census data was also available in print, on computer tape, and on microfiche. Using two online service vendors, DIALOG and CompuServe, the Census Bureau also published select census data online.
As with previous censuses, the 1990 Census undercounted the national population, and again, the African-American population had an estimated net undercount rate that was significantly higher than the rate for other races. In July of 1991, the Secretary of Commerce announced that he did not find evidence in favor of using adjusted counts compelling—despite SAP's split vote on the issue—and chose to use unadjusted totals for the official census results. In response, the New York plaintiffs resumed the lawsuit against the Department of Commerce. A federal district court divided in favor of the DOC in April of 1993. The U.S. Court of Appeals, however, rejected the previous court ruling and ordered that the case be reheard by the federal district court. In March of 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of the Secretary of Commerce's decision to use the unadjusted census date, but did not rule on the legality or constitutionality of the use of statistical adjustment in producing apportionment counts.
For the Census of 2000, the short form consisted of only seven questions, while the long form consisted of 52 questions and used for a 17 percent sample of the population. For the first time, race questions were not limited to a single category; rather, respondents were able to check multiple boxes. A new question related to grandparents as caregivers was also mandated by legislation passed in 1996. Disability questions were expanded to including hearing and vision impairments, as well as learning, memory, and concentration disabilities. The 2000 Census also eliminated questions related to children born, water sources, sewage disposal, and condominium status. In addition, the 2000 Census was the first in which the Internet was used as the principal medium for the dissemination of census information. Summary Files were available for download immediately upon release and individual tables could be viewed via American FactFinder, the Census Bureau's online database. Files were also available for purchase on CD-Rom and DVD.
Due to declining questionnaire mail-back rates, the U.S. Census Bureau marketed a $167 million national and local print, television, and public advertising campaign in 17 different languages. The campaign successfully brought the mail-back rate up to 67 percent. Additionally, respondents receiving the short form were given the option of responding via the Internet. Telephone questionnaire assistance centers available in 6 languages also took responses via the phone. Statistical sampling techniques were utilized in two ways: first, to alter the traditional 100 percent personal visit of non-responding households during the non-response follow-up (NRFU) process by instead following up on a smaller sample basis; second, the sampling of 750,000 housing units matched to housing unit questionnaires obtained from mail and telephone responses, as well as from personal visits. The goal of the latter was to develop adjustment factors for individuals estimated to have been missed or duplicated and to correct the census counts to produce one set of numbers. This "one-number census" would correct for net coverage errors called Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM). Both of these measures were taken in an attempt to avoid repetition of the litigation costs generated by the 1980 Census and the 1990 Census. Despite these efforts, two lawsuits—one filed by the U.S. House of Representatives—were filed in February 1998 challenging the constitutionality and legality of the planned uses of sampling to produce apportionment counts. Both cases were decided in favor of the plaintiffs in federal district courts, but the U.S. Department of Commerce made appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. Known as the U.S. Department of Commerce v. the U.S. House of Representatives, the Court ruled that the Census Bureau's plans to use statistical sampling for purposes of congressional apportionments violated the Census Act. The bureau revised its plan, stating that it would produce statistically adjusted data for non-apportionment uses of census data information, such as redistricting. However, in March of 2001, the Census Bureau recommended against the use of adjusted census data for redistricting due to accuracy concerns; the Secretary of Commerce determined that the unadjusted data would be released as the bureau's official redistricting data. The Director of the Census Bureau also rejected to the use of adjusted data for non-redistricting purposes in October of that same year.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Mosquito County, Florida
Brevard County, Florida
Flagler County, Florida
Lake County, Florida
Marion County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Seminole County, Florida
Volusia County, Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Contributor
Gibson, Ella
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Rights Holder
<span>This resource is not subject to copyright in the United States and there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, performance, or display of the work. Anyone may, without restriction under U.S. copyright laws:</span>
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<li>distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.</li>
</ul><span>This resources is provided here by </span><a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a><span> for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to </span><a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#105" target="_blank">Section 5</a><span> of </span><a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html" target="_blank">Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code</a><span>.</span>
Source Repository
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
<span>United States. <a href="https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/wright-hunt.pdf" target="_blank"><em>Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970</em></a></span><span>. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1975. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/histstats-colonial-1970.pdf.</span>
<span>United States, and Carroll D. Wright. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/166662" target="_blank"><em>The History and Growth of the United States Census</em></a></span><span>. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1900. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/wright-hunt.pdf.</span>
"<a href="https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/" target="_blank">Through the Decades</a>." United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
1 table
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
U.S. Census for Central Florida, 2000
Alternative Title
Census, 2000
Subject
Census--United States
Orange County (Fla.)
Marion County (Fla.)
Brevard County (Fla.)
St. Lucie County (Fla.)
Seminole County (Fla.)
Volusia County (Fla.)
Flagler County (Fla.)
Lake County (Fla.)
Osceola County (Fla.)
Population--United States
Description
The Twenty-Second United States Census records for Brevard County, Flagler County, Lake County, Marion County, Orange County, Osceola County, Seminole County, and Volusia County, Florida, for 2000. The census divides the population by gender, race ("white alone," "black," "American Indian and Alaska Native," "Asian," Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander," "other race," "two or moreraces," "Hispanic," "Mexican," "Puerto Rican," "Cuban," "Dominican," "Central American," "Costa Rican," "Guatemalan," "Honduran," "Nicaraguan," "Panamanian," "Salvadoran," "Other Central American," "South American," "Argentinean," "Bolivian," "Chilean," "Columbian," "Ecuadorian," "Paraguayan," "Peruvian," "Uruguayan," "Venezuelan," "Other South American," "Spaniard," "Asian Indian," "Bangladeshi," "Cambodian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Hmong," "Indonesian," "Japanese," "Korean," "Laotian," "Malaysian," "Pakistani,""Sri Lankan," "Taiwanese," "Vietnamese," and "other Asian"), and native-born vs. foreign-born. Those who are foreign born are further divided by country of origin. The census then lists the population categorized by marital status, type of residence, military service, primary and secondary school attendance, and college attendance. The census also collected information on labor, on unemployment, on energy usage, and on transportation.<br /><br />For the Census of 2000, the short form consisted of only seven questions, while the long form consisted of 52 questions and was used for a 17-percent sample of the population. For the first time, race questions were not limited to a single category; rather, respondents were able to check multiple boxes. A new question related to grandparents as caregivers was also mandated by legislation passed in 1996. Disability questions were expanded to including hearing and vision impairments, as well as learning, memory, and concentration disabilities. The 2000 Census also eliminated questions related to children born, water sources, sewage disposal, and condominium status. In addition, the 2000 Census was the first in which the Internet was used as the principal medium for the dissemination of census information. Summary Files were available for download immediately upon release and individual tables could be viewed via American FactFinder, the Census Bureau's online database. Files were also available for purchase on CD-Rom and DVD.<br /><br />Due to declining questionnaire mail-back rates, the U.S. Census Bureau marketed a $167 million national and local print, television, and public advertising campaign in 17 different languages. The campaign successfully brought the mail-back rate up to 67 percent. Additionally, respondents receiving the short form were given the option of responding via the Internet. Telephone questionnaire assistance centers available in six languages also took responses via the phone. Statistical sampling techniques were utilized in two ways: first, to alter the traditional 100-percent personal visit of non-responding households during the non-response follow-up (NRFU) process instead by following up on a smaller sample basis; second, the sampling of 750,000 housing units matched to housing unit questionnaires obtained from mail and telephone responses, as well as from personal visits. The goal of the latter was to develop adjustment factors for individuals estimated to have been missed or duplicated and to correct the census counts to produce one set of numbers. This "one-number census" would correct for net coverage errors called Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM). Both of these measures were taken in an attempt to avoid repetition of the litigation costs generated by the 1980 Census and the 1990 Census.<br /><br />Despite these efforts, two lawsuits—one filed by the U.S. House of Representatives—were filed in February 1998 challenging the constitutionality and legality of the planned uses of sampling to produce apportionment counts. Both cases were decided in favor of the plaintiffs in federal district courts, but the U.S. Department of Commerce made appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. Known as the <em>U.S. Department of Commerce v. the U.S. House of Representatives</em>, the Court ruled that the Census Bureau's plans to use statistical sampling for purposes of congressional apportionments violated the Census Act. The bureau revised its plan, stating that it would produce statistically adjusted data for non-apportionment uses of census data information, such as redistricting. However, in March of 2001, the Census Bureau recommended against the use of adjusted census data for redistricting due to accuracy concerns; the Secretary of Commerce determined that the unadjusted data would be released as the bureau's official redistricting data. The Director of the Census Bureau also rejected to the use of adjusted data for non-redistricting purposes in October of that same year.
Type
Dataset
Source
Original census data collected by the <a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>, 2000.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/104" target="_blank">U.S. Census Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original census data collected by the <a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>, 2000.
Coverage
Brevard County, Florida
Flagler County, Florida
Lake County, Florida
Marion County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Seminole County, Florida
Volusia County, Florida
Creator
<a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>
Publisher
<a href="http://www.commerce.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Commerce</a>
Contributor
Gibson, Ella
Date Created
ca. 2000-04-01
Format
image/jpg
Extent
3.12 MB
Medium
1 table
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally collected by the <a href="http://www.census.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a> and published by the <a href="http://www.commerce.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Commerce</a>.
Rights Holder
This resource is not subject to copyright in the United States and there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, performance, or display of the work. Anyone may, without restriction under U.S. copyright laws:
<ul class="one_column_bullet"><li>reproduce the work in print or digital form</li>
<li>create derivative works</li>
<li>perform the work publicly</li>
<li>display the work</li>
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This resources is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#105" target="_blank">Section 5</a> of <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html" target="_blank">Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code</a>.
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Cepero, Laura
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<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/2000.html" target="_blank">2000 Overview</a>." U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/2000.html.
United States, and Carroll D. Wright. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/166662" target="_blank"><em>The History and Growth of the United States Census</em></a>. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/wright-hunt.pdf.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. <em><a href="https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/Census2000v1.pdf" target="_blank"><em>History: 2000 Census of Population and Housing</em></a></em><a href="https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/Census2000v1.pdf" target="_blank">, Volume 1</a>. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/Census2000v1.pdf.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. <a href="https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/Census2000v2.pdf" target="_blank"><em>History: 2000 Census of Population and Housing</em>, Volume 2</a>. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1966. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/Census2000v2.pdf.
Transcript
U.S. Census of 2000
Population
Brevard County Flagler County Lake County Marion County Orange County Osceola County Seminole County Volusia County
Population Total 476,230 49,832 210,528 258,916 896,344 172,493 365,196 443,343
Males 233,186 23,887 101,866 124,945 443,716 85,022 178,776 215,361
Females 243,044 25,945 108,662 133,971 452,628 87,471 186,420 227,982
Population by Race White Alone 413,411 43,490 184,138 217,909 614,830 133,169 300,948 381,760
Black 40,000 4,401 17,503 29,900 162,899 12,702 34,764 41,198
American Indian and Alaska Native 1,765 133 701 1,158 3,079 790 1,087 1,373
Asian 7,152 583 1,667 1,806 30,033 3,802 9,115 4,430
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 305 12 76 57 843 142 163 164
Other Race 5,168 480 3,966 4,363 53,889 15,631 11,175 8,071
Two or More Races 8,429 733 2,477 3,723 30,771 6,257 7,944 6,347
Population by Descent or Origin Hispanic 21,970 2,537 11,808 15,616 168,361 50,727 40,731 29,111
Mexican 3,281 237 5,638 3,350 19,755 3,400 3,871 7,733
Puerto Rican 9,111 1,031 2,978 6,997 86,583 30,728 19,609 13,546
Cuban 2,161 292 638 1,049 12,371 2,178 3,610 1,570
Dominican 458 37 102 257 6,358 2,313 1,223 452
Central American 1,296 101 372 561 5,703 1,870 1,595 789
Costa Rican 150 5 39 45 600 188 233 122
Guatemalan 323 23 75 122 949 241 165 83
Honduran 210 15 71 87 1,223 266 212 138
Nicaraguan 93 6 34 78 716 315 220 100
Panamanian 392 34 75 152 1,037 251 402 173
Salvadorian 91 11 58 62 883 521 265 134
Other Central American 37 7 20 15 295 88 98 39
South American 1,690 340 559 1,013 15,436 4,254 4,690 1,541
Argentinean 136 26 32 29 794 217 370 132
Bolivian 26 7 2 1 191 34 83 22
Chilean 116 7 24 33 451 130 114 101
Colombian 661 149 235 520 7,676 2,071 2,182 592
Ecuadorian 156 28 60 181 1,687 474 484 210
Paraguayan 15 0 1 1 25 4 8 7
Peruvian 217 54 114 96 1,629 470 648 141
Uruguayan 15 33 8 8 115 42 41 49
Venezuelan 256 21 60 95 2,315 686 587 190
Other South American 92 15 23 49 553 126 173 97
Other Hispanic 3,973 499 1,521 2,389 22,155 5,984 6,133 3,480
Spaniard 262 37 52 50 599 129 218 147
Spanish 784 88 267 333 1,968 415 759 556
Spanish American 90 4 36 69 329 78 104 63
Other Hispanic or Latino 2,837 370 1,166 1,937 19,259 5,362 5,052 2,714
Asian Indian 1,806 69 562 715 8,166 1,230 2,994 1,345
Bangladeshi 15 0 11 0 101 33 33 14
Cambodian 48 13 9 1 141 6 33 19
Chinese, Except Taiwanese 951 82 217 160 4,227 569 1,428 661
Filipino 1,577 292 332 313 5,066 951 1,281 798
Hmong 0 0 2 0 2 0 10 0
Indonesian 32 2 3 4 71 9 30 25
Japanese 531 16 84 129 1,193 92 307 256
Korean 631 37 153 209 1,950 141 1,094 445
Laotian 20 1 11 1 232 25 154 120
Malaysian 9 0 0 1 33 2 10 7
Pakistani 52 1 13 17 732 245 171 76
Sri Lankan 2 0 3 1 56 14 8 28
Taiwanese 72 11 2 13 226 45 65 21
Thai 351 10 47 26 436 85 123 79
Vietnamese 763 24 174 130 6,189 184 1,074 329
Other Asian 23 0 4 1 58 3 9 4
Other Asian, Not Specified 166 10 19 72 577 90 161 130
Households Total 198,195 21,294 88,413 106,755 336,286 60,977 139,572 184,723
Family Households 132,480 15,683 62,468 74,637 220,258 45,077 97,249 120,064
Married Couple Family 104,964 13,378 52,105 59,339 157,937 34,207 75,718 93,161
Other Family 27,516 2,305 10,363 15,298 62,321 10,870 21,531 26,903
Non- Family 65,715 5,611 25,945 32,118 116,028 15,900 42,323 64,659
Population by Marital Status Never Married 78,006 5,869 27,762 37,350 214,910 32,173 71,780 78,186
Married 224,987 28,530 110,140 127,501 355,270 75,570 162,707 205,036
Separated 7,403 553 2,689 4,160 19,485 3,577 5,162 6,690
Widowed 31,880 3,799 17,018 19,631 36,918 7,860 15,876 34,496
Divorced 47,747 3,707 17,129 24,635 79,329 14,725 32,730 45,397
Population in Group Quarters Total 9,695 462 3,767 6,881 18,831 2,400 3,606 14,737
Institutionalized 6,303 428 3,071 5,644 11,987 1,921 2,260 7,391
Correctional Institutions 2,431 55 1,522 3,780 6,307 903 1,216 2,616
Nursing Homes 2,543 342 1,425 1,579 3,684 862 994 3,931
Other Institutions 1,329 31 124 285 1,996 156 50 844
Non-Institutionalized 3,392 34 696 1,237 6,844 479 1,346 7,346
College Dormitories 1,088 0 0 231 3,402 155 12 4,530
Military Quarters 215 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Other, Non-Institutionalized 2,089 34 696 1,006 3,442 324 1,334 2,811
Not in Group Quarters 466,535 49,370 206,761 252,035 877,513 170,093 361,590 428,606
Population by Military Service Active Armed Forces 2,318 19 129 113 413 76 198 255
Veterans 79,145 9,252 35,534 43,300 84,940 17,226 39,515 66,646
Non-Veterans 290,433 31,631 132,175 160,233 585,412 108,979 233,200 286,986
Veteran Population by War or Conflict Gulf War 6,733 444 1,748 2,324 11,262 1,975 4,764 4,137
Vietnam Era 19,233 1,769 6,720 8,584 23,668 4,829 12,294 15,369
Korean Conflict 10,541 1,739 6,225 7,318 8,673 1,903 4,025 10,017
World War II 15,312 2,797 10,930 12,695 11,921 2,722 5,281 18,058
Multiple Wars 7,086 469 2,240 2,301 4,506 595 2,142 3,455
Other Service 20,240 2,034 7,671 10,078 24,910 5,202 11,009 15,610
Native-Born Population Total 445,229 44,875 199,708 245,564 767,440 148,383 331,911 414,990
Foreign-Born Population Total 31,001 4,957 10,820 13,352 128,904 24,110 33,285 28,353
Naturalized 18,374 3,354 5,084 7,516 53,651 9,514 16,507 14,955
Non-Citizen 12,627 1,603 5,736 5,836 75,253 14,596 16,778 13,398
Foreign-Born Population by Region or Country of Origin Europe 9,881 2,267 2,779 3,458 13,547 3,790 6,769 9,808
Northern Europe 3,374 561 1,091 1,060 4,471 1,560 2,414 2,883
United Kingdom 2,595 413 820 875 3,519 1,388 1,891 2,217
Ireland 317 74 105 79 432 70 214 297
Sweden 172 31 59 26 135 34 115 151
Other Northern Europe 290 43 107 80 385 68 194 218
Western Europe 3,480 585 1,167 1,394 3,827 805 1,735 3,281
Austria 76 21 36 52 112 23 113 164
France 509 17 193 56 754 43 118 293
Germany 2,298 440 867 1,137 2,378 617 1,185 2,407
Netherlands 305 77 20 96 280 71 162 252
Other Western Europe 292 30 51 53 303 51 157 165
Southern Europe 1,616 523 205 477 2,044 457 1,218 1,603
Greece 239 16 21 52 255 25 144 379
Italy 961 230 143 329 1,080 207 706 975
Portugal 132 178 10 41 235 120 108 92
Spain 227 77 31 51 459 89 237 129
Other Southern Europe 57 22 0 4 15 16 23 28
Eastern Europe 1,400 598 316 527 3,195 959 1,402 2,031
Czechoslovakia, Including Czech Republic and Slovakia 128 29 48 48 208 275 129 242
Hungary 166 15 50 144 306 110 217 303
Poland 469 179 101 168 366 169 204 501
Romania 143 15 16 28 252 19 134 101
Belarus 2 0 0 0 16 0 8 18
Russia 166 148 42 10 430 298 116 180
Ukraine 50 187 19 23 259 50 26 147
Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 0 0 451 0 214 7
Yugoslavia 62 14 12 41 126 5 128 131
Other Eastern Europe 214 11 28 65 781 33 226 401
Europe, Not Elsewhere Classified 11 0 0 0 10 9 0 10
Asia 6,529 570 1,209 1,704 23,739 3,187 7,205 4,426
Eastern Asia 1,584 36 307 459 5,728 636 1,947 1,224
China 640 16 133 152 2,843 496 852 494
China, Excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan 361 9 75 99 1,635 218 589 267
Hong Kong 57 7 29 19 460 93 64 146
Taiwan 222 0 29 34 748 185 199 81
Japan 410 9 96 133 1,069 52 279 321
Korea 534 11 71 174 1,757 88 801 409
Other Eastern Asia 0 0 7 0 59 0 15 0
South Central Asia 1,558 108 336 501 5,754 1,270 2,060 1,179
Afghanistan 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 31
Bangladesh 12 0 0 8 361 120 15 90
India 1,261 43 273 392 3,298 424 1,268 735
Iran 151 38 39 52 562 25 429 202
Pakistan 126 26 16 18 1,426 574 299 58
Other South Central Asia 8 1 8 31 106 127 41 63
South Eastern Asia 2,426 380 479 581 10,114 1,063 2,339 1,347
Cambodia 54 37 0 9 146 12 13 13
Indonesia 129 19 18 83 88 13 57 57
Laos 0 0 52 5 77 102 194 37
Malaysia 52 6 13 24 140 16 29 58
Philippines 1,177 225 246 200 3,418 647 1,060 783
Thailand 398 18 28 30 452 63 151 128
Vietnam 616 75 121 195 5,730 203 814 271
Other South Eastern Asia 0 0 1 35 63 7 21 0
Western Asia 924 46 78 145 1,774 165 816 610
Iraq 39 0 0 0 61 0 58 12
Israel 29 0 31 12 238 49 163 64
Jordan 33 0 5 27 165 50 77 120
Lebanon 266 0 26 70 437 13 254 85
Syria 24 0 0 5 222 20 104 25
Turkey 122 46 16 7 170 6 87 109
Armenia 6 0 0 7 0 0 0 9
Other Western Asia 405 0 0 17 481 27 73 186
Asia, Not Elsewhere Classified 37 0 9 18 369 53 43 66
Africa 1,088 58 253 251 3,710 804 1,344 828
Eastern Africa 161 8 18 93 820 45 479 183
Ethiopia 14 8 0 11 123 0 0 20
Other Eastern Africa 147 0 18 82 697 45 479 163
Middle Africa 20 0 0 0 98 0 0 36
Northern Africa 474 50 122 9 1,338 519 409 353
Egypt 263 31 80 9 358 42 304 195
Other Northern Africa 211 19 42 0 980 477 105 158
Southern Africa 228 0 15 43 549 30 204 103
South Africa 200 0 15 43 549 30 204 103
Other Southern Africa 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Western Africa 163 0 28 91 561 185 225 108
Ghana 16 0 9 0 69 8 94 15
Nigeria 121 0 19 91 308 6 81 48
Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 0
Other Western Africa 26 0 0 0 165 171 50 45
Africa, Not Elsewhere Classified 42 0 70 15 344 25 27 45
Oceania 140 78 36 95 313 38 129 138
Australia and New Zealand Subregion 104 78 36 73 188 23 108 124
Australia 78 21 36 64 142 13 70 109
Other Australian and New Zealand Subregion 26 57 0 9 46 10 38 15
Melanesia 0 0 0 16 17 15 0 0
Micronesia 16 0 0 6 59 0 0 14
Polynesia 20 0 0 0 49 0 15 0
Oceania, Not Elsewhere Classified 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Americas 13,363 1,984 6,543 7,827 87,595 16,291 17,838 13,153
Latin America 10,644 1,762 5,479 6,469 83,648 15,648 15,711 10,093
Caribbean 5,495 974 1,322 2,559 41,956 6,227 6,632 3,287
Barbados 153 33 19 62 589 141 88 28
Cuba 970 159 424 554 8,809 1,251 2,094 875
Dominican Republic 331 58 128 210 5,153 2,080 931 446
Haiti 213 33 167 143 13,227 569 718 268
Jamaica 2,414 437 375 1,198 8,756 1,248 1,684 790
Trinidad and Tobago 693 180 119 222 2,663 457 586 493
Other Caribbean 721 74 90 170 2,759 481 531 387
Central America 2,553 203 3,396 2,172 16,926 3,549 3,387 4,556
Mexico 1,028 34 2,846 1,597 11,100 1,626 1,364 3,663
Other Central America 1,525 169 550 575 5,826 1,923 2,023 893
Costa Rica 206 0 0 35 506 133 340 172
El Salvador 180 11 91 66 826 572 404 161
Guatemala 355 16 162 112 1,114 172 280 106
Honduras 236 18 116 151 1,457 290 336 141
Nicaragua 94 8 32 70 708 414 155 87
Panama 454 95 137 133 1,066 310 385 199
Other Central America 0 21 12 8 149 32 123 27
South America 2,596 585 761 1,738 24,766 5,872 5,692 2,250
Argentina 255 57 18 0 853 177 417 159
Bolivia 3 0 0 0 442 7 30 7
Brazil 352 25 39 98 4,765 835 435 307
Chile 144 40 30 13 562 184 178 93
Colombia 744 193 211 819 8,550 2,156 2,306 761
Ecuador 121 30 99 270 1,885 607 403 209
Guyana 397 102 113 282 2,741 291 538 185
Peru 226 20 102 142 1,707 574 725 163
Venezuela 299 20 119 80 2,826 878 518 259
Other South America 55 98 30 34 435 163 142 107
Northern America 2,719 222 1,064 1,358 3,947 643 2,127 3,060
Canada 2,682 220 1,055 1,338 3,900 643 2,085 3,030
Other Northern America 37 2 9 20 47 0 42 30
Born at Sea 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0
Housing Units Total 222,072 24,452 102,830 122,663 361,349 72,293 147,079 211,938
Occupied 198,195 21,294 88,413 106,755 336,286 60,977 139,572 184,723
Vacant 23,877 3,158 14,417 15,908 25,063 11,316 7,507 27,215
For Rent 5,970 358 2,158 2,341 10,116 2,429 2,819 4,039
For Sale 3,477 370 1,886 2,331 3,619 958 1,319 2,864
Households by Energy Usage for Heat Gas (Utility, Bottled, Tank, or LP Gas) 30,291 645 15,796 19,235 26,907 5,163 12,114 16,924
Electricity 163,791 20,322 70,732 83,373 299,899 54,547 124,260 159,179
Fuel Oil, Kerosene, Etc. 2,073 169 882 2,380 6,047 365 2,233 6,144
Coal, Coke, and Wood 336 36 387 843 506 101 203 660
Solar Energy 39 0 3 0 43 24 57 79
Other Fuel 105 33 130 112 243 33 50 256
No Fuel 1,560 89 483 812 2,641 744 655 1,481
Population by Work Transportation Method Car, Truck, or Van 192,896 17,168 76,050 90,409 404,604 73,183 174,772 171,448
Public Transportation 591 130 348 217 10,923 825 1,227 1,914
Motorcycles 765 76 217 159 853 281 534 981
Bicycles 1,278 78 248 313 2,038 386 660 1,033
Walking 2,653 221 1,129 1,369 6,085 1,054 1,898 3,531
Other Means 1,390 151 838 818 3,642 624 1,317 1,582
Working from Home 5,506 625 2,633 3,019 11,178 1,510 7,186 5,426
Education
Brevard County Flagler County Lake County Marion County Orange County Osceola County Seminole County Volusia County
Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 46,416 5,453 31,482 40,813 104,591 23,095 27,523 56,982
High School Completed 98,108 12,330 53,339 67,271 148,006 37,536 59,280 102,353
Some College Completed 115,194 12,642 44,940 53,477 171,495 32,560 80,922 101,929
Bachelor's Degree 51,616 5,170 17,509 16,126 104,818 12,052 51,235 36,646
Master's Degree 20,995 2,023 5,458 5,966 29,990 3,610 16,882 12,536
Professional School 4,889 722 2,056 2,638 10,945 1,393 5,472 4,785
Doctorate Degree 2,520 276 788 896 4,256 361 1,902 1,994
Male Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 21,055 2,682 15,185 20,255 50,528 11,453 12,856 27,650
High School Completed 42,196 5,366 23,137 29,860 67,485 17,246 25,644 46,259
Some College Completed 53,613 5,775 21,256 24,683 81,995 15,676 36,647 46,461
Bachelor's Degree 28,222 2,753 9,236 7,952 53,117 6,076 27,227 18,609
Master's Degree 12,251 997 2,942 2,950 15,844 1,661 8,764 6,326
Professional School 3,216 459 1,254 1,626 6,803 725 3,674 3,072
Doctorate Degree 1,751 189 579 674 2,822 204 1,369 1,385
Female Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 25,361 2,771 16,297 20,558 54,063 11,642 14,667 29,332
High School Completed 55,912 6,964 30,202 37,411 80,521 20,290 33,636 56,094
Some College Completed 61,581 6,867 23,684 28,794 89,500 16,884 44,275 55,468
Bachelor's Degree 23,394 2,417 8,273 8,174 51,701 5,976 24,008 18,037
Master's Degree 8,744 1,026 2,516 3,016 14,146 1,949 8,118 6,210
Professional School 1,673 263 802 1,012 4,142 668 1,798 1,713
Doctorate Degree 769 87 209 222 1,434 157 533 609
White Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 37,567 4,500 25,766 33,247 60,146 17,355 19,218 47,006
High School Completed 265,645 29,645 115,146 130,473 358,068 71,834 186,568 236,703
Some College Completed 177,263 18,296 66,168 70,187 250,401 40,341 136,300 143,048
Bachelor's Degree 73,746 7,262 24,294 22,835 121,362 14,077 66,382 50,651
Graduate or Professional School 26,151 2,599 7,793 8,503 36,549 4,353 20,807 17,596
Black Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 6,222 612 3,791 5,330 27,290 1,928 5,406 6,694
High School Completed 15,871 2,365 5,630 11,463 61,429 5,240 14,425 15,128
Some College Completed 9,416 1,661 2,351 6,135 36,623 2,845 9,327 9,047
Bachelor's Degree 2,667 564 692 1,768 13,058 828 3,660 3,207
Graduate or Professional School 747 259 267 638 3,681 272 1,397 1,049
American Indian and Alaska Native Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 314 12 154 201 461 109 164 191
High School Completed 1,160 87 317 612 1,503 193 842 871
Some College Completed 725 80 145 456 853 106 612 624
Bachelor's Degree 152 26 8 134 284 19 268 180
Graduate or Professional School 38 26 0 31 116 0 99 73
Asian Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 904 61 202 336 3,867 394 638 532
High School Completed 4,249 345 798 1,149 15,500 2,031 5,225 2,711
Some College Completed 3,235 267 649 808 12,144 1,610 4,258 2,044
Bachelor's Degree 1,946 151 338 513 7,945 997 2,838 1,190
Graduate or Professional School 947 58 80 190 2,684 256 1,189 408
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 24 0 9 10 84 34 0 23
High School Completed 134 0 0 28 327 46 101 57
Some College Completed 81 0 0 28 230 31 40 42
Bachelor's Degree 21 0 0 19 76 5 0 0
Graduate or Professional School 12 0 0 14 25 0 0 0
Some Other Race Population by School Completion Completing Less Than High School 500 143 1,091 1,177 8,193 2,388 1,318 1,630
High School Completed 2,225 258 978 1,147 19,255 5,492 4,552 2,055
Some College Completed 1,666 166 635 646 12,161 3,369 3,005 1,321
Bachelor's Degree 478 70 249 97 3,700 894 1,082 330
Graduate or Professional School 164 19 64 27 985 310 279 88
Hispanic or Latino Population by School Completion Aged 25+ 12,809 1,767 6,248 8,790 95,505 28,364 24,165 16,659
Completing Less Than High School 2,540 461 2,705 3,460 27,742 8,247 5,071 6,202
High School Completed 10,269 1,306 3,543 5,330 67,763 20,117 19,094 10,457
Some College Completed 7,396 741 2,326 3,228 44,475 11,928 13,519 6,860
Bachelor's Degree 2,935 302 907 831 16,194 3,552 5,625 1,954
Graduate or Professional School 972 163 277 374 5,099 939 1,915 658
Population by School Enrollment Enrolled 112,005 9,366 40,624 54,173 248,040 44,944 99,337 101,190
Not Enrolled 349,620 39,284 163,384 197,003 611,968 120,923 252,611 329,318
Public School 91,848 8,149 34,908 46,347 204,974 38,926 80,854 79,381
Public Pre-School 3,521 324 1,400 1,882 7,437 1,321 2,503 2,905
Public K-8 49,627 4,380 19,813 26,299 102,097 22,395 42,047 42,065
Public High School 21,896 2,024 9,201 11,584 45,485 10,211 18,665 19,215
Public College 16,804 1,421 4,494 6,582 49,955 4,999 17,639 15,196
Private School 20,157 1,217 5,716 7,826 43,066 6,018 18,483 21,809
Private Pre-School 3,885 376 1,353 1,592 9,371 1,284 4,830 3,730
Private K-8 7,203 360 2,720 3,620 15,393 2,146 7,126 5,258
Private High School 1,996 118 633 1,118 4,102 495 2,071 1,655
Private College 7,073 363 1,010 1,496 14,200 2,093 4,456 11,166
Labor
Brevard County Flagler County Lake County Marion County Orange County Osceola County Seminole County Volusia County
Population in Labor Force Total 220,413 19,670 86,307 104,422 471,974 84,142 198,464 201,913
Armed Forces 2,318 19 129 113 413 76 198 255
Civilian Labor Force 218,095 19,651 86,178 104,309 471,561 84,066 198,266 201,658
Employed 207,366 18,815 82,819 98,248 447,861 79,859 190,973 189,035
Unemployed 10,729 836 3,359 6,061 23,700 4,207 7,293 12,623
Not in Labor Force 163,663 22,200 85,967 105,310 221,452 47,135 84,636 162,621
Male Population in Labor Force Total 119,342 10,349 46,312 54,645 251,471 44,428 106,283 107,321
Armed Forces 2,048 10 109 109 375 58 178 206
Civilian Labor Force 117,294 10,339 46,203 54,536 251,096 44,370 106,105 107,115
Employed 111,595 9,889 44,453 51,569 239,431 42,204 102,411 100,145
Unemployed 5,699 450 1,750 2,967 11,665 2,166 3,694 6,970
Not in Labor Force 66,680 9,544 36,010 44,657 87,278 19,206 30,039 67,395
Female Population in Labor Force Total 101,071 9,321 39,995 49,777 220,503 39,714 92,181 94,592
Armed Forces 270 9 20 4 38 18 20 49
Civilian Labor Force 100,801 9,312 39,975 49,773 220,465 39,696 92,161 94,543
Employed 95,771 8,926 38,366 46,679 208,430 37,655 88,562 88,890
Unemployed 5,030 386 1,609 3,094 12,035 2,041 3,599 5,653
Not in Labor Force 96,983 12,656 49,957 60,653 134,174 27,929 54,597 95,226
Employment and Unemployment by Race White Employed 182,829 16,701 72,821 84,361 324,773 63,838 161,737 164,827
White Unemployed 8,644 722 2,596 4,543 13,878 3,045 5,384 9,831
Black or African American Employed 14,154 1,364 5,894 9,629 67,034 5,376 14,393 15,240
Black or African American Unemployed 1,445 92 520 1,155 5,956 454 1,089 2,144
American Indian and Alaska Native Employed 1,044 60 356 496 1,478 222 826 765
American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployed 81 0 29 62 119 30 46 77
Asian Employed 3,329 220 728 962 14,961 1,702 4,757 2,131
Asian Unemployed 205 14 25 16 675 107 169 88
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Employed 142 0 12 14 355 63 68 97
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Unemployed 9 0 0 0 22 0 0 8
Some Other Race Employed 2,289 267 1,901 1,694 24,246 5,983 5,163 3,364
Some Other Race Unemployed 152 6 126 171 1,939 465 289 228
Hispanic or Latino Employed 9,415 873 5,232 5,816 73,233 20,739 19,335 11,101
Hispanic or Latino Unemployed 622 29 334 590 5,428 1,477 1,123 1,797
Employment by Industry Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining 1,042 241 2,311 3,432 2,369 482 621 2,075
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing and Hunting 887 223 2,132 3,266 2,257 434 584 2,058
Mining 155 18 179 166 112 48 37 17
Construction 16,424 1,873 8,556 8,803 33,618 7,030 15,439 16,827
Manufacturing 28,223 1,875 5,264 10,416 28,548 4,325 15,131 16,297
Wholesale Trade 5,177 439 3,399 3,117 17,584 2,559 8,255 5,606
Retail Trade 27,766 3,046 11,145 15,499 54,069 10,596 26,089 26,243
Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 8,434 813 4,043 4,789 24,799 4,689 8,412 8,310
Transportation and Warehousing 7,176 611 3,229 3,714 21,872 4,084 7,030 6,655
Utilities 1,258 202 814 1,075 2,927 605 1,382 1,655
Information 6,541 412 2,347 1,892 17,174 1,229 8,357 5,339
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Rental and Leasing 10,828 1,151 4,901 5,100 34,668 4,409 18,231 11,886
Finance and Insurance 5,875 579 2,982 2,896 20,344 1,720 12,994 6,701
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 4,953 572 1,919 2,204 14,324 2,689 5,237 5,185
Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative, and Waste Management Services 21,876 1,633 6,716 7,712 51,511 5,497 25,213 17,342
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 13,377 823 2,754 3,488 29,078 2,113 16,195 8,448
Management of Companies and Enterprise 57 0 5 24 210 7 80 18
Administrative, Support, and Waste Management Services 8,442 810 3,957 4,200 22,223 3,377 8,938 8,876
Educational, Health, and Social Services 36,027 3,497 14,135 19,167 64,356 9,802 32,953 37,004
Educational Services 13,513 1,634 5,099 7,275 27,559 4,522 14,673 15,296
Health Care and Social Assistance 22,514 1,863 9,036 11,892 36,797 5,280 18,280 21,708
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation, and Food Services 20,476 2,124 11,273 8,440 82,026 23,687 16,862 22,680
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 4,542 466 5,154 1,940 31,553 8,907 4,969 4,891
Accommodation and Food Services 15,934 1,658 6,119 6,500 50,473 14,780 11,893 17,789
Other Services, Except Public Administration 9,517 836 4,416 5,305 21,953 3,088 8,218 10,088
Public Administration 15,035 875 4,313 4,576 15,186 2,466 7,192 9,338
Employment by Occupation Management, Business, and Financial Operations Employees 25,257 2,385 10,256 10,089 63,728 8,262 31,322 21,985
Professional and Related Employees 47,217 3,121 13,456 15,821 81,543 10,119 42,507 32,511
Health Care Support Employees 4,085 407 1,996 2,333 5,904 1,160 2,658 4,085
Protective Service Employees 4,921 494 2,225 2,313 8,794 1,852 3,507 4,497
Food Preparation and Serving Related Employees 11,930 1,272 4,274 5,089 30,987 7,844 8,461 12,263
Building, Grounds Cleaning, and Maintenance Employees 7,971 914 4,061 3,995 18,641 5,343 5,128 8,353
Personal Care and Service Employees 5,303 501 2,649 3,458 15,855 2,814 4,895 4,980
Sales and Related Employees 25,845 2,447 10,301 13,270 58,829 10,614 29,534 24,853
Office and Administrative Support Employees 29,940 2,962 12,118 14,457 74,240 12,573 30,850 29,414
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Employees 642 65 1,540 1,297 1,808 239 314 1,562
Construction, Extraction, and Maintenance Employees 21,793 2,175 10,229 11,851 40,021 9,616 16,353 22,216
Production Employees 12,388 1,242 3,985 7,344 20,704 3,753 7,463 11,721
Transportation and Material Moving Employees 10,074 830 5,729 6,931 26,807 5,670 7,981 10,595
Male Employment by Occupation Management, Business, and Financial Operations Employees 14,925 1,448 6,088 5,838 35,997 4,460 18,881 12,645
Professional and Related Employees 24,396 1,279 5,224 5,957 38,302 4,211 20,386 13,322
Health Care Support Employees 456 51 192 297 843 109 284 453
Protective Service Employees 3,998 414 1,895 1,818 6,603 1,454 2,818 3,558
Food Preparation and Serving Related Employees 4,759 516 1,686 1,611 16,146 3,765 4,144 5,303
Building, Grounds Cleaning, and Maintenance Employees 4,818 633 2,734 2,432 10,339 2,741 3,417 5,346
Personal Care and Service Employees 1,197 147 738 1,088 5,860 975 1,418 1,306
Sales and Related Employees 11,874 1,099 5,047 6,147 29,017 4,668 16,138 11,841
Office and Administrative Support Employees 7,137 672 2,652 3,079 20,733 3,287 7,376 7,067
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Employees 544 38 999 1,012 1,083 160 212 1,017
Construction, Extraction, and Maintenance Employees 20,941 2,043 9,759 11,359 38,404 9,055 15,590 21,334
Production Employees 7,991 878 2,776 5,006 13,455 2,513 4,841 7,752
Transportation and Material Moving Employees 8,559 671 4,663 5,925 22,649 4,806 6,906 9,201
Female Employment by Occupation Management, Business, and Financial Operations Employees 10,332 937 4,168 4,251 27,731 3,802 12,441 9,340
Professional and Related Employees 22,821 1,842 8,232 9,864 43,241 5,908 22,121 19,189
Health Care Support Employees 3,629 356 1,804 2,036 5,061 1,051 2,374 3,632
Protective Service Employees 923 80 330 495 2,191 398 689 939
Food Preparation and Serving Related Employees 7,171 756 2,588 3,478 14,841 4,079 4,317 6,960
Building, Grounds Cleaning, and Maintenance Employees 3,153 281 1,327 1,563 8,302 2,602 1,711 3,007
Personal Care and Service Employees 4,106 354 1,911 2,370 9,995 1,839 3,477 3,674
Sales and Related Employees 13,971 1,348 5,254 7,123 29,812 5,946 13,396 13,012
Office and Administrative Support Employees 22,803 2,290 9,466 11,378 53,507 9,286 23,474 22,347
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Employees 98 27 541 285 725 79 102 545
Construction, Extraction, and Maintenance Employees 852 132 470 492 1,617 561 763 882
Production Employees 4,397 364 1,209 2,338 7,249 1,240 2,622 3,969
Transportation and Material Moving Employees 1,515 159 1,066 1,006 4,158 864 1,075 1,394
Employment by Sector Private Sector Employees 140,975 12,217 57,209 67,011 336,958 62,521 135,938 127,632
Public Sector Employees 31,971 2,806 10,183 13,194 47,342 7,878 21,726 25,132
Self-Employed Employees 21,305 2,634 10,119 12,153 37,746 6,330 21,673 22,679
Non-Profit Employees 12,549 1,098 4,964 5,510 24,923 2,983 11,169 13,052
Unpaid Family Workers 566 60 344 380 892 147 467 540
Male Employment by Sector Private Sector Employees 77,045 6,502 31,252 36,394 184,769 33,504 74,886 68,711
Public Sector Employees 16,669 1,214 4,841 5,436 20,573 3,474 9,221 11,784
Self-Employed Employees 13,933 1,867 6,565 7,979 25,601 4,277 14,931 14,977
Non-Profit Employees 3,748 277 1,621 1,605 8,051 898 3,160 4,432
Unpaid Family Workers 200 29 174 155 437 51 213 241
Female Employment by Sector Private Sector Employees 63,930 5,715 25,957 30,617 152,189 29,017 61,052 58,921
Public Sector Employees 15,302 1,592 5,342 7,758 26,769 4,404 12,505 13,348
Self-Employed Employees 7,372 767 3,554 4,174 12,145 2,053 6,742 7,702
Non-Profit Employees 8,801 821 3,343 3,905 16,872 2,085 8,009 8,620
Unpaid Family Workers 366 31 170 225 455 96 254 299
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