1
100
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/8484ca00e529b1952c08d4ac340f7380.pdf
890d365fab807170fe38306cbad1935f
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
Scherer, Rose Marie "Judy"
Interviewee
McGuire, George G.
Location
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Original Format
1 audio/video DVD/CD
Duration
43 minutes and 22 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 George G. McGuire
Alternative Title
Oral History, McGuire
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
Vietnam War, 1961-1985
Air Force
Army
Description
An oral history interview of George G. McGuire, who joined the U.S. Air Force in 1963 and served until 1983. He was born on Summit, New Jersey, on October 17, 1941. A veteran of the Vietnam War era, McGuire achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.<br /><br />This interview was conducted by Judy Scherer on April 1, 2014. Interview topics include McGuire's background and family, his college education, join the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), Whiteman Air Force Base, McCoy Air Force Base, duties as a procurement officer and a contract administrator, the Defense Contract Administration Services, serving in Bangkok during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (USAFOSI), the Rock Island Arsenal, military retirement, U.S.-Thailand relations, and his many travel experiences.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:02:33 College years<br />0:03:06 Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Whiteman Air Force Base <br />0:04:42 McCoy Air Force Base<br />0:05:42 George Washington University, Defense Contract Administration Services, and Bangkok, Thailand<br />0:07:05 U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations<br />0:14:55 Assignments in the United States<br />0:15:33 Bangkok and Mom Rajawongse Seni Promoj<br />0:21:45 Duties as a Contract Administrator<br />0:23:24 Interesting people and stories from Thailand<br />0:28:06 Communicating with family<br />0:30:23 Communicating with Thais<br />0:35:50 Visiting South Korea with his wife<br />0:39:42 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of George G. McGuire. Interview conducted by Judy Scherer at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/269/" target="_blank">McGuire, George G.</a> Interviewed by Judy Scherer, April 1, 2014. 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
<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/92" target="_blank">Vietnam War Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Digital transcript of original 43-minute and 22-second oral history: <a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/269/" target="_blank">McGuire, George G.</a> Interviewed by Judy Scherer, April 1, 2014.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Summit, New Jersey
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Fawley, England
Durban, South Africa
Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York City, New York
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida
George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Defense Contract Administration Services Management Office, Naval Air Station Sand Point, Seattle, Washington
Chokchai Building, Bangkok, Thailand
Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Japan
Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island-Moline, Illinois
Warsaw, Missouri
Osan Air Base, Pyeongtaek-si, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Creator
McGuire, George G.
Scherer, Judy
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-02-22
Date Issued
2014-09
Date Copyrighted
2014-02-22
Format
video/mp4
application/pdf
Extent
358 MB
257 MB
Medium
43-minute and 22-second audio/video DVD/CD
27-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Judy Scherer and George G. McGuire 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
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://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</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.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/269/" target="_blank">McGuire, George G.</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>We’re ready.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Are you saying go?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Today is April the 1<sup>st</sup>, 2014. I am interviewing, uh, Lieutenant Colonel George G. McGuire. My name is [Rose Marie] “Judy” Scherer. Uh, please call me Judy. Um, his interview is being conducted at UCF [University of Central Florida] in Orlando, Florida. It is part of the UCF, um—the whole title is—is Community History Project—[Community] Veterans History Project. Um, so we are going to start with, um, the early days. I would like to ask you where you were born and grew up.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Alright. Well, I was born in New Jersey—Summit, New Jersey. And When I was, uh, a few weeks old, my family moved on to Baton Rouge[, Louisiana].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Wow [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Where my father worked in the oil refinery at Baton Rouge during World War II, and where I managed to acquire twin brothers and a sister.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Um, Shortly—well, not shortly. When I was about eight years old—eight or nine years old—we moved to England.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Where my father was building an oil refinery at Fawley, near South Hampton, for Esso in England. After we had been there about three years, we moved to Durban, South Africa.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Where he was again a resident engineer for construction of an oil refinery—first one on the continent of Africa—and where I acquired a brother. I had acquired another sister in England, and now I had a brother in South Africa, so there are six children.</p>
<p>We sailed back to the United States. This is now approximately 1954 on a ship called the <em>African Enterprise</em>, which was a, um, freighter—combination freighter and passenger ship that carried a few passengers. And we were the only children, so we had the run of the ship.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And that was great fun. We got back to, uh, New York in the middle of the wintertime. And my memory says it was in February, but that may not be right. And of course, being good loyal little Americans who had been out of the country for so many years, we had to stand up on the ship and watch Miss [the Statue of] Liberty as we came into New York Harbor.</p>
<p>Uh, following that, we lived in New Jersey for a number of years. And then I went off to college at the University of Notre Dame. And shortly afterwards, my father quit his job and moved to Massachusetts.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And, uh, the bane of my life was that when I would go home for vacation to a place in Massachusetts surrounded by girls’ colleges, they all had vacation break at the same time as we did.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So there was nobody there.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And of course, Notre Dame at that time was all men, and there were no women there, unless we found some in the local community, which was a very difficult thing to do.</p>
<p>Uh, At Notre Dame, they had three R—all three ROTC [Reserve Officers' Training Corps] programs. This is 1959 when I started there. There’s a shooting [Vietnam] War going on in Asia. People are being drafted. I had no interest in being drafted and being given a rifle and go shoot people, so I said <em>Okay. I’d rather be an officer. And no, I don’t want to walk around in the mud, and I don’t want to sit on a boat bobbing up and down in the ocean. And since you have Air Force, I will go Air Force.</em></p>
<p>Um, so I did. And when I was graduating Notre Dame, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and promptly sent to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.</p>
<p>So one of the first things I did was I bought myself a car. I didn’t have a car at that point, so I brought a brand new, shiny red Valiant convertible. And that was a neat looking car. I shaw—showed up on base, and went into my first assignment, and the people I’m working with—one of them takes one look at that car and says, “I give you one year.”</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh huh. And, uh, he turned out to be right. Because a few months later, I met a young lady, and less than a year later, we were married. All fault is directed at that shiny red convertible, I suppose.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>About a year or so after we were married, I got orders to transfer to McCoy Air Force Base, which, of course that’s a hardship tour to come to McCoy Air Force Base, which is now Orlando International Airport, where I was the base procurement officer here.</p>
<p>Now, they had assigned me to procurement when I went to Whiteman, and I didn’t know what “procurement” was. I only knew one meaning for the term, and it had more to do with what you did after hours than it did with buying anything the Air Force wanted. Anyway, I became procurement officer. “Procurement” just simply means that you’re the guy in charge of going out and buying stuff.</p>
<p>So I was stationed here in McCoy, and, um, about that time, is when what was then called “Orlando Air Force Base” is transitioning to the Navy. And the last Air Force unit to transition out from Orlando Air Force Base was the hospital. So my two sons have the distinction of having been born in an Air Force hospital on a Navy base.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>From here, the, uh, Air Force sent me up to Washington, D.C., to go to George Washington University for a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, as my assignment for a year and a half. And then from there, to go to Seattle, Washington, to the, uh, Defense Contract Administration Services management area Office, otherwise known as DCAS.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Excuse me. What was it known as?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>DCAS. D-C-A-S.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>S.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Judy had a problem with this one earlier.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Which was at, um, Sand Point Naval Air Station, which was a little pimple on the side of the wealthiest area of ci—city of Seattle, a few blocks away from the University of Washington. Not very far from it. It no longer is a military installation. It’s now high-cost residential.</p>
<p>Um, let’s see. from there, the next assignment was to Bangkok, Thailand, to be the, uh—one of the officers assigned to the Air Force’s Procurement Center in Downtown Bangkok, which was supporting all of the Air Force and some of the Army units, uh, throughout Thailand and, uh, Vietnam. And this is at the tail end of the Vietnam War.</p>
<p>From there, I went back to the United St—came back to the United States to go to uh, Norfolk, Virginia, to the Armed Forces Staff College.</p>
<p>And then from there, to the, uh, Air Force OSI—Air Force Office of Special Investigations—in Washington, D.C., to act as an in-house consultant on procurement matters. Air Force OSI had been founded la—years before, in the very early days of the Air Force, because of scandal having to do with contracting. And then they had gotten away from that and they had forgotten had to spell “contracting.”</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>As they got mostly inter—interested in chasing drugs. But in, um—somewhere around 1970, there was another big scandal that came up that didn’t have anything to do with the Air Force, but it did with the Navy. And the Air Force decided that it would be smart to get back into that business and pay attention, because we are spending just huge sums of money. We ought to be paying attention to it. And the first thing they needed to do was to find somebody who knew something about the procurement system and could come in and act as an in-house consultant to them, and so they chose me.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Really?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So for two years, I taught OSI agents how to spell “procurement” and the kinds of things to look for. The big thing coming out of it was to find out just how honest the system really is at that level. There may be corruption at other levels, but at the level of the working people doing the job, it is a very, very honest system.</p>
<p>Um, now what did I skip? Somewhere in here, I skipped something. No. I guess not. When that was finished, they sent me to Japan to be the Deputy Director of the Air Force’s Procurement Center in Tokyo—actually, at Yokota Air Force Base,<a title="">[1]</a> which is just in the western suburbs of Tokyo—in which I had the responsibility for all of the, um, in-country support for Air Force and Army, and staff responsibilities towards the, uh, Army Center—similar to it in Korea, that took care of Air Force and Army in Korea.</p>
<p>And, uh, let me think for a moment. Oh, yes. One of the, um, cases that I had run in the OSI had been an accusation made against the Lieutenant Colonel who commanded the Air Force Procurement Center at Yokota Air Base—that he was corrupt, and that he was accepting bribes from, uh, one of the car companies , which the, uh, U.S had a contract with for small engines.</p>
<p>Well, the truth of the story—it turned out, that the man was an elder of the Mormon Church,<a title="">[2]</a> as well, as being a[sic] Air Force officer. And he had led a church group on a visit to the plant. Just a visit to go see what the plant looks like. And his big mistake: when he got back to his office was he had written the thank you note on Air Force letterhead, rather than on Mormon Church letterhead. And that had kicked off all of these accusations that he was, uh, a corrupt and on the take from this car company, which of course, he was not. But we had spent a bunch of time going and checking it out, so I knew all about it [<em>laughs</em>] before I got there.</p>
<p>Um, then that was followed by an assignment back in the United States to go to Rock Island Arsenal [in Rock Island-Moline, Illinois] to be the Deputy Director of the ammunition procurement division for U.S. Army Armament Material and [the U.S. Army Military Intelligence] Readiness Command, functioning as something called “Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition.”</p>
<p>Army buys all the ammunition used by the military—all production ammunition, not development, but production—ammunition used by the military, of whom the Air Force was the second largest consumer. And therefore, the Air Force, to help with that mission, sent six officers to Rock Island to participate. And at th—this point, I am a Lieutenant Colonel. And so I became the Deputy Director of that division. We spent in that one division—and this is 1980—one and a half billion…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>gasps</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Dollars a year. This is peacetime. One and a half billion. Buying bits and pieces of little things, most of which costs less than one dollar a unit, and the most expensive one was ten dollars a unit. All over the country. And then, the things we bought would flow to the Army load plants to be made up into rounds of ammunition—most of them. And they spent another billion and a half or so putting the stuff together as ammunition.</p>
<p>Okay. So I’m making decisions every day about how am I spending one and a half billion dollar budget. I’ve got a hundred people literally working for me. Uh, we are loading plants all over the country. We are making decisions about which factories we keep in business and which ones we don’t, and which communities stay in business because the factory’s there, and which ones don’t. And then I go home, and I have to be concerned if there was enough money in the checking account for my wife to go grocery shopping.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Whoa. A great[?] contrast.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>This got a little bit mind-bending at times.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Quite a contrast.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Hm?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Quite a contrast.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Quite a contrast. Yeah. And then, uh, I retired.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>At this point. I had been in the Air Force for 20 years and three weeks</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And I decided it was time to go. I had three kids that needed to go to college, and they weren’t going to do it on Lieutenant Colonel’s pay, so I had to go do something else.</p>
<p>And another interesting thing, to me at least, was that I had joined Air Force ROTC back there in college, because I had no desire to be anywhere near the Army or the Navy, but especially the Army. And so for my final tour of duty, I am winding up serving with the Army</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>As one of their officers [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /> </strong>Anyway, so that’s it.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>What—when were you serving for the Army? Was that duty procur—procure—procurement, or was that when you [inaudible]?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No. That was with the Army. I was Deputy Director…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>For Ammunition Procurement.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Deputy Directory of Ammunition Procurement Division of that Army command.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, it all is very impressive, and I’m sure it was most important, but it sounds to me like your career was drug[?] running and buying guns [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh, no. actually…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Just joking.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>I might have bought some drugs along the way.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>To find out where [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But they would have been legal ones.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Um, Never bought any guns. Never bought an airplane, but I bought just about everything else.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, when you were doing procurement, the rifles—what were you actually…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, I didn’t buy the rifles. I bought the ammunition that went in the rifles.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, you bought the ammunition. Sorry. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Somebody else bought the rifles.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, you [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>There was another group doing that.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And there was another officer.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Other officers assigned to that.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer</strong>So you said you were in Bang—so—so you said you were in Bangkok</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And then you were in Thailand—I mean, Thailand is Bangkok.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And other places, but um, did you—did you do anything in the states? How long were you in the states at the end of the career?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Well, it was three years in, uh, Rock Island.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>It was three years at McCoy Air Force Base.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So two years in Whiteman’s. So that’s at least eight years of doing procurement there. And it was two years in the OSI, advising the OSI people about procurement—participating in, uh—in their actions.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Could you enlarge a little about your stay in Bangkok, and tell us more about what you did, and how difficult or easy it was? Because of the place, of course, it is always very hot there. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yes. As we were talking earlier, if you got a, um, weather report for Orlando and a weather report for Bangkok, for the months of July, August, and September, you could not tell the difference as to which city you’re reading the report on. It’s the same.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Interesting.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>The difference is, of course, that Orlando does cool down—some. Bangkok doesn’t. The, uh—Bangkok only has, um, three temperatures—hot, hotter, and hellatious.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh, Bangkok was a very interesting and very, very different, uh, type of assignment. At that time, the Air Force’s procurement office was in a building in the center of Bangkok. It was called the “Chokchai Building,” and it, uh—it wasn’t terribly tall. My memory says seven floors, but it might’ve been more. Uh, the city was built on swamp, so the building was constructed such that it floated. And its basement was a big concrete barge, and it was floating. Now, the technology has progressed, and you go to Bangkok, and there are skyscrapers all over the place. It’s a fairly modern city, but at that time it was not.</p>
<p>And, uh, so I was there as one of the officers assigned to that position. My memory says there were four of us, at that point, and I was the fifth one kind of detached. And, um, we just bought all the goods and services that the U.S. Air Force required in Thailand. And at that time, we had several bases scattered all over Thailand. And we had, um, people working for us—enlisted, uh, men—working for us at each base, also during procurement, but they were doing it as our subordinates for the stuff that had to come really from the local community. But otherwise, uh, we would buy the stuff in Bangkok—things in Bangkok. And this would be stuff—oh, it would be food, it would be entertainment, it would be the gas for the propane heaters, uh.—you name it. We would be buying it in Bangkok.</p>
<p>Um, We lived in a, uh compound, which was very much like a park, that was a little ways away from the, uh—from the office. And, uh, you walked in there and it was a beautiful little park-like area. It was lined with houses, all of which are rented to, uh, foreigners, like ourselves. Either American or Australian or somebody else, or the, uh, members of the diplomatic corps. And at the front of the—of the property, there was a very old, interesting Thai gentleman, and at the back of the property was his son and his family. And the fellow at the front—named [Mom Rajawongse] Seni Pramoj.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Seni Pramoj? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Seni Pramoj. Now Seni Pramoj is rather important in Thai-American relations. In World War II, the Japanese moved into Thailand, and Thailand declared war on the United States.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I never [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Seni Pramoj was the ambassador in Washington, D.C. He refused to deliver the declaration of war. United States chose to ignore it. When WWII ended, the United States chose—says, “Thailand was not an enemy combatant. They were an occupied country.” Other Allies had different opinions, and there’s[sic] arguments about it. And so the United States agreed, “Okay. We would take a little, tiny bit of reparations. We ‘ll take one house.” And it became the residence of the American Ambassador.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>That’s a fascinating story.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Seni Pramoj later was president of Thailand…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, really?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>At one time or another.<a title="">[3]</a></p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But at the time we met him, he is the landlord, sitting up at the front of the compound.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh[?].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And we didn’t see him very often, but we did—knew who he was. But, um…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I thought you were going to say he was the watchman. You know, because [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No. We figured that the—there was very little obvious security in that compound. There was no real guard at the gate or noth—but there were gardeners all over the place, and we figured they were all Thai CID [Criminal Investigator's Department].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>]Well, one of them was very important.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And I—I think that’s a story that is well worth recording, because it shows how a war was, uh—was, um, avoided by simple, you know…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah, um…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Simple contacts.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So, America has been—had a treaty of friendship with Thailand since 1835, or something like that. It was the first one we signed with anybody in Asia.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, that’s interesting. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>‘Course, at that time, I think Thailand was probably about the only independent Asian country that we could get into. Japan was closed. China was, uh, occupied by several people. The—the British had Burma<a title="">[4]</a> and Malaya, And Dutch had Indonesia, and the French had Cambodia and Vietnam. And Thailand was in the middle. And we signed a treaty of friendship with those folks.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>which I think has paid off very handsomely for us.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Too bad it’s so unique.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And it’s very unique.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>During the, um, Vietnam War, Thailand actively participated in the war. And Thailand provided us with access to their facilities, and that’s the only time they have ever done that for anybody that’s not Thai.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes[?]. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So, um, [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I wish—wish they had done the same thing in Vietnam.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Well…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>You know, after [Ngô Đình] Diệm [inaudible]. But I’m supposed to ask you questions, and you answer at length</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah. So…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And I ask very short questions, but you’re asking at length very well [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>One of the…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>So I don’t have to ask you many questions.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>One of the jobs I had, while I was there in Thailand, was to be the Contract Administrator for the Thai security guard contract. We employed…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>That sounds like a Chinese title. It’s so long.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Almost.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Can you say it again?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Thai security guard contract. To be the contract administrator. We had a contract, and it was written as a regular Air Force Procurement contract, between ourselves and the [Thai] Ministry of Defense, whereby they provided, uh, Thai military reserves to act as the security guards for all of our forces—our locations, rather—all over the country of Thailand.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Interesting.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Every little—every U.S…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Space. Now, some of those were big. They’re big air bases. There’re lots of people. And some of them were little tiny listening posts…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Out in the jungle…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>With maybe one or two Americans—well, usually more than that—maybe four Americans, and four or five Thai security guardsman to take care of them, to keep them safe, and literally keep the tigers from coming into the, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Into the post.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Mmhmm. That’s unusual.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah, and part of my duties were[sic] to go and inspect every one of those installations all over that country to make sure people are doing the job right.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Which I did.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes. I’m sure you…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Which was a very interesting [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I’m sure you did it very arduously, but it sounds very interesting.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>It was. It was very interesting.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh, so where do we go next?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I want to ask you if you, in all—in all these different places you’ve been, if you met any characters that stay—stayed in your mind as being particularly interesting, either, you know, um, good, bad, or eccentric, or whatever?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Hm. Strange…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Because your experiences are so different from other people’s in the military.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Usually[?], they’re in a unit, or they’re on some ship, and so on. But you were all over the place with all kinds of people, from the important ones to the not-so important ones.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah, but some of them were just ordinary folk. Uh, like[?] I was. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>But you had to find people who spoke English, I presume.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yes. And in most of the world, you can get by on English.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>That’s true.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Most educated Thais could speak some English.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>The, uh, officers on the Thai side, with whom I interfaced—one was an Admiral, the other was an Army Major, uh—spoke—spoke beautiful English.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes[?].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Um…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>That was—your stories are so interesting.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>That…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Can you tell another story that—of interest…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>From that…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Well, there is one other one of interest from that. I went to one of the bases, and the, uh—the guardsmen work on the base. They work for the American, uh, military police chief, whoever he is. And so, I was talking to him one day, and he was telling me about a young airman who wanted to get married. Now, before a serviceman can get married overseas, especially in a warzone, his, uh, bride has to be vetted through the American Embassy.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And most Americans, when they look at a Thai woman, cannot tell how old she is…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Until she is elderly, and then it’s obvious that she’s elderly. But as long as she is fairly young up through middle age, you’ve got no idea how old she is, when you look at her.</p>
<p>So there was this, uh, one young fellow, who wanted to get married and this—this is, um—now, this is 1974 time period—to, uh, his Thai honey. And when they started checking on her, they found out that she had been a prostitute for the Japanese forces, when the Japanese had occupied this particular base 30 years earlier.</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Very interesting turnaround[?].</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] So our 18 year old—18 year old…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>American G.I. couldn’t tell she was probably 45.</p>
<p><strong>All<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Interesting. That’s interesting story.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Do you have friends around the world that you made at that time?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>We did have for a long time, but then, um, over the years…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>They’re gone. The Admiral that[sic], uh, had been in charge from the Thai side—I kept in touch with for a long time, but then he died.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I’m not supposed to add anything to this, but I have to say that a prostitute who was a prostitute for the Japanese was[?]—was, uh—was quite often recruited and kept as a slave for soldiers.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, more than likely.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>What did they call them? There’s a name for them. But anyway…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh, comfort girls.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer <br /></strong>Comfort girls.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Or comfort women, rather.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>She—that could have happened to her. I mean, but still, she was old.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>It might have been.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But the point of the story wasn’t so much that she’d been a prostitute.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>That she was old.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>It was that she was at least 45 years old…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And our 18 year old airman couldn’t tell.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] That would’ve been an interesting—or a—have made a rather easy decision for the superior to make [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yes. I don’t think she got her clearance.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] So do you—yeah. Do you keep in touch with anyone that[sic] was posted in those places with you?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No. By now, I have lost—well, with all, except one. I still keep in touch with the man I worked for when I was in Japan.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>The rest of them, time has gone by.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Tell us about more colorful characters you’ve met.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>ike, I don’t, uh—Well, one of the most colorful characters was a fellow out there when I was a Thailand—American officer, who had lost the, um, first two joints of[?] one of his fingers, through some kind of accident. He cut it off with a saw or something. It wasn’t—it wasn’t particularly interesting. But the thing was he only had that much. Now in Thailand, you bargained at that time. You bargain for everything, and—but the currency is baht. So we would go and we would say, “Four baht,” and “Five baht,” “Ten baht.” whatever. Well, he could bargain in half baht.</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] I see why you remember him.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>That’s my main memory of him, is he could bargain in half bahts.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I’m going to ask you a two-step question. Number one: did you ever keep a diary or make notes of what you were doing? Um…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, that’s [inaudible]—that’s more or less the answer then. Because, uh, it would be interesting, and you probably would have forgotten by now some of the things. Some of the [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, I’m sure I’ve forgotten probably most of it by now.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But no. I did—never kept any diary. I got movies and slides and stuff like that, but…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>So what about your family, that were in the states whilst you were doing all this? Did you keep in touch with them fairly well?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Well, my family was with me.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>No. Not your immediate family. I mean, your…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Parents and siblings[?].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>My parents, and my brothers and sisters and siblings?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>I still do keep in touch with them.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Now, my parents are long gone, but yeah. My brothers and sisters and I still keep in touch.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, of course, we didn’t have email or anything, so what did you do? Write to them?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah. We write—wrote letters. And every time you circulated that through the country, you would, um, go and see people. Um, yeah. My wife’s, uh, parents lived in War—in Warsaw, Missouri, which, uh, is kind of south and west of Kansas City[, Missouri]—a couple hundred miles out in the country at the head waters of the Lake of the Ozarks in the Missouri countryside—hill towns. And it was amazing how Warsaw became on the way to everything.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh [<em>laughs</em>]. Via Warsaw [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah. It didn’t matter where we were going.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>It was always by way of Warsaw…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Missouri. It could have been—it was Washing—Florida to Washington, D.C., is by way of Warsaw, Missouri. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Oh, that’s good.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Seattle to Alabama for Squadron Officer School is by way of Warsaw, of course. That’s not too bad.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But, uh, everything was by way of Warsaw.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Wow[?]. That’s funny.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And then…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Does your wife like traveling?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Did she—yeah. She did.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, I [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>She’s now passed, but, uh, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, I’m sorry.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>She did.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I didn’t know. Um…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, you’ve had a very interesting life.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah, ‘cause that particular—That first wife died about six years ago, but then she sent along a replacement, who ordered me up off of Match.com as her souvenir of her visit to America—the United States. And, uh, she’s Thai.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, really?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, how is your Thai? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>My Thai is good enough…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible] mai tai [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>My Thai—Yeah. I can order one of those. Um…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Mai tai [inaudible] [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>My Thai is probably good enough to tell you “Hello” and “Goodbye.”</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>All of which is the same word: <em>sà-wàt-dee</em>. And to ask, “<em>Hông náam yòo têe năi?</em>” “Where’s the toilet?” in Thai.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Good one[?]. Good phrase [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And I could say thank you: <em>kòp kun mâak</em>. And that’s about it. Uh, fortunately…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible] If you were in procurement, people must have been saying, “Thank you” to you often.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, they were.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Okay[?]. Were you bribed at any time? Or tempted to be bribed?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No. No. Though, uh, some people had trouble with the U.S. standards on that. And in one particular instance in Thailand, uh, the contractors just could not understand when we said, “No. We cannot take anything.” So one Thanksgiving or Christmas or something, they showed up with a lot of turkeys and stuff. “No. we cannot take it.” “But I can’t take it.” “Well, okay.” we gave it to the orphanage.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, that was a good idea.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But no.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>You must have come across a lot of interesting situations like that. That’s a—that’s…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>We came across a lot of things that were cultural differences.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes, but I mean in the actual process of what you were doing. First of all, you had to find out who to start with to ask for what you needed. And then you had to choose between them.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>You had to choose between—yes. You have to define what you need. You have to find the people that can fill your need. And then you have to make a choice as to which one is going to fill it, and you have to pay attention to a whole long list of social things, as to which person can have this particular contract. Um…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>So you had to do a lot of hard work?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah. Yeah. Well, this is all goes with part of the job.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>The job. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Government procurement and commercial are not the same.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And the big difference is the rules that, uh, the government person has to follow. And people that[sic] I was—when I was teaching at OSI, one of their frequently raised complaints was: “Well, it would be so much cheaper if we did this, or if we did it that way.” And I would have to explain to them that the, um, military procurement regulations, which fill a space like this, were not designed for the efficient and economic acquisition of goods and services for the military. They were designed to fill the social aims of Congress first. And after you fill the social aims of Congress, then we do things to make sure we get stuff.</p>
<p>But we have things like—you have Buy American Act [of 1933]. You have a, um, law that governs the amount of money that must be paid to the contractors on the job, which often is very different than the local prevailing wages. You have to procure from minority-owned businesses. You want to procure from women- owned businesses.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>They did that then? Back that far?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. They’ve done this for a long time. And it goes on and on and on. On certain type of business would be set aside, to be filled by only people who meet these social constraints. Whatever they were.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>To fill the social aims of Congress. Um, I [inaudible]…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Tell me what was your biggest disappointment during this time?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Something…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>I can’t think of one at the moment.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Go wrong after you went half way into it, or something like that?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Pardon?</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Did anything go wrong after you went half way into it?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>No. The only interesting thing was I never intended to stay there.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>I intended to do my first tour of duty, and then get out.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But by the time that, uh, point came up, Air Force requirement is four years of service after commissioning. And the point I had four years of service, and I had three little children. And I knew I needed a Master’s Degree, and there wasn’t any way that I was going to be able to support four little children and a wife and go get a Master’s Degree on my own. And the Air Force says, “We will send you to, uh, George Washington University for your MBA [Master’s of Business Administration], if you would like. All you have to accept is an extended service commitment of three times the length of that year and a half of school.” And then every time I did that, or I got promoted, or I got sent somewhere, there was always a service commitment attached to it. It wasn’t until I had 18 years of service in, that I could’ve get out if I wanted to. At that point, I stopped accepting any offers for anything that had a commitment on it.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I see. That’s understandable. And I think you [inaudible]…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>But by then, I was at Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>I think—I think you’ve your judgments in order.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Because I—I admire what you put first[?].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>But you certainly had an intering—interesting career.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Tell me about something that—funny that happened whence you—when—when you were in one of these places.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Well, alright. Well, uh, the one we were talking about at lunchtime. Military people on active duty, and as a retiree, are entitled to fly space available on military aircraft from one point to another. ‘Course you have last priority.</p>
<p>So we were in Japan, and my wife wanted to go to [South] Korea, which there were frequent flights between Yokota Air Base in Japan and Osan Air Base in Korea. So we went over to Korea, and on the way over we rode on a chartered airliner. And this just like riding in any other airliner, except this one is under charter with the [U.S.] DOD [Department of Defense].</p>
<p>And we went shopping in Seoul[, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea]. She bought all kinds of stuff. We got back down to Osan Air Base with the—almost a pick-up truck full of, um, things that she wanted to take, and found out there was no space available going back to Japan. There were lots of people like us and no space going back. And furthermore, there were no hotel rooms available in this little town outside Osan to spend the night.</p>
<p>So I called up my friend, who was the OSI boss in Osan, because this was shortly after my—my OSI tour, so I still knew the people. And he called around, and he called me back, and says, “Okay. Go down to this hotel,” [<em>clears throat</em>] “and they’ll take care of you and put you up for the night.” We did. And the next morning, I informed her that she had just spent the night in a whorehouse.</p>
<p><strong>All<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And how…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>That’s what it was.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And how did you get back? [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So we went back to the base to wait along with all of these other people, and the, uh, wing at Yokota sent a training flight over to Osan. The Air Force flies training flights all the time. They have to. To train the people. Keep their skills up. So they said, “Okay. Well, we got all these people waiting over there. We’ll send this flight over today to Osan to, uh—to pick these folks up.” And they did, in a [Lockheed] C-130 [Hercules]. The C-130 is a flying truck. You sit in the back end of this, and it’s like sitting in the back end of a big truck, on a canvas seat with very little in the way of heat or any sort of comforts whatsoever. So we all filed in there, put all of our luggage in there in front of us, and then…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>In front of you?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is a…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>All down the middle of the plane?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Down the middle. This is the bay of a cargo airplane. This is not an airliner.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>You—you’ve seen pictures though</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Now, they’re—they’re…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>In the movies.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>There—they’re about as—about like sitting in the back of a dump truck. Now, you load over the rear of that airplane. That’s how its tailgate goes down. And they can drive tanks, and trucks…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, I’ve seen</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And things like that. So everybody’s in there. We’re all sitting down, and the loadmaster goes to life the tailgate, and it won’t shut. Can’t get the door of the airplane shut.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>So he takes a piece of wire, wraps it around the door, holds it in place…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Take off to go back to Japan.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>All wired up [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And my brother-in-law, who is a—at that time, a paratrooper in the Army—uh, standard joke people ask him, “Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” And his answer is “Because the Air Force doesn’t have any.”</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Oh, really?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>This was…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Very interesting.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>A perfectly good airplane by Air Force standards. You could wire the door shut and fly.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Is there anything else you would like to tell us before we end?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Oh, I guess that’s probably about it.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Well, you’ve been an easy person, because I was supposed to tell you at the beginning, that this is for you to tell your stories, and I’m just…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Okay[?].</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Just there to ask the questions. But it was, uh—I didn’t have to do that, because you had so many stories, and you told them so well, and it was really interesting, and I’m sure everyone who reads veterans’ stories will like this story.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>If we’ve got time for one more quick[sic] one…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes. We do.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>This is a funny one—to me, a funny one. Seattle is bordered on the eastern side of the city by a 20-mile long fresh water lake called Lake Washington. And One particular day, one of my friends up[?] there and I decided to check out some sailboats, because we had a—a sailboat, rather—as the Navy base had sailboats, and do sailing on Lake Washington. And we did. And we promptly knocked the sailboat down.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>And we got it back up, and then we promptly knocked it down again. Now, the big lesson that I learned about doing that was that a can of beer, if it has not been opened, will float.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Because the beer we had, we can’t—that hadn’t been opened yet—all of it just floated every time we knocked the sailboat over, and so we got it back up, and we got out beer back on board.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Oh, really? That’s interesting. Is it because there’s air in the can?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Sure.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Or because there’s not very much in it? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>There’s air in the can, and a can of beer is sealed. It can’t get out, and it floats. And I…</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Didn’t know until then that a can of beer will float.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Is there anything else you’d like to tell us…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /> </strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>We conclude?</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Now that I’m thinking about it, I could go all afternoon.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Yes[?]. Well, you were the easiest person to interview, I must say. Um, let’s see there was something I wanted to say to you, as well. Well, we—we thank you very much for being part of this program,</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Sure.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>And, um, I certainly enjoyed listening to your story, so I think you’ll be a great contributor. And…</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>I hope so.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>So thank you very much.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>You’re welcome.</p>
<p><strong>Scherer<br /></strong>Good luck.</p>
<p><strong>McGuire<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Correction: Yokota Air Base.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Officially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> September 17, 1945-January 31, 1946.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Also known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.</p>
</div>
</div>
2nd Lieutenant
African Enterprise
AFROTC
Air Force
Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps
aircraft
airplanes
Ambassador
AMC
ammunition procurement division
Armed Forces Staff College
Army Materiel Command
Army Military Intelligence Readiness Command
BAA
baht
Bangkok, Thailand
bargains
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
bribery
bribes
business administration
Buy American Act of 1933
C-130
cargo
Chokchai Building
Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints
CID
comfort girls
Community Veterans History Project
Congress
conscription
construction
consultants
contract administrators
contracting
contractors
corruption
Criminal Investigator's Department
CVHP
DCAS
declaration of war
Defense Contract Administration Services
deputy directors
DOD
Downtown Bangkok
drafts
Durban, South Africa
engineering
engineers
Fawley, England
Fussa, Japan
George C. McGuire
George Washington University
GWU
hospitals
Judy Scherer
Korea
Lake Washington
LDS Church
legislation
lieutenant colonel
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
McCoy AFB
McCoy Air Force Base
Ministry of Defense
MIRC
Missouri
Mom Rajawongse Seni Pramoj
Mormonism
Mormons
NAS Sand Point
Naval Air Station Sand Point
New Jersey
New York City, New York
New York Harbor
Norfolk, Virginia
Notre Dame, Indiana
OIA
oil
oil refineries
oil refinery
orlando
Orlando AFB
Orlando Air Force Base
Orlando International Airport
Osan AB
Osan Air Base
OSI
planes
President of Thailand
presidents
procurement centers
procurement officers
prostitutes
prostitution
Pyeongtaek-si,South Korea
regulations
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
retirement
Rock Island Arsenal
Rose Marie Scherer
ROTC
sailboats
sailing
scandals
Seattle, Washington
Second Lieutenant
Seni Pramoj
Seni Pramoj, Mom Rajawongse
Seoul, South Korea
sex workers
Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition
Squadron Officer School
Statue of Liberty
Summit, New Jersey
Thai
Thai Ministry of Defense
Thailand
tour of duty
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations
U.S. ambassador
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Materiel Command
U.S. Army Military Intelligence Readiness Command
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Navy
UND
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame du La
USAF
USAFOSI
veterans
Vietnam
Vietnam War
Warsaw, Missouri
Washington, D.C.
Whiteman AFB
Whiteman Air Force Base
World War II
WWII
Yokota AB
Yokota Air Base
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/9d752cd3aa575d9fec8b61845098d41a.pdf
8029e7962c673e092163f97adfd6ad89
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
Young, Mary Hughes
Interviewee
Levine, Lawrence "Larry" Paul
Location
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Original Format
1 audio/video recording
Duration
41 minutes and 6 seconds
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 Lawrence Paul Levine
Alternative Title
Oral History, Levine
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Air Force
Description
An oral history interview of Lawrence Paul Levine (b. 1947), who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in August of 1966, just after being drafted into the U.S. Army. Levine was born in Rochester, New York, on June 8, 1947. He served in Europe during the Vietnam War, until he was discharged on August 31, 1970. Levine received a Good Conduct Medal for his service.<br /><br />This oral history interview was conducted by Mary Hughes Young on April 1, 2014. Interview topics include Levine's background, his enlistment in the Air Force and drafting into the U.S. Army, basic and advanced training, being stations in Europe, getting married voerseas, returning to the U.S. after being discharged, and his life as a civilian afterward.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:32 Background<br />0:02:38 Draft and enlistment<br />0:06:42 Basic training at Lackland Air Force Base<br />0:10:06 Sharpshooting and career assignment<br />0:13:52 Advanced training at Amarillo Air Force Base<br />0:21:16 Assignment in Europe<br />0:26:55 Relationships with other servicemen and assignments<br />0:30:15 Getting married overseas<br />0:31:09 Rank and discharge<br />0:33:30 Life after service<br />0:36:28 Treatment from civilians<br />0:37:29 How service affected civilian life<br />0:39:15 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Lawrence Paul Levine. Interview conducted by Mary Hughes Young at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/259/" target="_blank">Levine, Lawrence Paul</a>. Interviewed by Mary Hughes Young. April 1, 2014. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/277/rec/1" target="_blank">Item DP0014898</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project, 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/92" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Digital transcript of original 41-minute and 6-second oral history: <a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/259/" target="_blank">Levine, Lawrence Paul</a>. Interviewed by Mary Hughes Young. April 1, 2014.
Conforms To
Standards established by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/vets/" target="_blank">Veterans History Projects</a>, Library of Congress.
Coverage
Rochester, New York
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Providence, Rhode Island
Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas
Amarillo Air Force Base, Amarillo, Texas
McGuire Air Force Base, Burlington County, New Jersey
Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany
Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
Creator
Levine, Larry
Young, Mary Hughes
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-04-01
Date Copyrighted
2014-04-01
Format
video/mp4
application/pdf
Extent
353 MB
224 MB
Medium
41-minute and 6-second audio/video recording
28-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Mary Hughes Young and Larry Levine 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
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://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</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.
Transcript
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>Recording.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Today [<em>clears throat</em>] is April the 1<sup>st</sup>[, 2014]. I am Mary Hughes Young, and I am interviewing Lawrence Paul Levine.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Who served in the U.S. Air Force [<em>sniffs</em>]. Um, This is part of the University of Central Floride—Florida’s Community Veterans History Project, and we’re recording this interview at University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Okay. Larry, tell me first about when and where you were born.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I was born in Rochester, New York, in 1947.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And did you live there for all of your educational years?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, primarily, yes. Yes. I, uh, graduated college in Rochester also, after the—after my service.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, do you have brothers or sisters?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. I have two brothers.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Two. So there were three of…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. There were three of us in the family.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Where were you in the birth order?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, I’m the oldest.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>The oldest? Okay. What did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, my father had a number of different jobs. Uh, He was a bread salesman for Thomas’ English Muffins for a while, and then worked for a supermarket chain as one of their managers of one of their stores. Um, my mother was pretty much of a stay-at home mom. Um, She became very si—very sick, um, at a very young age and—and passed away at a very young age also. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And how old were you when she passed away?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I was, uh, 20.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>20? Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>21.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, Were any of your family members or extended members in the military?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. My father—my father was. He was in World War II. He, uh, was an in-flight radio operator in—at that time, was the Army Air Corps, uh, which then became the Air Force. Uh, in-flight radio operator and served over in India, going back from Karachi to Calcutta, India.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, tell me about your education before you went into the military.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, I, um, graduated high school in 1964. Uh, was accepted to Brown University, um, in Providence, Rhode Island. [<em>clears throat</em>] Finished one year there, and then my mother became very ill, and I had to come back home, which led me into the next phase of my life of being in the—in the military. Um, so that was prior to me going into the service.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, And why did you decide to go into the military?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, uh, because I came back home and had to help the family out. Uh, during that time, it was the Vietnam War, obviously—back in the—in the [19]60s. Um, in all honestly, I was ultimately drafted.</p>
<p>Now, there was a[sic] interesting—very interesting story that leads up to that. Um, When I came back home, I went to work for the U.S. Customs Service. My background is primarily: I was going to school in business and accounting, and I was fortunate enough to get a job [<em>clears throat</em>] with the U.S. Bureau of Customs [and Border Protection] in Rochester. Uh, went to work for them full-time. Did a number of j—jobs for them, primarily in the accounting area, and also, uh, did a few clearances of planes and—and ships and that system, where I need to, in that particular area. But I worked in the, um, government, uh—in the state office building—actually, it was a Federal building. It wasn’t even a state. It was a Federal building, because it was U.S. Customs.</p>
<p>And, uh, the draft board was right downstairs from my offices. And I became very friendly with a number of the different people who worked in the draft board, and informed them of my situation: that, uh, I was eligible for the draft, because I wasn’t going to school full-time. I was going to school part-time. Uh, they had informed me at that particular time that, “No—no worries. No problems.” That, uh, I would be safe, because I knew everybody there. And low- and behold, before I knew it, my letter from Uncle Sam came and said I was drafted.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So I went back to the [<em>laughs</em>]—to the, uh, draft board and said, “What happened here?” And their excuse was, “Oh, we’re sorry. It got by us,” and everything like that. So, um, in ess—in essence, I was drafted, but before I was drafted, I enlisted in the Air Force.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Um, and was this before the lottery was in effect?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. The lottery was in effect, if I’m not mistaken. Um, the—there was a lottery, and I had a pretty, pretty low lottery number.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Meaning that I was very eligible for the draft. Uh, I wasn’t going to Canada. I wasn’t going any place, but I was informed again by the draft board that I’d be safe. And, uh, low and behold, I wasn’t.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Because of the work you were doing?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. It’s just that—because I knew people at the draft board, who said if they saw my name come up, they would pull it [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, okay. Okay. Well, how did you feel about being drafted then? Um, was it—was it…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Concerned.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>A big shock?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Concerned.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Shock. Uh, the first thing, obviously, that came to my mind, was: <em>Well, if you’re drafted, then you’re going into the Army. And if you go in the Army, you are going to carry a gun. If you carry a gun, you’re going to go to Vietnam.</em> So, uh, when that—when that happened, obviously, the family was very concerned about it. And, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And so—so…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>They didn’t want me to go. So I figured it would be best if I went into the Air Force.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Right. And so you signed up for the Air Force…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Right after you were drafted?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. That’s correct.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>That’s correct.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And So your family was feeling</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Concerned about the situation too?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>They were more concerned, obviously, during that whole period of time, but not as concerned if I allowed myself to be drafted in the Army.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Into the Army. Okay. How about your, uh peers? You friends or girlfriend? How did they feel about you going into the military?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, my friends were kind of like, <em>Better you than me</em>, at that particular time. Uh, I’m sure most people realized that was not the greatest time in our history for the military. Most people were looked down on in going into the military. Uh, I had some tough experiences myself with that particular situation. Uh, my girlfriend, at the time, was pretty much—said, “If you are going into the military, then I’m not waiting around for you, so,” [<em>laughs</em>] “I’m—I’m gone.”</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>As if you had a choice, right? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah. As if I had a choice. Right. Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, well, now you’re in the Air Force.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And where did you do your basic training?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I was there in August of 1966.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And, uh, what were your expectations of— being in the, uh—in basic training? Did you—did you have any idea of what was going—what it was going to be like?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. I had an idea, but I didn’t—I didn’t think it would be as bad as it really was. Uh, I was in good shape at the time, okay?</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Weighed a lot less than I do now. And, um, expected it to be a little different, uh, physically and mentally. Uh, The aspects of basic training are obviously to get you in a situation to where you are able to accept orders, and you’re able to—be able to do things when they’re—when you’re told to do them. And, uh, I accepted that without any problem. It’s just—there’s a little more physical on my body than I had anticipated.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Can you elaborate a little bit on that?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah. The marching…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What was a typical day like?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>The typical day is we get up at like five in the morning—4:30-5 o’clock in the morning, and we’d have to make our bunks and get everything straightened away for the day. We go to me—the mess hall, where we had breakfast. And that was one of the things that surprised me, because we just didn’t take our time in—in being able to eat breakfast. We were given a certain amount of time to get in line, eat our breakfast, and get ready to go outside. It was a lot shorter than I had anticipated. So, uh, my eating habits had to change very quickly, because of that.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, after that, we would do either calisthenics or marching. Um, go to the gun range, which kind of surprised me, because I didn’t think I would be shooting a gun. Uh, had qualified in the—in the gun range.</p>
<p>And had different classes on just general military, um—you know, the way of life of a—of a person in the military. Uh, Things—how to handle yourself, how to be able to, uh, you know, again, take orders, and anything that had to do with the military. Military history, all of that.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And this—how long was your basic training? How many weeks?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, wow. You see, I—that—I, uh—I want to say eight weeks.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Eight weeks? Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>But it might be a little bit longer than that. I mean, that’s 40—what? 40—safe[sic] —48 years ago. And [<em>laughs</em>]…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>[inaudible]. I really didn’t wanna do any…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>It’s not for everybody[?].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Research on that.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You know there’s an end to it.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>It’s not gonna be forever.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>That’s absolutely correct.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Um, what were your instructors like?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>[<em>sniffs</em>] I thought the meanest people in the world, okay? They didn’t take any—they didn’t take anything from anybody.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Um, which is what they were supposed to do. You were supposed to be there to listen to them. Them—they were, um, NCOs [non-commissioned officers], which is, uh, the equivalents of sergeants, okay? They were not officers, although the heads—some different, um, sections were—were officers—captains and—and, uh, lieutenants and that. But, um, you know…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I realized after a while, that they were doing their job, and that if they were soft on us, and if we became—a situation, which we got involved in, we couldn’t be soft either. So the, um—they did their job, and I think they did it—looking back on it, I think they did a good job on ‘em.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, let’s back up a minute.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Sure.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You said you didn’t think you’d have to shoot a gun</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>But you did.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And I think I noticed on your paper that you were, uh, a sharpshooter.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah. I surprised myself, to be honest with you.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Had you ever shot a gun before?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You adapted to that well.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I adapted to it. Yeah. Well…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Which again, kind of concerned me. In effect, if I’m a sharpshooter, they might do something with me, other than what I wanted to do [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Did you receive, uh, any advanced, specialized training?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Not at that time. No. When we, uh—Just To—to go back a little bit, uh, historically, what led up to this: when I enlisted in the—in the Air Force—and I— don’t mean to take away what you’re—you—the questions you are asking—uh, I had to take a battery of tests…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>To determine where I was best fit for the Air Force. Uh, and, at that time, I was—I—I actually scored highest in the administrative area. It was like electronics, administrative, mechanical, uh—those I think—and—and just basic—basic air. So I scored highest in administrative, which I assumed that I would, because that was pretty much my background and what I wanted to do.</p>
<p>However, at the time that I went in, and—there were no openings in the administrative field. So I said, “Well, if you don’t have anything in the administrative area, send me home. I don’t—I don’t need to come then.”</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>They said, “No. that doesn’t work that way, okay? Now, you’re going to be in the electronics field.” I said, “Okay. Electronics.” “Yeah. You know, putting wires together and all this kind of stuff. Wherever you’re needed in electronics.” You know, that’s a wide area, obviously. I said, “Okay.” and they gave me another battery of tests, and one of the tests was called the Ishihara [Color] Test—and I’m not sure if you’re fa—familiar with that? That’s the one where they have the numbers that are embedded in the different colors, so that if you’re looking at it, it is to determine if you are colorblind or not.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, I really botched that up big time. I think I only got two numbers out of all of them that they showed me. I just couldn’t pick out the different numbers in the blocks of different colors. So they sat back and they said “Well, hm. If you can’t pick out the numbers, how are you going to put a red wire together with a green wire or with a blue wire, and make sure it’s running properly? So you can’t go into electronics.” So I said, “Good. Send me home.” They said, “No. it doesn’t work that way.”</p>
<p>I said, “Well, how about administrative again?” “No. we still don’t have any openings.” “Okay. So now what?” “Well, we’re going to give you your choice of what you want to do, Okay? This is the career that you’re going to have in the Air Force.” One: You can become a cook, okay? Number two: you can become a parachute rigger, okay? Putting together the parachutes for the pilots and [inaudible]. Three: you can be an air policeman, because you did qualify that [inaudible]. Or four: you can be an airframe repair specialist.</p>
<p>So I sat back and I thought, <em>Well, I could kill everybody with my cooking</em>, because I couldn’t cook very well, okay? <em>If I became a parachute rigger, god forbid if a parachute didn’t open when the pilot jumped out of the plane or whatever[?], I’d probably kill somebody that way. </em>Air police? I says[sic], <em>Nah. I’m not big enough to be a good air </em>policeman, you know? I could direct traffic, but that would probably be all that I could do. So that left me with airframe repair, okay? So that’s where we’re back—that’s where—that’s a little bit about the background on my next point after basic training.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So in basic training, you get your assignments?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And you were assigned to be an air…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Airframe Repair.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Airframe Repair? Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>That’s exactly correct.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So that’s working on the outside of the airplane.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, It could be the inside too.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, okay. Anything to do with the frame of an airplane?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay, but, um—so where were you assigned after basic training?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I was assigned after basic training to advanced training at Amarillo Air Force Base—Texas also. I really didn’t leave Texas for my basic training and my advance training. And this was strictly was airframe repair now.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay? This was how—to teach me how to be, uh, an airframe repairman.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I have two left hands, so you can imagine</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>What it was like to be in Airframe Repair School [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And—so how long where you in</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Airframe training?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Six months, actually.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Six months? Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Almost six months. It was—yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And What was your impression of this a—assignment?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I thought it would be just going to school, But unfortunately, it wasn’t. It was an extension of the basic training, only, to be honest with you, worse. First of all, the weather in Amarillo, Texas, was horrible. I was there during the wintertime, and it was cold and freezing, and we were doing calisthenics outside and we were running, and we were marching. And I said, <em>This isn’t supposed to be like this.</em> <em>This is like I’m supposed to learn how to work on airplanes, not</em> [<em>laughs</em>]—<em>not</em>—I said, “This was already done in basic training. Why do I—why do I gotta do that again?” “No, no, no.” And actually, they—they called them “TIs”—technical instructors—were worse in—in Airframe Repair School than they were in basic training. They were harder on us in—in, uh—in school.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>How many hours would you actually be in—in training for repairs?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>For repairs? It was about six to eight hours a day.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>So a long day?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah. It was just on the repair. Just on airframe repairs. That wasn’t—again, the calisthenics or the marching and everything else. So it was a full day.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And did it start early…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Like in basic training?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Not as early, but pretty close.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Pretty close? Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What did your duties entail as an airframe worker?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, again, there’s another story that goes along with that, okay?</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Tell it.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh,Well, in—in basic airframe repair, you do anything from sheet metal work to fiber glassing to, umm anything that has to do, again, with—with the frame. Ma—uh, making sure that the—that the actual plane itself is in good shape to fly, okay? From a sheet metal standpoint, and not the electronics standpoint. Obviously, that’s in another area.</p>
<p>But, uh—this—this, again, is a—is another story. I had two left hands, as—as I had mentioned. Uh, I couldn’t hit a hammer—nail with a hammer great, and they’re putting me on working on airplanes. Well, each part of the course was a different thing you did with an—with the airframe. Riveting was one area, sheet met—cutting out certain, uh, pieces on the plane was another area.</p>
<p>Uh, one of the areas that they had, they called them “blocks.” each one was a separate block, and what you did was you learned as part—as in the individual blocks was, uh, fiber glassing, okay? And how to fiberglass, how to use fiberglass, and how to be able to mold it on a plane were necessary things like that. I wish you could’ve seen me doing the fiberglass work. You’d—it’d—it’s a real comedy. It was a real comedy, a real joke.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What was the, uh, difficulty in—in doing that? I don’t—I haven’t worked with fiberglass.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, it’s just mixing—mixing the ras—the resin together…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So it’s the right consistency. Being able to lay out the sheets of fiberglass on there, and smooth it over, sand it down. All of these different areas are part of the—are part of the fiberglass work, okay?</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So that—that—that’s—that was part of it. That was one of the blocks.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Alright. And there were other things, like riveting classes?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong> How to use a rivet gun properly. Um, All different types—all different of things on—on, Again, using sheet metal, and using—and repairing aircraft.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What did you like best about that?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Nothing [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Nothing? Okay. So you kind of felt like you were a...</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I was a…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Round peg…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>In a square hole?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Exactly. I was not in the proper location.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And unfortunately, the Air Force didn’t realize at the time, okay? They put me through it.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Were your instructors, um, understanding? Or…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Patient? Or…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>They pretty—they were pretty understanding, with the exception of the one from the fiberglass area, because, uh, I ultimately did not pass the test to move on to the next phase of the Airframe Repair School. So I actually had to take a complete week all over—or, em, two weeks, I believe, or three weeks. I had to take that all over again.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>All the fiberglass work?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. The fiberglass portion. And the other ones I had passed…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>But the fiberglass portion, I had a very difficult time with, and, uh, I had to take that part of the program all over again.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And then you passed it?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So now are you ready for the next, uh—for your next assignment?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, again, the reason—now, I was part of a group of students. My class, I think, was like 12 or 14 students in my class. Because I had failed the test, they moved on to the next phase, I had to wait until the next class came along to pick up with them, and to begin the fiberglass portion all over again.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. Which I did. Uh, I think I had to wait a week before the next class came to the point that they were going to do the fiberglass…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, okay. I see.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Block. So I waved goodbye to all of my fellow students. They had gone—they had gone on to the next phase, and started it, and started the next group. Which a second time I did pass, okay? So I finished and graduated tech school, at that point.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So you only had to wait behind two weeks, and then do you catch up with your class again?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>No?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. Then I’m involved with this next…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Your [inaudible]?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>New class. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Did you go through all the training you did before?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. No. I just picked it up from the fiberglass portion. I’m not sure if it was the third block or the second block. I really don’t remember.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>But then I just proceeded on with that class. Now, as they had finished block one and block two…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And they went into fiber glassing. I had finished one and two, and started in with them as part of my new class, and we continued on together.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So I had to meet all new students, and—and get involved with the new class.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Can you describe an event that wasn’t typical in this particular time of your training? You’re in the six months training now. Is there anything that happened that wasn’t typical of an everyday experience or—that you can think of?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mm. Not really. No. It was just pretty much—cou—can’t wait to get out and get an assignment type of situation. And, um, I—Like I said, I did the very best I can. I knew I had no choice, and, uh, I was able to pass and continue on. But it was pretty much the same routine. The only difference that we had was that we had, uh, leave on the weekends, and we were able to go into Amarillo, which There’s not much there. So we did have leave—we did have leave time then. It wasn’t like a seven days a week type of training.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.So not really anything memoral—memorable during this time?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Not really. No.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. So at six—when you finished that six-month training…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What happened then?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>‘Nother interesting point. I guess—I guess I had more interesting points than I thought I did. When I, um, came out of my next—with my new class, my previous class had gone on. And of course. they graduated from the technical school before I did. They all got their orders, and the entire class got orders for Vietnam, okay? So if I was in that class, I would have ended up going to Vietnam, at the time. My situation was, when I graduated and I saw my orders posted, I got sent to Europe [<em>laughs</em>]. So…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>That’s interesting</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>It is. It was lu—very lucky. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>At that point, you weren’t too [inaudible] —too very sorry that you weren’t very adept to…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. Not really. But of course, you know, that can change—that can change at any time also. But, uh, quite a relief on my family’s part, to say the least.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Um, It—it was—it was very, [<em>laughs</em>] very interesting time, believe me. So I was sent to Europe, uh, in what they called a “TDY outfit,” which was temporary duty assignments. Now, I was assigned to work on a [McDonnell Douglas] F-4 [Phantom II] aircraft. they called it the “phantom jet.” I worked on [McDonnell] F-101s [Voodoo], [Republic F-]105s [Thunderchief], uh, various different types of programs.</p>
<p>My basic job was to work on the outboard tanks and pylons. The pylons were, uh, the apparatus that held the bomb racks on. So we were working on putting on bomb racks on the different types of aircraft, and they would then go over to Vietnam.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Now…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>So you were specialized in your duties?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. Yes. We were—we became specialized in our duties. Now, the government, at the time—again, we were set up as a temporary duty assignment. We had—had to go from base to base to work on these different aircraft. The government thought that it would be cheaper for us to travel in groups and work on these tanks and pylons, because the point of the—with these jets are: they had the jettison their outboard tanks and their pylon or bomb racks when they took off after their bombing runs. Because if they kept those on, it would add weight to the plane itself, in which case, they couldn’t get away—get away as quick, uh, without them. So they were continuously jettisoning these, and when they would come back to—to Europe, we’d have to refit them with new ones, and make—and—and get them all set up for them to go out again. Even though most of them were based right in Vietnam or Thailand and that[?], um, they still came for—for, uh, overall maintenance back to the, uh—back to Europe.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Where in Europe were you?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. I was in, uh, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Libya, England, Spain, and my home base was in Germany, okay? That’s where we worked out of. We worked out of Rhein-Main [Air Base], Germany, in, uh, Frankfurt [am Main, Hesse, Germany], okay? So that’s where my main outfit was. It was Detachment 51.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And that’s[sic] the ones you graduated with?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Actually, some—Most of them—most of them did go on to that, but I think there were about six or seven that went to different, uh— areas, okay?</p>
<p>Uh, that’s another [<em>laughs</em>]—again, that’s another interesting point. Uh, When I flew over from, uh, New Jersey—McGuire Air Force Base. I left out of McGuire Air Force Base. It’s—it’s a funny story. There were like three planes lined up taking all of us over to Europe. There were two commercial airliners, and then there was what they called a “C-141 Galaxy.” And I said, “Oh, I’m going to go over to Europe in a nice, uh, airliner,” and I ended up going over on a military aircraft, sitting in the seats on the sides [<em>laughs</em>]. So it was kind of a bumpy ride over there.</p>
<p>But when I landed, my orders were to catch up with my unit in what they called—in a place called Chaumont[, Haute-Marne], France, okay? So I landed at Rhein-Main Air Force Base, Germany, caught a shuttle, uh—a military shuttle. Uh, it wasn’t a plane. It was a bus, alright? Down to Chaumont, France. Caught up with my, eh—with my group down there, okay? With my detachment down there. And I noticed as I went into—to the offices to report in, that they’re packing up everything. And I went and signed in, and I said to the desk sergeant or whatever his name was, “What—what’s going on,” okay? “I was told to report here.” They said, “Well, we’re leaving.” I said, “Why are you leaving?” Well, at that time, France was not in the best, you know, of friends with the—with the United States. And, uh, this is part of the NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] Pact, and we were—we were leaving out of France. And I said, “Oh,” I said, “So we’re not going to stay in France?” “No.” “Well, where are we going?” He said, “Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany.” I said, “Wait a minute. I just came from there.” [<em>laughs</em>] I said, “I just took a bus and came from Rhein-Main.”</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Going to your official[?] [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>“Why didn’t anybody tell—why didn’t anybody tell me that I was going to go back to—I would never have left I would have waited for ya there.” Well, as it turned out, we went—we went back to Rhein-Main, and, um, set up shop there, and, uh, proceeded to travel all over Europe, and—and working on these tanks and pylons and—and getting them set, so that they—we can put ‘em on the planes, and they can take off.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Did you have a schedule for where you would be and…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>How…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. We had orders every—every time. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And how did that work? Or—or did you not know ahead of time?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Um, when we finished one assignment, we’d come back for a while, and, uh, work around…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Always back to Germany?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Back to Germany. Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And then get our—get our next assignment when we were told to go out…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Again.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>What was your relationship with the oth—other service personnel that you worked directly with on the pylons?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Oh, we, uh—we had a good relationship. I mean, we were a unit. We pretty much hung around together. Uh, when we had time, we played softball, uh, on—in a league on base. And again, I was a lot, a lot thinner [<em>laughs</em>] back then. And, uh, we had—we had a good time. I mean, it was pretty much a regular eight-hour day, okay? Uh, if—whether or not it was at the—at the base that we were at, or at our home base in Germany.</p>
<p>There was—every once in a while, we had assignments. Outside of our unit, was the, uh, uh Boeing 707—I think it was, um, at the time. It was the General of the Air Force’s plane, uh, of Europe</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, [inaudible]. It was the General’s plane—his personal plane—was out there. Actually, come to think of it now, it was the [Boeing] KC-135 [Stratotanker] —was—which was an inflight re-fueler, where those, you know—the planes come up to it, and they drop the boom in that. Well, this was a converted KC-135 for the General. Really nice, nice plane. And we had work on that every once in a while, changing some things, and, you know, making sure that everything was okay.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>When you were, uh, at base, or on these assignments, were you always busy? Or were there times that you didn’t—were waiting for the next assignment?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, No. We were busy most of the time. We were busy most of the time. I mean, once again, it was pretty much and eight-hour day, and when we were done, we had—we were free to do whatever we wanted. It was just, uh, like a normal job, except we worked [inaudible]…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. But there wasn’t a lot of just sit around and wait?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No, no, no, no.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. How did you stay in touch with your family and friends back home?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, at that time, I was—there—there was no such thing as Skype, or, uh, e-mail, and things like that. So it was pretty much by letter. Just by regular letter. Sna—snail mail.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Snail mail.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, do you believe you were well-trained for your assignment?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>As best as they could, considering what they had to deal with [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, did you always have the equipment and the supplies that you needed…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>To do your job?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. That—that we had no trouble—we had no trouble with.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And you mentioned you played softball.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>How else did you entertain yourself when you weren’t on duty?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mm. Well, I’d say drink [<em>laughs</em>]. Um, Just going to different, uh—go to the USO [United Service Organization] over there, and saw stag shows, and had one—one or two beers—four or five.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Was there a USO show that was particularly memorable?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. The Platters. The original Platters were there. And, um, I—I liked them from the beginning, and I was very fortunate to meet ‘em, and, uh, listen—they put on a great show.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.Was that in Germany? Or in one of your other assignments?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. That was in Germany.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>It was in Germany [<em>sniffs</em>]. But When I—I was in Spain, uh, over one of the New Year’s [Eve]. I was in, uh, Madrid, Spain, and got and to see a flamenco show there. A real, real flamenco show, which was pretty good.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Did you take advantage of any, uh, sightseeing, or…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Oh, yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Or tours…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>When you were there?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. That would be entertaining [inaudible]</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Actually, um, I got married while—while I was overseas.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And my wife was in the States. She was a—she was an American. She was German—born German, but, um, I married—I got married. And she was able to come over to Europe and get a job in Germany, while I was gone. Fortunately enough, she, um, uh spoke German. So she was able to get around the economy very nicely while I was gone, because I was gone most of the time.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>But it was nice to have her over there. And when—when I was back there, we were able to travel around.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, nice.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>We were able to go to Holland,<a title="">[1]</a> and, uh, visit a lot of Germany. Go around—go around Germany.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>That’s a—that’s very, uh—very nice thing to have happened…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>While you’re</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Young, and, uh—and not a lot of money…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right. Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You cantravel around on…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, Uncle Sam’s dime.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, when were you—tell me about your ranking and how that—and how you…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, actually, I became a sergeant.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You ended up a staff sergeant.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Uh, pardon me?</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>You ended up as a staff sergeant. I saw on your…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah. It was a…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. You start off as a—tell me how that works.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, you just go in as an airman.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. And then, at that time, it was, um, second class, first class, and sergeant.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Actually, I think I mis—misstated. Um, I was three stripes, which was considered a sergeant at the time.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. Four stripes is a staff sergeant, so…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I made three. If I had reenlisted, I probably would have gotten a fourth stripe.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Alright. So you ended up as a sergeant?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And, um, when were you discharged from the military?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>August of 1970. When I rotated back from the States, I, uh, was stationed in, uh, Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina, which was about 7-8 months. So I lived in South Carolina, outside of Columbia.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And how long were you there?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I think it was 7-8 months. Something like that.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Seven—okay. Um, how did you feel once you were out of the military?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Relieved. Um, Glad I did what I did. Uh, kind of—Kind of upset as to what was going on, while I was in the military, back home with the individual tour—“pacifists,” I guess you call them—or against the war in Vietnam. I mean, I was not all in favor of what was going on, but, uh, when I did come home on leave at one time, uh, it was not ver— it was not a very good situation. I mean, we were—for all intents and purposes, we were spat at, at the airports, when we walked through. Nobody said, “Thank you for your service.” And, uh, they just didn’t like it. They didn’t like anybody in the military, or anybody in uniform. So that—that kind of part was tough.</p>
<p>Um, Again, I was relieved. But on the other hand, I felt that all of my friends—I was the only one of all my friends back in Rochester. I was the only one to go into the military, and felt that I was four years behind them in education and—and, um—and just getting on with my life. So, you know, it—both sides. I felt good with serving, but on the other hand, I felt that I lost some time.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Um, once you were out, what did you do?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>[<em>sniffs</em>] Another good, interesting situation. Uh, when I got out of the service, my wife became pregnant [<em>laughs</em>]. And, uh, it was probably from the week I got discharged [<em>laughs</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>She—she got pregnant. In which case, if she got pregnant while we were in the military, the government would have paid for it. If she had given birth while I was in, the military would have paid for it.</p>
<p>But I, uh—when I got out of the service, my main goal was to get back to school. I wanted to get my degree in accounting and—and go on from there. But a little s—s—little turn of events when your wife becomes pregnant. Going to day school is pretty difficult. So I took a job. um, and again, I got out in August, and, uh, school was going to start in September, but I was gonna take—go to night school, okay? And—and get a job during the day. But until that time started, I went to work at McDonald’s, uh, slinging hamburgers. See, eh, eh, my memory’s coming back. I was going to go to day school.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>So I wasn’t going to enroll until September, but I needed some—to get some income coming in, uh, for my wife and that. So I went to work at McDonald’s slinging hamburgers, which was not a great experience. Because here’s an older gentleman, who’s, uh, slinging hamburgers with a bunch of teenagers, and looking at me, thinking, <em>Boy, he must be a real loser if he’s doing this</em>, not knowing the situation. But I got the job in telling ‘em that I was going to—I wanted to go to school training to become a manager at McDonald’s. This is how I got the job. And, uh, the owner of the place said, “Okay.” He said, “But you—but in order to do that, you have to learn all the different areas of—of McDonald’s.” French fries, working on the grill, the clean-up, the whole bit. . I said, “Okay.” Well, that lasted about a week—week and a half—and I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I would come home smelling terrible from all the fat that was in the French fries. So that lasted maybe a week—week and a half.</p>
<p>But we managed. Um, and I did start going to school, but things got to a point where I just needed to get money. So I went—I was going back to night school. I went to night school, and got a job. Uh, at that time, [<em>sniffs</em>] I was working, I believe, at one of the local manufacturing companies in their finance department. I was working in their cost accounting department. Even though I didn’t have a degree, they—they put me on as—in a lower level type of position. But it was bringing in income, and I—I was able to go to school at night.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And where was this, Larry?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Rochester Institute of Technology.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Oh, you were back in…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Back in New York<strong>.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I was back in Rochester. I went back to New York.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Were you—were there any G.I.<a title="">[2]</a> benefits</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>That you were able to take advantage of?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. Absolutely. I was on the G.I. Bill.<a title="">[3]</a> Helped me pay for my schooling. Yes. Definitely.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. And so you’re working in the daytime and…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And going to school at night.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And, uh, we talked about how you were treated…</p>
<p>[<em>background noise</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>When you came home, and that, um, there was, um, uh, disrespect…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Dor you as a soldier. Now…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Was that set across the board every time you came home on leave? Or, uh, did you notice that when you would go to New York? Or when you would go—when you came back to South Carolina? Was there a difference in the way the local people treated you?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Not really. No. Not that I can remember. It was just an area that they didn’t go out of their way to—to do anything. More like they were trying to ignore us, then, um—like we were the—the plague.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. And just no—no respect. No respect for anyone. And that’s what makes me feel so good now is that you’re seeing these, uh, individuals in the military, and people are giving them respect and thanking them for their service. So that’s one of the areas where I—I felt cheated out of also—is not getting the respect and that, because it was four years of my life, and that’s a long time.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>It is a long time, especially at that age.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Right. Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Uh, did your military experience affect your civilian life in any way?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I became more appreciative of life. Um, More appreciative of the things that I—that I was able to get, uh, of—of my family at the time. Because being away from them most of the—now fortunately, like I said, my wife was able to come with—to come with me over to Europe, but, uh, I missed my brothers and my—and my father. My mother had passed away prior to that, so, uh—but, yeah. Uh, a lot of things, uh—a lot of things that I was more appreciative of, at the time.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Do you think that you were more serious in your education than you would have been as a 20…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Most definitely. Most definitely. That’s a very good point. I looked at my education totally different. Uh, more—I—I was more involved with history. Um, I—I didn’t feel at the time—you see, there was a lot—a lot difference in going to school and being, pretty much, made to go to school, or that—that was the norm. You—you went to high school. You finished high school. You went to college and then you went on from there.</p>
<p>And because of the interruption, I looked at it from a different stand point that, you know, this is an opportunity. This is a great opportunity, and, uh, the government is helping me with this opportunity, through the G.I. Bill. I’m going to take full advantage of it. So I took full courses. And if anybody knows about Rochester, New York, and going to school at night in Rochester, New York, in the middle of winter is not easy. Okay. It was cold. It was freezing. It was snowing. But, uh, I had a family to support, and I wanted to be able to get my education, so Luckily, I was able to complete it.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Okay. Looking back on it all, can you describe about how you feel about your service? You said that you were glad you did it…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm. Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And anything else you want to add to that?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>No. Other—other than the fact that, um, I personally think that it makes a—a person better going into the military. And I for one, feel that it should be mandatory, because there’s a lot of kids that are going to—to education and that, because they don’t know what else to do.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And so you feel it…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Okay. And I think when they say it—when they say…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Gives them time to mature and…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I’m sorry. What’s that?</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>It gives them time to mature…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And to learn…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>A little about the world and…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And to grow up…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And to grow up.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>And to grow up…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And to learn some discipline [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Yes. That’s the other area. That’s the other area. Like I said, so many don’t know what they want to do with themselves, and they end up in the military. Although they didn’t give me the opportunity to go in the direction that I wanted to. It certainly opened up my eyes to a lot of things. And one is independence. You know, being independent, being able to do things on your own, uh, washing your own clothes, making your own bed, uh, choosing the right things to do.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Did you become more adept to working with your hands?</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>I wish I could say yes [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Some things you just can’t learn.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Some things that you—you have a difficult time doing. That’s correct. Um, I think I’m a little better with a hammer and nails now than I was. I wouldn’t go as far as work with any kind of sheet metal or anything, because I’m sure I would cut my fingers up in shreds, but Yeah. I think I’m a little bit better. I can—I can…</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>Well, Larry, I thank you for your service. And I thank you for this—for you doing this…</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Well, it was a pleasure.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>With us.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Very enjoyable. Very enjoyable.</p>
<p><strong>Young<br /></strong>And, uh, I enjoyed talking with you about it.</p>
<p><strong>Levine<br /></strong>Mmhmm. Thank you. Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Formally called The Netherlands.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Government Issue or General Issue.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.</p>
</div>
</div>
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<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/259/" target="_blank">Levine, Lawrence Paul</a>
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ecc557923c4f9bd30e97ca137840687d
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
Dr. Calvin Fowler Collection
Alternative Title
Fowler Collection
Subject
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Fla.)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
NASA
John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
Description
Collection of images, documents, and other archival items donated by Dr. Calvin "Cal" D. Fowler, who was the manager of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 during the final three launches of Project Mercury.
Contributor
Fowler, Calvin "Cal" D.
<a href="http://srealserver.eecs.ucf.edu/chronopoints/" target="_blank">Chronopoints</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/148" target="_blank">Florida Space Coast History Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida
General Dynamics/Astronautics, Cocoa Beach, Florida
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Patrick Air Force Base, Florida
Covair/Astronautics, Mission Training Center, Port Canaveral, Florida
U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum, Titusville, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, Hunstville, Alabama
Space Systems Division Headquarters, Air Force Systems Command, United States Air Force, El Segundo, California
General Dynamics/Astronautics Factory, San Diego, California
Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas
Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Contributing Project
<a href="http://virtualheritage.ist.ucf.edu/cchp/" target="_blank">Florida Space Coast History Project</a>
Curator
Michlowitz, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm">Project Mercury Overview</a>." John F. Kennedy Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
1 newspaper article
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
Dr. Calvin D. Fowler Interviewed After Astronaut Gordon Cooper's Spaceflight
Alternative Title
Dr. Fowler Interviewed After Astronaut Cooper's Spaceflight
Subject
Cocoa Beach (Fla.)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
NASA
Astronauts--United States
Project Mercury (U.S.)
Description
A contemporary newspaper article about Gordon Cooper's (1927-2004) spaceflight, including an interview with Dr. Calvin D. Fowler, the man who launched him. In particular, the article discusses Cooper's most recent spaceflight on the Atlas 130D, the process of launching spacecraft into outer space, the famous aviator Wiley Post, and Project Mercury.
Type
Text
Source
Original newspaper article: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/149" target="_blank">Dr. Calvin Fowler Collection</a>, Florida Space Coast History Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article.
Coverage
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Contributor
Fowler, Calvin D.
<a href="http://srealserver.eecs.ucf.edu/chronopoints/" target="_blank">Chronopoints</a>
Date Created
ca. 1963-04
Format
image/jpg
Extent
181 KB
Medium
1 newspaper article
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally owned by Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Dr. Calvin D. Fowler and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://virtualheritage.ist.ucf.edu/cchp/" target="_blank">Florida Space Coast History Project</a>
Curator
Michlowitz, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm">Project Mercury Overview</a>." John F. Kennedy Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury-overview.htm.
airplanes
Astronaut Group 1
astronauts
Atlas 130D
Cal Fowler
Calvin D. Fowler
Cocoa Beach
Faith 7
Goddard Space Flight Center
Gordo Cooper
Gordon Cooper
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr.
Kearsarge
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.
MA-9
Manned Spacecraft Center
Mercury
Mercury 7
Mercury Control Center
Mercury Seven
Mercury-Atlas
Mercury-Atlas 9
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Original Seven
outer space
planes
Project Mercury
Robert B. Voss
space exploration
space programs
spaceflight
USS Kearsarge
Wiley Hardeman Post
Wiley Post
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/017149c91b62c7a4b14385f0171aea84.pdf
5e0b59b50bd857278237fec9d293f9c4
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
Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection
Alternative Title
Lone Sailor Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
United States. Navy
Navy
Sailors--United States
Description
Collection of digital images and oral histories related to the former Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando) for the United States Navy. The training center transformed raw recruits into highly effective sailors. This process took place over an intensive eight-week training period, commonly referred to as "boot camp." RTC Orlando occupied roughly one half of the former Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando), which was located at present day Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida. Between 1968 and 1994, over 650,000 men and women graduated from RTC Orlando.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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
Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
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/.
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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 Gordon Pierce and Trina Cothrin
Alternative Title
Oral History, Pierce and Cothrin
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Navy
Orlando (Fla.)
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Afghan War, 2001-
Global War on Terror, 2001-2009
Description
An oral history interview of Gordon Pierce (b. 1930) and Trina Cothrin, who both served in the U.S. Navy. Pierce was born in Buffalo, New York, on September 16, 1930. He enlisted in the Navy in 1948 and served until September of 1977, during the Cold War era and the Vietnam War. During his service, Pierce was station on the USS <em>Wasp</em>, the USS <em>Coral Sea</em>, the USS <em>Franklin D. Roosevelt</em>, and the USS <em>John F. Kennedy</em>. He achieved the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and earned a Navy Commendation Medal and a Navy Achievement Medal.<br /><br />Pierce's daughter, Trina Cothrin (b. 1958), was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 13, 1958. Cothrin enlisted in the Navy in October of 1979 and served until October of 1982, when her son was born. She was then in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1993, when she joined the U.S. Army. She left the military in 2009, after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom during the War in Afghanistan. Throughout her service, Cothrin was stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar (NAS Miramar) in California, Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville), U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in Qatar, and MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) in Tampa. She ultimately achieved the rank of Chief Yeoman.<br /><br />This oral history interview was conducted by Roger Jordan Sims on March 12, 2014. Interview topics include enlistment, boot camp, Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando), the Vietnam War, Operation Enduring Freedom and the War in Afghanistan, life after leaving the Navy, how Central Florida has changed over time, the legacy of NTC Orlando, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:01:48 Background<br />0:02:23 Enlistment and boot camp<br />0:03:57 Naval Training Center Orlando<br />0:07:45 Social life and relationships on base<br />0:12:47 Hardest part of NTC Orlando, proudest moment, and unforgettable memories<br />0:15:16 USS <em>Blue Jacket</em> and the Grinder<br />0:20:46 Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan<br />0:23:10 Leaving the Navy and post-naval life<br />0:27:23 How Central Florida has changed over time<br />0:29:36 Legacy of NTC Orlando and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project<br />0:32:44 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Gordon Pierce and Trina Pierce Cothrin Interview conducted by Roger Jordan Sims at Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, Florida, on March 12, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/292/rec/1" target="_blank">Pierce, Gordon</a>. Interviewed by Roger Jordan Sims, March 12, 2014. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014915. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/291/rec/2" target="_blank">Cothrin, Trina</a>. Interviewed by Roger Jordan Sims. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014914. March 12, 2014. Audio/video record available. 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="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>, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
<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 Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Digital transcript of original 35-minute and 10-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/292/rec/1" target="_blank">Pierce, Gordon</a>. Interviewed by Roger Jordan Sims, March 12, 2014. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014915. Audio/video record available. UCF Community Veterans History Project, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida.
Digital transcript of original 35-minute and 10-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/291/rec/2" target="_blank">Cothrin, Trina</a>. Interviewed by Roger Jordan Sims. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014914. March 12, 2014. Audio/video record available. 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
Naval Station Great Lakes, Great Lakes, Illinois
Jacksonville, Florida
Vietnam
Naval Air Station Sanford, Sanford, Florida
Naval Air Station Key West, Key West, Florida
Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Naval Air Station Miramar, Miramar, San Diego, California
Pensacola, Florida
Afghanistan
Qatar
Creator
Pierce, Gordon
Cothrin, Trina
Sims, Roger Jordan
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-03-12
Date Issued
2014-09
Date Copyrighted
2014-03-12
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
301 MB
195 KB
Medium
35-minute and 10-second Digital (DAT) DVD audio/video recording
21-page digital transcript
199 KB
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Roger Jordan Sims, Gordon Pierce, and Trina Cothrin.
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
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/292/rec/1" target="_blank">Pierce, Gordon</a>
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/291/rec/2" target="_blank">Cothrin, Trina</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Okay. Today is March 12<sup>th</sup>, 2014. I am interviewing Gordon Pierce and Ms. Trina [Pierce] Cothrin, uh, who served in the United States Navy. Uh, Mr. Pierce was an aviation metalsmith. Uh, Ms. Cothrin was an aviation maintenance administrator and yeoman. My name is [Roger] Jordan Sims. We are interviewing Mr., and, uh—Mr. Pierce and Ms. Cothrin as part of the UCF [University of Central Florida] Community Veterans History Project and as research for the creation of the Lone Sailor Memorial Project. We are recording this interview at the [Central Florida] Research Parkway in Orlando, Florida. Uh, Mr. Pierce, Ms. Cothrin, will you please start by telling us when and where you were born?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1930.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1958.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>My parents worked for the State of New York. My father was, uh, in charge of the warehouse for all the supplies for a mental hospital, and my mother was a nurse.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And my father was, uh, a Master Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy—Navy, and my mother was a full-time, uh, mom.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, do you have any brothers and sisters?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I do. I have, uh, three brothers and one sister. Uh, my oldest brother, uh, Tommy Foreman—he was actually stationed at, uh, McCoy Air Force Base, Uh, when it was an Air Force base, and then, uh, my younger brother Bruce [Pierce] joined the Navy. He and I joined the Navy together on the same day. Uh, He was in boot camp before I did, but we, uh—our paths crossed while we were in boot—boot camp together, and then later, Uh, when I was stationed in San Diego[, California], he came to San Diego for school. Uh, and then, Uh, when my husband and I were stationed in Pensacola, he also was subsequently stationed in Pensa—Pensacola. Then I have a sister named Tina [Pierce] and a younger brother, James [Pierce]. I don’t think I said my brother’s name, who enlisted with me, and that’s Bruce.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Okay. Um, when did you both decide to join the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>My brother and I?</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Both you…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>And Mr. Pierce</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I joined the Navy in 1948, after I graduated from high school.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And, uh, my brother and I, uh, decided to join the Navy in October of 1979. Uh, uh, you know, he, uh—he had just finished high school, uh, the previous summer, and, uh, we both just decided to do it together. Um, I mean, I—I dunno what—is that enough?</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay. Good [<em>laughs</em>]. I don’t know how in depth you want me to go.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>No, I just…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong> Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Whatever—Whatever you’d like to tell us.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[<em>clears throat</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Um, where did you both attend boot camp?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I attended boot camp in [Naval Station] Great Lakes, Illinois.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And I—here in Orlando, Florida.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What were you trained for, uh—for your career in the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I was trained as an aviation metalsmith in Memphis, Tennessee, and I spent, uh, um, about three or four months there, waiting to go to school. then I went to nine weeks of school to be an aviation structural mechanic or aviation metalsmith.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And I, uh, was an aviation maintenance administrator. I went to school in, uh, Meridian, Mississippi,<a title="">[1]</a> uh, and that was a six-week self-paced course that I finished in a month.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, when did you both begin your time at the Naval Training Center Orlando and how did that come about?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I can’t remember.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay. I’ll talk to mine</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And then I’ll help him with his. Uh, I went—started boot camp in December of 1979 and I finished up in, I believe, it was March—February-March timeframe—of 1980, and subsequently went to San Diego, California, for a month, and then, uh, went to Meridian, Mississippi, and back to San Diego.</p>
<p>My father, uh, was stationed in, uh, NAS [Naval Air Station] Key West, and in 1970—’74, we—we moved to the Orlando area for a twilight tour. My fa—grandfather had passed away and, uh, we moved up here to, you know, be with my grandmother, right?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Pretty much.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what did you know about the region, uh, militarily or otherwise, before coming to Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>We learned quite a bit about it, because I had been stationed in Sanford, at the, uh, Naval Air Station [Sanford] there, for a number of years, and then I went down to Key West for shore duty, from that sea duty drill, and we came back up here, because we liked Central Florida.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I—yeah, I lived here. So [<em>laughs</em>]…</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I knew the area.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Um, how long did you both spend at the Naval Training Center?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I only did the, uh—spent the time there during boot camp, and my father was there for—from ’70…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[19]75 to ‘77.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Was it ’75? or ‘74?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I think it was ‘75.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, when you first arrived, what were your first impressions of the area?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce <br /></strong>Same old place [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] I was in high school, uh, so—I mean, it was okay [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What were your first days at the Naval Training Center like?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>They were spent primarily training out to become a Company Commander at the Recruit Training Center [Orlando], and, uh, we went to school I think for six weeks, and we learned how to give lectures, and how to march sailors around, and so on and so forth.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Well, for me, it was, you know [<em>laughs</em>]—that first day, you know, you’re getting all your gear and, uh, you’re learning how to be a sailor, and, uh—so it was interesting [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what were your primary responsibilities while at the Naval Training Center?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I was the Correctional and Instructional Standards Division Officer, and we were, more or less, like a quality control unit. We would visit the various classrooms, and make sure the instructor was following the lesson plan, and completing all the things he had to do to get the point of the lesson across to the students.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And, for me, I was a recruit. I was there to learn.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Um, what was your overall impressions of the recruits and their training during your time at the base?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I was impressed with the quality of all the young men and women that were brought into the Navy, and I thought the recruiters were doing a heck of a good job. There were very few people that[sic], uh, fell out, during my time as a Company Commander, and, uh, it was a great experience. I really enjoyed it.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Um, I, uh—you know, once you get past that first initial shock, you know, and you—you get into your training group, I think everything went well. I, you know—I, uh, ultimately enjoyed the time I spent there. Um…</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What kind of social life existed among the recruits? How often were you allowed to go off base, and what places did you visit locally?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Uh, I don’t think we were allowed to go off base until our training was completed. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Well, in the middle, wasn’t there a two-day weekend?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Uh, no, I think the only thing we got to do was go to the visitors’ center and y’all were allowed to come visit us. That’s where the parents and families come—came, at the time that I was there. I do believe.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Okay, yeah. I remember that.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay, and, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>That was about right.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Right, because we were—Bruce—Bruce went into basic training in November, and then I went in in December. So over the Thanksgiving holiday, he was there, and then, over the Christmas holidays, we were both there, and that’s where that one picture came from, where we’re all four there on those picnic—at those picnic benches.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>How did your training experiences shape your relationships with the other recruits in your class?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>It was a team-building experience. It—it, you know—it drew you together. Um, you know, taught you how to work together, uh, to accomplish goals.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>The—the whole criteria for the Recruit Training Com—Command, As far as recruits and Company Commanders were concern—concerned, was to build them into a team, and it was 180 people on a team.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>It was a lot.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Something like that, and, uh, that was the—the goal was drill into them that they had to work as a team. They would clean the barracks, they would march, and they would do all things together, you know, as a team, and it—it was a rewarding experience to see them develop.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Who did you both interact with on a daily basis?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Uh, there were people who were, um—hey would come around and they would take the—the recruit Company Commander would take the recruits out on the Grinder, and he—there were observers, and they would mark them—see how the training was going, as far as marching and things like that were concerned, and they would come back and open ranks, and do an inspection, and—and it was all very, very formal and, uh—what else do you want?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay. So, uh, my daily interaction was, uh, with our, uh—our, uh—what do you call them? Our, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Company Commander.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Our Company Commanders, and our, you know—our CPO [Chief Petty Officer] and then our—of course, our, uh,—the other recruits, and then you also interacted with, uh, other instructors, depending on where you were at. Whether you were in weapons training, or some other safety training, or—but for the most part you were with your Company Commanders, you were learning how to fold your clothes, put away your clothes, um, and…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Make your rack.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Make your bed a certain way. Uh, you were always having inspections. Uh, you know, how to wear your uniform, uh—let’s see. We went through firefighter training, and, you know, gas mask training—those kinds of things. They put you through your paces. You had your swim test, you know, uh, [inaudible], you had to float in the water for five minutes, uh, you know, you had to be able to, uh, swim from one end of the pool and back, you know? But, uh—so I don’t—I honestly don’t remember everything that we do. I do—I do remember the weapons training, the swim test, the marching, the folding of the clothes, the, you know—the bed inspections. You know, you’re getting up every day at 5 o’clock in the morning. Uh, you know, going to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You march there, you march back. You know, they always had somebody up there, you know, letting you know the instructions. You had 20 minutes and 20 minutes only to, you know, get through the line, and eat your meal, and back to wherever it was we met to, you know, march back to wherever we were going next.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what do you remember about the instructors at the base? And what were your impressions of them?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I remember them all as being very professional, and they were t—their goal was to set an example for the recruits, [inaudible] in dress and...</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Mannerisms.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Mannerisms, and conformity to the rules and regulations. Look sharp, you know? Haircuts, and so on and so forth.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I would agree with him. Uh, the two, uh, Company Commanders that I had were, you know—they were there to set the example, as well as enforce the rules, and, you know, guide us—guide us through the process, and, you know, test us more, test us less, you know, push us harder where we needed to be pushed.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>And answer all the questions [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yes [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What was the hardest thing you remember doing at the Naval Training Center?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Um…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>For me, it was learning how to stand in front of a class of 180 people and teach them how to do something, you know? And, uh, I wasn’t really a formal instructor. I was a hands-on aircraft mechanic, you know, and I was taken from that environment and put in front of all these people, and, uh, it was a very different environment for me, so it was kind of a struggle at the beginning, but I worked my way into it, and I ended up liking it very much.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I would say for me, uh—not necessarily the hardest thing, but, you know—you get there and you don’t know what to expect, and so then it’s learning to, uh, achieve the things you need to achieve in the time you have to do it, and So, you’re learning at a very rapid pace, uh, and, you know, uh—eh, so as—I don’t remember anything being [<em>sighs</em>] so terribly difficult. it was just a matter of learning it.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what was the moment you felt most proud at the Naval Training Center?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Graduation.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I would agree.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>When your company pass and review, in front of the reviewing officers and the assembled guests and so on and so forth, it was kind of a proud moment.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>It marked the end of the training cycle also [<em>laughs</em>]. You were done [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Can you tell me a story of a time at the Naval Training Center that you will never forget?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Not really [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Not really [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Well, I remember the swim test part. Just floating there, and the sky’s blue, and you’re watching airplanes, and they, uh—and their, uh—whatever you call the smoke thing that goes by, and, you know, that’s what I was doing. Sitting there, you know—floating there, thinking about—I was like, <em>Okay</em>, as they ticked off the minutes, you know, to complete the test, but, uh—I mean, other than that, um, uh, I, you know—the comradery that, you know—that you had. I mean, once we graduated, we all dispersed, you know, a hundred different ways. Um, I think only one person that I went through boot camp with, uh, went to San Diego—I mean, he went to [Naval Air Station] North Island. So, um…</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>How would you describe to USS <em>Blue Jacket</em>, and what was its function?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>It was used to familiarize the, uh, recruits with, uh, how confined the living spaces were aboard ship and various aspects of shipboard living, and, uh, it was very helpful. It was a—it was a very, very, very large training aid that was very useful in getting your point across.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin <br /></strong>Didn’t we do battle station drills and those kinds of things on it, as well? I…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I didn’t.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I, uh—yeah. I, you know—I don’t—don’t really remember. I—I think we did some sort of drills on the ship. Uh, It wasn’t, eh—it was more than just familiarization with a ship. They took us on board. We did things on it. I just don’t remember what.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what was the official purpose of the Grinder and what was its significance to you and the recruits?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>The Grinder was a very large piece of ground, where as many as nine different companies could get out there and march around, and not—not get involved with one another, if the Company Commander was paying attention [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>But it was a big area, and, uh, it was very hot in the summertime and kind of cool in the winter time, but, um, it worked very well.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Cold and wet. I—I mean, because we were out their marching in the cold and it was raining usually, but, uh, it was—it was all about marching out there. I think we did PT [physical training] out there.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>It was also used as a—if somebody was goofing off within the company, you’d tell them to run around the—the Grinder a couple of times as a—it worked off their exuberance, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /> </strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what other types of training went on at the base?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>The—the [Naval] Nuclear Power Training Command was there. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>You mean other facilities? Or other things that we taught?</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Well, you have the basic boot camp recruit training.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>And then what other types of training would also go on, like the Nuclear [Power] School?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Like the NTC part of it? Do you remember what else was out there, other than nuclear training?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I don’t know. It wasn’t…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>But there was instructor training…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah[?].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>And peripheral things like that, to where—to support the Recruit Training Command.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what were other areas on the base that were of particular importance to you or the recruits, and why were these places important?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Well, there was the Firefighting School, which was very important, because, uh, firefighting aboard ship is a[sic] immediate thing that has to be done and done well, and quickly, and thoroughly. I—I was always impressed with that, and there was the gunnery range.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[inaudible]. We went somewhere.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>They had a…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>As I remember here, it was indoors, but in Great Lakes, where I went through boot camp, it was outside.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I believe it was indoors. I agree with you there.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah, I mean, I agree with him. The firefighting, you know—you go through the firefighting, uh, class, and one of the films they, of course, show you is the fire on the [USS] <em>Forrestal</em>, and that’s something that I think is, you know—they carry though. They still—I think they probably still use that as a training aid today. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Probably.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah, I remember the—what’s the oxygen—the liquid oxygen. I remember, Uh—I mean, that was pretty gross, and they showed you a film, uh, with regards to liquid oxygen and what can happen to you if, you know…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>If it spills on you.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>It will freeze you.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Very cold.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>So, uh—okay [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what was graduation like?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Um, for me, it was, you know, uh, the marching, and the passing in review, and you know, the, uh—the end of boot camp, and then the beginning of the next, uh, stage of my career in the Navy. Uh, so it, you know—it was being excited and being sad that you’re leaving, you know, the people that you got to know, and then excited to move on to the next thing, and Pride, you know, that you passed. That you got through it.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>For me, it was saying “Hello” to a lot of different people, where every recruit wanted to introduce you to their parents, to their loved ones, or whatever, and it was, uh, an emotional day.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what did you do for the Navy upon leaving Naval Training Center Orlando? Did you receive specialized training after your time at Naval Training Center Orlando? And if so, where did that take place?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Um, I did not go to A School upon graduation of boot camp. I went directly to a squadron. I went to VC-7 [<em>Tallyhoers</em>] at, uh, NAS Miramar[, San Diego], California. It was an [Douglas] A-4 [Skyhawk] training squadron. Uh, and when that squadron decommissioned, I think the, uh—not even—less than a year—maybe ten months later, I then went to A School in Meridian, Mississippi, and then, uh, went back to, uh, VF-124 [Fighter Squadron 124] an [Grumman] F-14 [Tomcat] squadron at, uh, NAS Miramar, and...</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Were either of you ever in active warzone?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>What?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>An active warzone. Have you ever been in an active warzone?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I was over in Vietnam on the line for about three years.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Um, can you tell me about arriving in the warzone, and what impact that experience had on you?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Well, you work 12 hours on duty and 12 hours off duty, and that just went on continuously. There were no weekends. There were nothing—you spent 30 days on the line, and then you’d go for a week in Olongapo[, Zambales] in the Philippines for liberty, and, um, it was pretty arduous and, uh emotional at times, because you’d lose airplanes and so on and so forth.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, did you receive any medals or citations during that time?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I received, um—what’s the orange and green one?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>It’s a Navy Commendation Medal.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah, and now, the green and white one is…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Navy Achievement.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Navy Achievement Medal.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah, I received both of those and a whole bunch of service awards from various places of—of the world: Korea, Vietnam, Mediterranean Occupation Medal.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>North Atlantic? [inaudible]. Not—I don’t know if it was North Atlantic, but you were up there too.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>And I crossed the Arctic Circle a number of times, but I didn’t—they didn’t give a ribbon for that. Crossed the Equator two or three times—maybe four, to get back [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>For me, I was mobilized, uh, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Uh, spent two years at CENTCOM [United States Central Command]. Um, after that, eight months, uh, I spent in Qatar. Uh, it was a, uh, very interesting and rewarding experience, the two years that I spent, uh, mobilized. Uh, it was interesting to go to Qatar. Uh, I—that’s the second country I had ever been to, outside the United States. The first was Mexico [<em>laughs</em>]—Tijuana[, Baja California, Mexico]. So, uh, it—it was interesting seeing the culture, uh, seeing the area, and then, uh, you know, like my dad said, it was, uh, generally a 15-16-hour workday, but, uh, it was a good experience.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /> </strong>Uh, do you both recall the day your service ended? and what was that like?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Uh, I —yes. So I got out of the Navy, uh, October 1, 1982—‘82 or ’81 [<em>laughs</em>]. Okay. ’82, because my son was born in November of ‘82. So, uh, it was a sad experience for me. I wasn’t ready to get out of the Navy. So, uh, once my husband and I transferred to Pensacola, it took six months, and then I found a billet in a [U.S. Naval] Reserve unit, and then I spent the rest of my career, uh, in Reserve units. Starting out in aviation units, and into intel[ligence] units. Um, you know, and through the course of my, uh, 29 years in the—in the Reserve, you know—active and Reserve program, uh, you know, did my two years mobilization at CENTCOM, and I, uh, had worked at, uh, Joint Task Force Forge[?] [inaudible]. I did [inaudible], uh—active duty down there with them, when we were stationed down there. So, I mean, I had a very full and interesting career. So, for you, Dad, you retired in, uh, 1977.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Right. I think it was September 1<sup>st</sup>, and, uh—just another day, to me. No ceremony. I didn’t have a ceremony or anything like that.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Uh, what did you do after you left the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I got a job in, uh, Sanford with a machine shop company, and they made, Uh, what’s called a “fax machine” now, but this was the very beginning, and it was a thing that went around in circles, and it printed letters, and so on and so forth. There was no vocal, but it was all—you could transmit a—a letter on this circular thing, and it went through the air somehow, and got there and…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Was that QWIP [Technologies]?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah, QWIP.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>QWIP, and it was a company that…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Went through the telephone. You had to call up, get ahold of the machine, and then you put the thing in there, and then you turn the machine on, and it would transmit the piece of paper. Very archaic, really.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Compared to today.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And, for me, um, I worked two jobs. So I had my Reserve career and then I had—I worked for the Army since 1993. Uh, and that’s when I started working full-time again.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Have either of you kept in touch with anyone from the Naval Training Center?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I haven’t.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>No, I—me neither. No.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What values or characteristics of the Navy do you believe made an impression on your life?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>The discipline, the organization, and the orientation of doing your—having to plan out everything and having to work your way through it. It was an organizational—a very strict class in organizational responsibilities, and —get ‘er done.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Right. Uh, you know, I would have to say—I would have to go to, you know, uh, something similar. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[<em>clears throat</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>And say, I mean, the caliber of people that were there that you worked with, uh, the things that you did. Uh, I mean, it was just a—it was a great experience. Um, I mean, I, you know, would recommend it to other people. to young folks that—if they don’t really, you know, have it figured out—what it is that they want to do, uh—spend four years in the Navy and—or any service—and, uh, see the world a little bit, and, uh, meet people from all walks of life. It’s a big melting pot. You learn a lot.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>You grow up in a hurry.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>How has, uh, Central Florida changed since the time you spent here?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>A lot [<em>laughs</em>]. A lot.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /> </strong>Probably expanded three- or four-fold, population-wise. We—we retired in ‘77.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>You retired in ‘77. Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>So we were transferred here in ’75, I think, from Key West, Florida, and, uh, from the day I retired ‘til today, the place has—has really grown, and the population has…</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Probably [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Doubled—tripled, probably</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Quadrupled, probably.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>I think they can remember when, you know—I can remember my mom and dad talking about when [Florida State Road] 436 was a dirt road.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Okay[?].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>It only went part way down to the airport and then it was a dirt road.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>My grandparents—I don’t know when my grandparents moved here. Was it in the ‘50s or the ‘60s that they retired down here?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I think in the late ‘50s.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>The late 50s. They came down, um, from New York. So as kids, you know, we were coming—wherever we lived—because I grew up here in Florida, Uh, there was only one period of time when he was stationed outside of Florida, from the time I was born. So we’ve lived—I was born in Jacksonville. We’ve lived in Pensacola, Key West, and Central Florida. So we’ve done the gambit. So Florida—I’m a Floridian [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>The squadron I was in was stationed in Sanford, but it deployed on a carrier that was home-ported in San Diego. So it would take three days to airlift the squadron out, and then three days to bring us back. When you got home finally, it was—it was, uh—I can’t think of the word I want to say. You had to move a lot of gear around to get your job done when, uh—when you were aboard ship.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>It was a logistics, uh, exercise.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What do you think is the lasting legacy of the Naval Training Center and the Navy in general in the Central Florida region?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I really don’t know. I’m sure it has a[sic] historical impact, but other than that, I really don’t know.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>As far as today, the impact of the base, because it—it closed in the ‘80s? ‘90s? I don’t remember when it closed. Uh, But I mean—I think it had, uh, an impact while it was here. Uh, and it—and it had an impact for some time after it closed. Um, certainly, you know, you go there and look at Baldwin Park, you know, there’s no real sign that the Naval Training Center or Recruit Training Command, uh, ever existed. I mean, there’s little, little things, and I think that’s the purpose of the whole, uh, Lone Sailor, uh, Memorial [Project]—is—is to try to bring back something here in the Orlando area to remind folks that, hey, at one point in time, there was this, uh, Naval Training Center here and Recruit Training Command, and bring back some of that heritage.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>One of the things that I remember is: on Friday, up over the weekends, maybe half a dozen companies would get liberty and the seet[sic]—and the streets were just lined with sailors, and it would—it was just amazing, and then all of a sudden, they were gone, you know? And that—that was a visual impact I’m sure for a lot of these civilians around here.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>What do you think former naval personnel would like to see or be reminded of when they visit the site of the base and the Lone Sailor Memorial?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>They would probably like to take their parents or guests around and point out various things that were helpful in their training, and, uh, show the Grinder and so on and so forth, where we marched, and the various [inaudible] buildings where they went to school.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Well[?], they’re not there anymore though [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Well, that’s true.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yeah, I mean, I guess part of the Grinder is still there. They use it as a—there—there’s[sic], uh, park-like areas in part of it. , uh, I mean, the <em>Blue Jacket</em> is gone. It would have been nice if something like that had stayed, but it didn’t. Uh, and it—and I’m sure it had to do with upkeep, as well. Um, you know…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>The <em>Blue Jacket</em> was a model ship, right?</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Okay. It was just—it wasn’t very big. It was about half as big as a destroyer, maybe a little bit smaller, but it, uh—it served as a good training aid. It was a good visual thing for the recruits to see their first ship or something like that [<em>clears throat</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Is there anything you would like to share about your naval experience?</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>I would recommend it for everybody. It was a wonderful experience, as far as I’m concerned. You can’t imagine how precise everything is—the way they start flying in the morning and end up in the evening, after dark generally. Sometimes they flying around the clock, but an aircraft carrier is one of the busiest places in the world, but every hour—hour and a half—you’re launching or recovering airplanes. That goes on all day long. Sometimes 24 hours a day, depending on what kind of a mission or training exercise you’re in. There’s always—around the carrier, there’s usually a cruiser and at least [<em>coughs</em>] five or six destroyers, and the destroyers act as plane guards, in case one of the planes goes into the water. They rescue the pilot, if they get there before the helicopter and so on and so forth, but, uh, before the helicopter, they were primarily the—the guy that pulled the man out of the water that was in there, but, uh, I wouldn’t trade it.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>What was the question again? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims <br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[<em>coughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>If there was just anything else you’d like to share about your experience in the Navy.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[<em>coughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Again, like my father said, I would recommend it. Uh, certainly for, you know—it’s just a broadening experience for anybody. Uh, and there’s no better way to have a job, travel, and kind of—you’re taken care of. Uh, So I had an incredible career for, uh, nearly 30 years. I retired in, uh, 2009. I went into the Navy in 1979. So, um, I loved it, um, like[?] my dad.</p>
<p><strong>Sims<br /></strong>Well, thank you for talking with me today and for sharing, uh, your experiences with me.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Cothrin<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Pierce<br /></strong>[<em>clears throat</em>].</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Naval Air Station Meridian.</p>
</div>
</div>
A School
A-4
Afghanistan
aircraft carriers
airplanes
Arctic Ocean
aviation maintenance administrators
aviation metalsmiths
aviation structural mechanics
Baldwin Park
basic training
boot camps
Bruce Pierce
Buffalo, New York
CENTCOM
Chief Yeoman
cold war
Community Veterans History Project
Company Commander
Correctional and Instructional Standards Division Officer
CVHP
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
education
Enduring Freedom
enlistment
F-14
facsimile
fax
Fighter Squadron 124
firefighting
Firefighting School
fires
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 58
Florida State Road 436
Global War on Terror
Gordon Pierce
graduations
Great Lakes, Illinois
Grinder
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
GWOT
instructors
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Jacksonville
James Pierce
Key West
liquid oxygen
Lone Sailor Memorial Project
LSMP
MacDill AFB
MacDill Air Force Base
Master Chief Petty Officer
memorials
Memphis, Tennessee
Meridian, Mississippi
military education
military training
Miramar, San Diego, California
NAS Jacksonville
NAS Key West
NAS Meridian
NAS Miramar
NAS Sanford
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Key West
Naval Air Station Meridian
Naval Air Station Miramar
Naval Air Station Sanford
Naval Nuclear Power Training Command
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Training Center Orlando
NAVSTA Great Lakes
Navy Achievement Medal
Navy Commendation Medal
NS Great Lakes
NTC Orlando
Nuclear Power School
OEF
Olongapo, Philippines
Operation Enduring Freedom
orlando
Pensacola
Philippines
planes
Qatar
QWIP Technologies
recruit training
Recruit Training Center Orlando
Recruit Training Command
recruits
Republic of the Philippines
Roger Jordan Sims
RTC Orlando
sailors
Sanford
Sims, Roger Jordan
Skyhawk
SR-436
State of Qatar
swimming
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terrorism
terrorists
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Tommy Foreman
Trina Cothrin
Trina Pierce
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USS Coral Sea
USS Forrestal
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veterans
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-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/9758a30bbef0211d459a0125540b3451.pdf
c60e6d25aaa04eb52789bf35b14b4d1f
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
Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection
Alternative Title
Lone Sailor Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
United States. Navy
Navy
Sailors--United States
Description
Collection of digital images and oral histories related to the former Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando) for the United States Navy. The training center transformed raw recruits into highly effective sailors. This process took place over an intensive eight-week training period, commonly referred to as "boot camp." RTC Orlando occupied roughly one half of the former Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando), which was located at present day Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida. Between 1968 and 1994, over 650,000 men and women graduated from RTC Orlando.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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
Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
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/.
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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 Richard Tobias Sloane
Alternative Title
Oral History, Sloane
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Navy
Orlando (Fla.)
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Description
An oral history interview of Richard Tobias Sloane (b. 1934), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1969, during the Vietnam War. Sloane was born in Queens, New York City, New York, on March 4, 1934. In August of 1964, he was commissioned into the Navy. Sloane served in Vietnam from September of 1967 to September of 1968. He also served on the USS <em>Rockbridge</em>, USS <em>Santa Barbara</em> in River Section 35, the USS <em>Garcia</em>, the USS <em>Wisconsin</em>, and the USS <em>Blue Jacket</em>. Sloane achieved the rank of Captain and earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star with V Device, Legion of Merit, Combat Action Award, and Navy E Ribbon.<br /><br />This oral history interview was conducted by Carli Van Zandt on March 5, 2014. Interview topics include Sloane's background, joining the Navy, the USS <em>Rockbridge</em>, Officer Candidate School (OCS), the Vietnam War, Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando, the Grinder, the USS <em>Blue Jacket</em>, airbases in Central Florida, the simulation industry, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:02:52 Background<br />0:01:58 Enlistment and USS <em>Rockbridge</em><br />0:05:44 Officer Candidate School<br />0:08:20 Graduation<br />0:09:53 Repair Division Officer<br />0:11:22 Vietnam War<br />0:18:09 Other assignments<br />0:21:52 Wife and children<br />0:24:18 Naval Training Center Orlando<br />0:27:11 Daily life and training at NTC Orlando<br />0:32:31 Advanced training at NTC Orlando<br />0:33:51 Central Florida airbases<br />0:35:39 Simulation industry<br />0:37:01 Hardest aspect, proudest moment, and memories from NTC Orlando<br />0:42:51 Leaving the Navy and keeping in touch with friends<br />0:45:22 Lessons learned, the lasting legacy of NTC Orlando, and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project
Abstract
Oral history interview of Richard Tobias Sloane. Interview conducted by Carli Van Zandt at the Education Building, Room 123, of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, on March 5, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/289/rec/1" target="_blank">Sloane, Richard T.</a>. Interviewed by Carli Van Zandt, March 5, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014912, 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/109" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
22-page digital transcript of original 50-minute and 17-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/289/rec/1" target="_blank">Sloane, Richard T.</a>. Interviewed by Carli Van Zandt, March 5, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0014912, 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
Queens, New York City, New York
Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island
Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Naval Training Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Sloane, Richard Tobias
Van Zandt, Carli
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-03-05
Date Issued
2014-09
Date Copyrighted
2014-03-05
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
432 MB
230 KB
Medium
50-minute and 17-second DVD aduio/video recording
22-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Carli Van Zandt and Richard Tobias Sloane.
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
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/289/rec/1" target="_blank">Sloane, Richard T.</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. Well, thank you for coming today. I’m so glad that you made it.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>My pleasure.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Today is March 5<sup>th</sup>[, 2014] and I’m interviewing Mr. Richard Tobias Sloane, and he served in the United States Navy. Uh, we are doing this history project for the Lone Sailor Memorial [Project]. My name is [Carolyn] Carli Van Zandt, uh, and my cameraperson is Fernando Maldonado. We are interviewing Mr. Sloane as part of, uh, the Community Veteran History Project and Loan Sailor Memorial Project. Uh, recording here today, in the Education Building, Room 123—the conference room—in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Sloane, will you please begin by telling us a little bit about, uh, what branch of service you were in and your rank, uh, which you retired at?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I was in the United States Navy. I retired as a Captain in [20]06 in the United States Navy. Started my service in 1964 at the Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Thank you. Uh, I’m going to get a little background information here. Can you tell us when you were born? Where you was born?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I was born on March the 4<sup>th</sup>, 1943. Yesterday was my birthday, so this is very appropriate. I was born in, uh, the Borough of Queens, New York City, in the State of New York.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. What did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>My father was a, uh—a wholesale merchant in dry goods in New York, on the lower eastside of Manhattan. My mother was a homemaker, and later in her life, she was in retail, uh, store sales in New York—in Long Island, actually.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Um, do you have brothers, sisters?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I have two older brothers. Uh, my oldest brother was retired Navy Captain also. He attended the United States Naval Academy—Class of 1957, and, uh, the middle brother, um, attended Harvard University, and Harvard, uh, Business School.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. Uh, would you tell me a little about how, uh, your family life may have impacted your decision to, uh, enter the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, there was no doubt in my mind that my oldest brother, who’s about seven years, uh, my senior, if you will, uh, attended the Naval Academy when I was young, uh, junior high school, uh, person, and watching him go through that academy for four years and then his, uh—the beginning of his military service definitely had an impact my decision to join the Navy. When I completed my studies at Boston University—and in 1964, the—the draft was still in effect—and the choices were to continue my education, at the time, or to be drafted, or to sign up for the service, uh, of my choice, and at the time, I picked that choice to be in the United States Navy. I didn’t realize, at the time, it would be a career choice, uh, but I enjoyed my early years in the service, such that I decided to stick around.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. So tell me more about, um, what impacted your decision to stick around.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I had a great first assignment. I came out of college at about 22 years old, uh—maybe even younger, at the time, and, uh, I was assigned to a ship called the USS <em>Rockbridge</em>—hull number APA-228, and that was a, uh—an amphibious troupe transport from the World War II era. Uh, the mission of the ship was to embark Marines—about 800 Marines—and associated cargo, and land on the shore in amphibious landings, and, uh, the, uh, manning of that ship—the Ward Room—if you will, the “Officer Car”—was made up with a lot of, uh, old timers, uh—warrants, mustangs as department heads. People who had been former enlisted[?], came up in the ranks, and they were sort of like—I don’t want to classify them as grandfatherly types—but they were very, uh, mature in there service, and, uh, the Commanding Officers of the ship when I was there, under which I had three Commanding Officers, were also senior Navy Captains who were on their way to major command and, uh, come[sic] out of aviation, and were going to head to larger ships, if you will. So again, they were very self-confident individuals, very accomplished people, and the younger officers, like myself, were all fresh, wet-behind-the-ears college kids, and so it was a very, very, um, engaging environment, um, a very learning environment, while, obviously, there’s a lot of pressure you to anything you do in that Navy environment.</p>
<p>It was such that you—you felt that you was learning, you felt like you were being mentored, uh, and I came away from that tour, uh, very, very, uh, personally fulfilled and—and feeling good about what I was doing. The sense of responsibility, that you got, which has always been, uh, something the Navy has played on for young beginners—that we’re going to give you, uh, tremendous responsibility that your peers, who were out working at Macy’s or selling insurance aren’t going to experience for a long, long time, and I found that to be true, because, uh, they give you things to do, and say, “Here’s a job. Go do it.” And they had enough faith in you to let you do it—to watch you close enough, so they wouldn’t let you mess up too bad. So it was a very, very good experience, as I look back on it over the years. I think that was principally what made me feel comfortable about staying in the Navy.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>You mentioned that you got this, uh, officer start before you did this first duty assignment through, um, Officer Candidate School, or OCS?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Correct.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Could you tell me a little bit about, um, what that experience is like?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, talk about the shock of your life. You come out of a university, a—very, uh, loving home, uh, environment, as I grew up. Um, so you leave the university. Again, you’ve had a sense of what service life might be like, because of my brother’s experience, but obviously, you really don’t know exactly what you’re getting into, and I remember, at the time, there was only a ferry that crossed from the main land over to Newport, [inaudible] Island, unless you wanted to go all the way up and around, by Fall River[, Massachusetts] and Providence[, Rhode Island]. Today, they have a bridge, but I remember on that ferry, as I reported for duty to go to OCS, and looking out over the water and said, what <em>have I done? </em>[<em>laughs</em>]. That sort of thing, because I didn’t know what I was headed for, but it was also a very, uh, broadening and lightening experience, because most of my childhood and my college experience, for the most part, was very, um—I forget what the right word is—but very, uh contained.</p>
<p>Uh, it wasn’t broadening. It was broadening educationally and, again, growing up in New York, you have a broadened sense of what life could be like, but I had never, uh, been in an environment with people from the South, people from the West, people from all sorts of cultures, uh—that sort of thing, and now you’re thrown into a barracks environment, uh, which is not quite the same as a college dormitory or fraternity house. Um, you’re—you’re being asked to do things in a very regimented way, uh, being held very, very responsible and accountable for the most minute, uh, daily life, uh, activities, and so while it wasn’t a shock, uh, it was certainly different. and it is a crash course, so your—things that, uh, people in NROTC [Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps] programs or Academy programs are getting years and years of time to, uh, uh acculture[sic] to and learn. You’re getting a crash course. It’s not that—it wasn’t that challenging or difficult, but you certainly had pay attention, and again, aside from the academics, the military side, um—it was just an enlightening experience. Mostly, in—in the exposure to people of different cultures, uh, uh, than ever before.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Graduation day.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Wow. You know, the funny thing was, uh, I can’t remember exactly—the whole program was about four months, and, uh, at about maybe three weeks before you graduate, uh, you get your orders, and the way you get your orders is, uh, you’re in a company of 30 men—maybe your class had a couple hundred in it, but, um—so you’re in a company of 30 men, and you get a—a message, if you will, to report to the barracks chief or the company chief at the company headquarters, and he’s going to tell you where you’re going, and I’ll never forget, he—he said—he said “Sloane, you’re going to the USS <em>Rockbridge</em>, APA228.” and I said, “Chief, what’s that?” [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p>I had no idea, because with all that indoctrination, I don’t think we ever got down into the grass as to ship types, you know? it was mostly here’s how you, uh, get from point A to point B, here’s how you do this, a lot of PT [physical training], uh, this, that, and the other thing, a lot of naval history. Uh, but I—I remember to this day, he told me where I was going, I had no idea what kind of ship it was or anything of that nature. So, uh, that was a little before graduation, but graduation day, you’re filled with pride, you have your ensign stripe[?], uh, and your off on a real, real adventure, you know? You’re glad to be leaving that environment, but you’re full of apprehension, because now, you’re going to be really entering the workforce, sort of to speak.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br />‘</strong>Kay. So you’re trained as a—a new ensign. What was your actual job as a new ensign?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, my first job, again, was in the engineering department, and I was the [Repair] Division Officer for the repair division. The Division Officer—you’re in charge of a group of enlisted men and—with a specific function—and their job was metalsmith and woodworking, if you will, on this ship. So, um, they were doing all that type of work. It was a small group. Uh, I was sort of fortunate and respected, instead of being put immediately in charge of a large division, which might’ve been at least 30 men or 40 men. It was small, compact.</p>
<p>Again, a lot of good leadership, you know? It’s always the Chief Petty Officer in the Navy who really knows what’s going on and runs the Navy. and especially when you’re brand new, I mean, you—even with what little book-learning you got, you have not a great idea on the technical aspects of what the people are doing, you’re worried about all the different aspects of being able to stand the watch, drive a ship, um, do your daily duties, oversee the people who are working for you—or working with you, uh,—that sort of thing, and again, it was a lot of—I don’t want to use the word “old timers”—but Senior Chief Petty Officers, uh, who had a lot of experience and confidence in their work, um, middle-grade Petty Officers. It was a good bunch. It was the right place for me to go for a start, because I had a lot of support from below.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Um, your early assignments—it sounds like you had a lot of on-the-job training, do you think it is because it was the Vietnam [War] era?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane <br /></strong>Well, uh, if you’re talking about the first ship, absolutely, you know? I mean, uh, at the time, a lot of people were going over to Vietnam. Uh, my second tour duty was in Vietnam, and by the time I have spent about two and a half years on that ship, I had, uh, changed jobs on the ship. I was, uh, made gunnery officer on that ship, which was—gave me an opportunity to learn another aspect of, uh, ship ward responsibility and duties, and so again, when I, uh, finished up that tour in about two in a half years, uh, I was very confident. I had, uh, been promoted one grade from ensign to Lieutenant Junior grade. Very proud, and, uh, left that ship with a great deal of confidence, I think.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Great. Um, can you tell me a little about your Vietnam experience?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I [<em>laughs</em>]…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>As much as you can.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, uh, absolutely. Um, Funny thing is, um: I—I mentioned earlier that I worked with these great people, you know? Uh, uh, as many warrants and LDOs [limited duty officers] who had maturity, a lot of experience, um, and how I got to Vietnam, I always thought was an interesting story. The Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel put out a newsletter about every month that they—a hard copy paper newsletter, and they went to every ship, and it—it really talked about what assignments were available to different people and different grade, what was happening in the personnel management area, um, and they came out with an article that said they were looking for Lieutenants Junior grade to be the Commanding Officers of LSTs, uh— “Landing Ship Tanks” —uh, to serve as mother ships for river patrol boats in Vietnam. So these LSTS would be at the mouths of the river, they would be the mother ship for 10 or 20 small river patrol boats, and they wanted Lieutenant JGs [Junior Grade] to be, uh, XOs. They wanted them to be XOs—Executive Officers, and I read that article, and, uh, my boss, at the time, was a Lieutenant, uh—LDO—an “old salt,” who I greatly admired, and he read that article. They were looking for Lieutenants to be Commanding Officers—Lieutenant JGs was to XOs to these LSTs, and he reads this article, and he says—he says, “Boy, I want to be a CO of a, LST.” And he said, “Rich, come be my XO.” You know, “We’ll go together.” I’ll—he’ll be the CO and I’ll be the XO of this LST.</p>
<p>Well, [<em>clears throat</em>] to go from being a Division Officer to an Executive Officer is highly unusual. Uh, but here is an opportunity, because it fit the mold, uh, of what they were looking for in Vietnam. I said, “Absolutely.” and I immediately wrote my detailer—the guy in Washington[, D.C.] who made these assignments—and—and, uh, I said, “I want to go be an XO on an LST, just like you wrote you needed, uh—uh, JGs to be XOs on LST. I want that job.” He wrote back—[<em>clears throat</em>] he said—corresponded back, “You know, you’re a little too junior,” because you’re in the JG billet for a number of years, uh—JG rank. Said, “You’re a little too junior, but we have lots of other jobs available for ya in Vietnam.” I said, “Okay.” I said, “But don’t give me a desk job. I want a job where the action is.” Next thing you know, I had a letters to a river patrol section that drove little plastic boats on the rivers of the Mekong Delta. So that’s how I got there.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Yeah, I know, and then [<em>laughs</em>]—and then, my boss—I don’t think he ever got the job of CO. He did—he may have gotten an LST, but I don’t know that he had one off of Vietnam. Um, I spent a year. The tour that you got was a year. It was a small outfit—maybe a hundred people, if that. Uh, Most of them were assigned to run the boats, and the others were assigned as maintenance people. Uh, there was[sic], uh, two Lieutenants and three Lieutenants Junior grade, who made the officer structure. Then you had a number of Chief Petty Officers, and a host of, UH, other enlisted personnel, who manned the boats, and we spent a year patrolling the rivers of Vietnam.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>What impact do you think this experience had on you?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, it had a tremendous impact. Um, you know, you sad[sic] in the sense that you were at war. You were certainly, uh, aware of that. Um, I think it was Winston [Leonard Spencer- ]Churchill who said something like, “There is nothing more exhilarating than being shot at and missed.”<a title="">[1]</a> Uh, and I had that experience. Um, uh, we’ve lost a number of people from our section to combat, while I was there, and I respect—I consider myself fortunate that I—that I, uh, um, didn’t have a harrowing[?] experience that—that cost me more than it did, so to speak. Um, uh, it was interesting to be in country, in—in that environment—to meet people of Vietnam, um, in many different, uh, ways, if you will. Um, and that’s about it.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Do you think, um, your time through these, uh—the last two assignments that you just described help shape your leadership style?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Uh, yeah, I think to some degree. That’s hard to say, um, how you developed, what—what it was that caused you to develop your leadership. I think more, uh—I don’t know. I only speak for myself, but I think more it was my upbringing than anything else. There’s all sorts of leaders—different people. Some lead in fear, some lead in—in different manners, and I just think it was the way that I was brought up that really, uh, set the foundation for my leadership style. I think a lot of your style is not so much developed in those early years, but further as you go along, you get more responsibility. Certainly there was a lot of responsibility from day one at different levels, and—and very significant responsibility, but my impression was: the further along you got, the more leadership experience you had. You had the opportunity to observe other leaders, you know? The—the common phrase, as well, eh, you know; “I’m not going to do it like he did it when I grow up.” That sort of thing. So, uh, how you developed it is—is a, in my opinion—for me, at least, is a combination of a lot of things: my personal upbringing, the experiences that I had as you climb that ladder can really shape.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Thank you. What other, um, duty assignments did you take after your tour in Vietnam and prior to coming to NTC [Naval Training Center] Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Right. I came back from Vietnam and I was, uh, selected to go what then called the “Navy Destroyers School,”<a title="">[2]</a> which was really a course to prepare you to be a department head on a destroyer-type, um, ship. Um, that was a six-month course in Newport, Rhode Island. I met my wife there, during that time period. I courted her, eh, in—in those years—that time frame. Um, Went to USS <em>Garcia</em> DE-1040. Home-ported out of Newport, Rhode Island, as the Weapons [Systems] Officer.</p>
<p>Um, from there, uh, I have to think back. I went to the USS—oh, excuse me. From there, I went to, uh, instructor duty at what was then the beginning of the Navy Surface Warfare Officers School and served as an instructor to ensigns, who were coming from their commissioning source before they were going to surface ships, and, uh, that was about three-year tour in Newport, and then I went to USS <em>Milwaukee</em> AOR-2—I think it was. Homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, a multiproduct ship, uh, stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia. Great tour of duty, great, uh, shipmates there. Again, uh, a tremendous learning experience as a department head for the deck department. Uh, A lot of responsibility, a lot of work there. From <em>Milwaukee</em>, we went to shore duty in Millington, Tennessee—a little bit north of Memphis, where the Navy had its, uh, training headquarters, and, uh, I served on, uh, the staff of, uh, Naval Education and Training [Command] —technical training—in Memphis—Millington.</p>
<p>Uh, from there, after a short one year tour, um, I went to Hawaii, uh, to be, uh, Executive Officer on the USS <em>Hassayampa</em>, an oiler in, uh, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Another great tour. Uh, I think the, uh, thing that made my career so gratifying was the great shipmates and the leaders that I worked with over the years on these ships. From Hawaii, came back to Norfolk and served on the staff of, uh, Commander Carrier Group 8. Went to sea on aircraft carriers as a Surface Warfare Advisor, if you will—surface op[eration]s officer. Completed that tour, working for a couple of flag officers, and from there, let’s see. Where’d we go? [U.S.] Naval War College, I believe. Tour[?] in Newport, Rhode Island, at the Naval War College. A very int—interesting time, and then went to, um, command the USS <em>Santa Barbara</em>, uh, AE-28, out of Charleston, South Carolina. Was on board there for about two in half years, in command of the <em>Santa Barbara</em>. Went from there to, uh, the Executive Officer of Service Schools[sic] Command. [Naval Station] Great Lakes—very large training activity, uh, up in Great Lakes, Illinois, just north of Chicago[, Illinois], and from there, I came to Orlando, Florida, in command of the Service School Command Activity here at the Naval Training Center Orlando. So it was all in route, but we got there.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>That’s quite a list</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Yeah, I’ll say.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. This one’s about your wife. You ready for this one?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I’m sorry? Sure.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>This one’s about your wife. They say in the military, you great two for one. How did you do with the family, the military, and the traveling? How did she deal[?] with that?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, we were very fortunate. I’ve always felt that way. Um, my wife was ready, willing, and able for the adventure. She was a Navy nurse actually, when I met her when she was in college, and she was, uh, attending on a—a little bit of a scholarship at the end of her college tour, where, in exchange for tuition assistance, she went in the Navy as a Navy nurse, and in those days, if you became pregnant, they mustered you out, and so she was in for a little over a year in an half, until she became pregnant without first child, and had to muster out. So she had a little taste of the Navy, besides from the fact of growing up—not going up—but going to school in Newport, Rhode Island, as she did, which is where I met her, uh, she was exposed to all the Navy activity that went on in Newport, Rhode Island, at the time.</p>
<p>Um, so we enjoyed the Navy. Nobody enjoys leaving your family for six months at a time and Nowadays, sailors are leaving there families for even longer, but, uh, typical six-month deployment then was not something you looked forward to from a family standpoint-of-view, but she—she understood that and, uh, was a great Navy wife. You know, they say, uh, a Navy wife’s the toughest job in the Navy, and I believe it 110 percent, and our children, uh, my wife, and I always—we moved around a lot, you know? And describing where I went, it was here, there. We came back a couple times, but it was never back to back tours in the same town, and unlike some, who said, “Oh, I don’t want to leave Norfolk,” or “I gotta stay in San Diego[, California].” We were always up for that adventure, and after a year or two went by, the kids were always saying, “Where are we going next?” That sort of thing. Got a little tougher when they got to the junior high/high school age, but up ‘til then, they were always ready, willing, and able to—“Let’s find a new place to go.” And, uh, that was pretty good. I’d always come home, after having spoken with the detailer, getting the word on where we were going. Uh, I’d call home and say, “Honey, Are you sitting down?” And she knew that was the signal [<em>laughs</em>] that we were going somewhere. Yep.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Good. Um, well, what did you know about the region of Orlando and the military here?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I’m sorry.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>What did you know about the region of Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I didn’t know anything about it expect that they had a mirror of activity of Great Lakes on a smaller scale. Uh, Navy training activity, smaller in numbers, but the mission was basically the same, and I lobbied to get that job of Commanding Officer. I say lobbied. You know, I—you talked to your detailer and say “Hey. I hear there’s a job opening in Orlando. Uh, it seems to fit. I’m training in education subspecialist. I’ve done the tour as Executive Officer here. Um, and I hear the Commanding Officer tour for the Service School Command is open there.” I was fortunate to get that assignment, and again, uh, the only, uh—the biggest impression was if the kids were a little, uh, anxious in moving in that point in time, because they were in junior high [school] and getting little more into socializing. Uh, When I told them that we’d probably have a pool at the house, that settled the deal [<em>laughs</em>]. “Let’s go.” They were ready to pack and move—move down here. So I didn’t know much about it. That was it. Um, that was it.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>How long were you here at NTC Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, we got here in 1988, and I retired from that job in 1991. So…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>That was the tour.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Um, what were your overall impressions of the recruits and their training, during that time down [inaudible] your time at the base?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, I thought it was terrific. You know, I was—really, there were three activities. You had the Recruit Training Center, You had the Nuclear Power School, and you had Service Schools Command. So, uh, while we did have some interaction in between all those activities, um, the sailors that—that I was seeing, uh, who were coming, from the most part, out of boot camp—uh, We did have some coming to advanced schools, uh, from the fleet, but the majority of them are coming right out of boot camp—uh, just top quality, you know?</p>
<p>People have said that the quality of our servicemen and women today are—is better than ever, and they have said it for years and years, and I firmly believe it. A lot of people who say, “Ah, it’s not like the old Navy,” and they talk about things like uniforms and discipline, which is always important, but the, uh, quality, the intellect, uh, the upbringing—if you will—uh, of the people that[sic] are coming into the service, I thought was terrific, and I saw that throughout my career. You know, you’re in that moving stream, so you don’t always see the difference, but when you think about it, and you stop and you think, and you say, <em>Look at the quality of the Electronic Technicians School, who are going through Torpedoman [Mate] School</em>—some of these highly technical courses—You have to really, you know, learn some significant stuff or hone their skills. Um, we had top-quality people.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. Um, Daily life for your, uh, Navy recruits and your Navy sailors, that[sic] are there training for the schools—what was it like?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, again, the people that[sic] were in my school, for the most part, were brand new, coming from out of 8-12 weeks of Recruit Training Center. So you still had to be aware of their conduct more off the base than on the base. Remember, these are young people who been cooped up at recruit training, where they didn’t get any liberty for months on end, if you will. Now, they’ve been cut loose, so to speak. Uh, yes[?], you go to class, but you had your weekends off, sort of thing.</p>
<p>I think, on the whole, uh, and really across the board, we had very few discipline problems—things of that nature. Again, in a—in an organization that size, deal with that demographic, there will be individuals who really weren’t suited for the service, or who had a momentary lapse in judgment, shall we say, and so that’s typical in any large organization. I don’t think it—it’s not so visible in civilian—civilian life, you know? If some fella who’s working on the line in General Motors [Company] goes out and gets arrested for DUI [Driving Under the Influence], or something like that, General Motors doesn’t really hold him to task. Well, the military’s a little different on how it, uh, wants its people to represent the organization.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Uh,couple of, uh, questions here, uh, for those who—who don’t know. Could you explain to us what the Grinder was?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>What the what?</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>The Grinder was.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, the Grinder [<em>laughs</em>]. Well, I got very familiar with the Grinder at OCS, because the Grinder was where you—in OCS, you walked off punishment. I mean, it was the parade ground, and it was usually a paved a, uh—asphalt, uh, parade ground, uh, on which you’d have formal parades, but OCS—if you—if you didn’t make your bed right, or there was a dust bunny loose, or if your shoes weren’t shined, uh, when the other folks were going on liberty on Saturday, you were out there marching for two or three hours. Uh, And again, at—at boot camp, the Grinder was, again, the place where graduation was held, but again, uh, conduct infractions were marched off often times.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright, and, um, the purpose of the USS <em>Blue Jacket</em>?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Yeah, the <em>Blue Jacket</em> was, uh, a wooden replica, if you will, of a ship—a destroyer-type ship, and it had—internally, it had classrooms. Externally, it had fittings that you would find on, uh, a real ship. a life boat, or a whale boat, if you will, that could be lowered, raised, chalks, and bits, and lines, anchor chain, and halyards, and all the things that a sailor in—in the field of seamanship might encounter on a real ship, and so, uh, they can go on board that—that trainer, um, uh, and, uh, do the things that they would be asked to do out in the fleet, and they could also hold classes there. Uh, it was a—a fixture, if you will. A lot of people were sad to see it go.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. What kind of social life existed among the recruits on the base through the MWR—Morale, Welfare, and Recreation?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Right. Uh, the interesting fact is: when I retired from the Navy in 1991, uh, the first position I took as a civilian was director of the USO [United Service Organization], here in Central Florida, Which, in a sense, was responsible a little bit for the MWR. I mean, the base had its own MWR organization, which was really the root of it. Uh, when I was on active duty, I personally took advantage of it. They had great gym, and weights, and facilities, and pool—all those sorts of things that you would want on the base. They had opportunities for sailors to buy tickets to local events and theme parks—uh, the typical Morale, Welfare and Rec, uh, support system. The USO was there also, primarily to support, uh, the families that came to see the recruits graduate every week at—at, uh, the Naval Training Center, but, uh, the MWR ran some great programs. They always were there. I remember the people who were—for the most part, many were retired military who were running the programs. They had a golf course, which was, uh, one of the premiere, I think, spots in town, to play golf for the retired Navy community and active duty when they were on liberty. There was also a smaller course down by, uh—by the [McCoy] Air Force Base, or was then a civilian airport. They had a small place down there. They had camping gear you could check out. Um, Just, really great support. I think that was an asset for this—this community—the Navy community.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Um, did they have a local base newspaper?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>They did have a local base newspaper, and for the life of me, I’d have to think. I’d have to wake up at 3 in the morning to remember the name of it. I think it was <em>The Navigator</em> or something like that, and the fella named Jim Allen ran it, when I was there. He was sort of the—the editor. Uh, a great asset. I think it came out once a week, but Again, it covered the news, and all the good news, and, uh, that sort of thing. I—I got very familiar with the paper. I always wanted to make sure they—that if my activity had something to promote, it was in there, and it—they did a great job. It was a great asset.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br />‘</strong>Kay. After basic training, what other types of schools did you guys offer here at NTC?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Right. Well, Service School Command had four, uh, ratings, if you will—trade—Trade skills that they trained to. Uh, one was electronics technician, one was torpedoman, uh, one was quartermaster, and the other was signalman. So again we did that, and Nuclear Power School—they had two different, uh, schools, if you will: Nuclear Power A School, and I can’t for the life of me recall what the other division was called, but it was sort of like a lower division and an upper division, and their training, um—it went up to a lot of the skills and requirements of operating nuclear power plants. Uh, they had a lot of senior officers, who would go into command of nuclear powered ships, who went through that program. Very, very, uh, effective training program.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright, alright[?]. Um, did you have any shore maintenance that was done here? Did anything get sent back to have work done here locally for work done…</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>You know…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>From the ships?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>I don’t believe that we did. I think, um, most of any maintenance that went on was supporting, uh, what was happening at the base, uh—that sort of thing, but it wasn’t like equipment was coming back from the fleet</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Yeah[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>For maintenance.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zand<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Because that was all done at the fleet site’s shore locations, if you will.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>What about airbases? Uh, ‘cause we have airbases here. Were we doing any work for the airbase maintenance?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>No, again, the Navy, um—a lot of that air training was done in Memphis, where a lot of the air raidings were done in Millington, if you will.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Again, um, if you’re talking about, like, [Naval Air Station] Jacksonville, which had a Naval Air Station up there and added their own—their facilities up there. So we really weren’t training aviation raidings.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>So our airbases here had been pretty much downgraded?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Um…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>The old airbases?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, Naval Air Station Sanford became the Orlando-Sanford…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>[inaudible]?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Uh, International, uh, Airport. Um, uh, the Orlando International Airport was McCoy Air Force Base. Um, and, um, it’s always, uh, enjoyable when I drive down there and have a moment to scoot in by where the old [Boeing] B-52 [Stratofortress] is parked.<a title="">[3]</a> I think so many people in this community don’t know it’s there, haven’t had the opportunity to go down there where you can walk right up to it and kick the tires on this gigantic airplane. Up in, uh, Orlando-Sanford—which I’m sure the locals don’t know about—uh, there was a small civilian community, uh, that, uh decided to refurbish a [North American RA-5C] Vigilante, an A-5 aircraft, which is on display, uh, at the entrance to the airport up there. My wife and I had occasion to work with that committee and help, uh, put it in place, and, uh, that’s—that’s a sight, I’ll tell ya, and they’re working on refurbishing other aircraft for display up there.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Great[?].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Now, I know we had Tactical Air Command and Army Air Force[s] Training Command here, at one time. Did you have an occasion to work on any joint exercises with them?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>No, that was way before my time.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>That was when they wore the leather helmets.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>They have—the do still have the simulator training and stuff that goes on here with the [U.S.] Joint Forces [Command]? Did you…</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, the, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Participate in any of that?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>The Navy—the, um, Naval Air Warfare Training Center [Systems Division]…<a title="">[4]</a></p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Here in Orlando, is part of the Research Park activity, the military’s presence, uh, joint services are there, mostly contracting for, uh, training and simulation work. That’s why all of these defense contractors have set up shop here in Orlando, so that they can have close act[sic]—access to those folks, but there’s a lot of activity taking on—taking in that area, right here in Orlando. Very important to the community.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Right. I know the, uh, base has tied to developing technology and simulations. Were you involved in any of the future simulation exercises that were currently…</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>No, really…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Conducted by the military?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>That all used to be located at the Naval Training Center, and, of course, as it expanded, uh, I remember—I can’t tell you the exact year, but it was when I was in service here that they built the [Luis] De Florez Center, here in the Research Park, and moved that operation out there, and grew it, and had just a tremendous expansion of not only that joint service activity out there, but again , the growth in the Research Park of defense contractors who have come here to Orlando, but I did not work directly with the training and simulation activities here.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Thank you. Um, what’s the hardest thing you remember doing while you were, um, a Commander at the NTC?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Pushups.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Pushups? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Yeah, well, you, um—I think “hardest” is a tough word. When you say “hardest,” uh, you know, I—I’ll change it over to what was the most, uh, difficult, uh, and that was the discipline. Um, Having to, uh, work with young people, who, again, had a lapse in—in judgment and came before you, because of some infraction—some minor, some not so minor, but it was always, I say, a little disappointment—maybe a little heartfelt, because it—in the back, you’ll say to yourself, uh, <em>This youngster can do better. </em>You’ve tried to provide them and your team to[?] guidance. Everybody makes a mistake, once in a while, and—and while there were those who, you know, were more than willing to atone for their sins, so to speak, and get back on track. Eh, there was the rare exception who was not the right person for the service and you had to ask them to leave, and, uh, I think—so when you say what was the “hardest,” it was that. You felt like to some degree, you failed. Now, some degree you—you can’t change some people—that sort of thing. So that was probably the most difficult, really.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Alright. From the most difficult, when did you feel the most proud at NTC?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I think, um, every time you had a graduation, you know? Uh, every time you set sailor from your school out to the fleet, and you felt that they were—your team had prepared them, uh, very well to do the job, and that they would go out, and the people in fleet were going to look back and say, “Now, that sailor came from NTC Orlando. He or she was trained right.”</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Um, is there a particular story, um, from your time at the NTC that you’ll never forget?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, there’s a million of them. A million of them. We used to—we had a lot of fun. I mean, if you don’t have fun—that’s not to say that every day was a good day, uh, but if you don’t come away, uh, with a balance sheet that says you had more fun than not, you’re probably either not doing it right or don’t belong there and, uh,every year, uh, the, uh, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society would hold a fund drive. Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is just what it sounds. It’s a[sic] organization—civilian organization—that, uh, provides release services for men and women in the Navy and the Marines who have had hardship. Whether it’s a house fire, a death in the family, some serious illness, they—they’re there to support with finances and services, if[?] necessary.</p>
<p>So every year they had a fund drive Throughout the Navy, and our little piece at the Navy Training Center broke down the individual commands, and what we did, for the time that I was there, we had a little carnival, or a cookout, or whatever every year in support of that, and my wife and I would put on a skit every year. So we did about three skits, during the time I was there, and [<em>laughs</em>]—and, uh, let’s see if I can remember them in the right order. One year, we did, uh a sk—it wasn’t a skit, but it was a song called “Lydia and the Tattooed Lady,” which [Julius] “Groucho” [Henry] Marx made famous, and I dressed up as Lydia the Tattooed Lady. My wife dressed up as Groucho Marx. The Navy band came and played the music.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>And out we went and did it for the crowd, and then one year, we did, uh, from, uh, <em>South Pacific</em>, uh—uh, the number “Honey Bun,” where—if you’re not familiar with it—this, um, senior sailor gets dressed up in a grass skirt and, um—and, um, uh, the Navy nurse dresses up as a sailor and sings about, uh, his girlfriend—his honey bun. So I dressed up in the grass skirt, and my wife dressed up in the sailor suit, and sang the song, and the Navy band played along, and then the last year we did, uh, “Get Me to the Church on Time” from <em>My Fair Lady</em>. So there I was in—in bridal regalia and she was, uh, dressed up as a, uh, groom going to the church, and we had great fun doing that. It made—let’s just say it made the base newspaper [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>That sounds wonderful.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Um, were there any other areas of the base that were of particular importance to you or the sailors?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, one of things, you—you know, everything was important, whether it was the commissary or what have you, but I remember Lake Baldwin, you know, which Baldwin Park is named after, if you will, and so many of the, uh, people who had the opportunity would go out there and fish on Lake Baldwin, or be at one of the clubs, whether it was the enlisted club or officer’s club, which looked out on Lake Baldwin. It was sort of, um, just the center of things, not necessarily geographically, but, uh, when you drove home, you went by it. That sort of thing. It was always there. The sort of Place a lot of people, uh, looked forward to seeing, or recreating on, what have you. The Maple Hospital overlooked Lake Baldwin. The golf course was off of Lake Baldwin. Uh, that sort of thing I remember very much.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Um, I know what you did when you left the Navy. You went to work for the USO. Do you recall the day your service ended?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>The day my service ended? Yeah. Well, you know, like most senior people in the service, they have some sort of retirement ceremony for you. Change of command is what it really was, where, um, uh—a good friend of mine, uh, Captain Harry Smith—U.S. Navy retired, still here in Central Florida, uh,—relieved me of that job, and that was a very emotional day. It may not have be the—my last day—maybe it was the last day. Uh, it was just, uh, a very emotional time for me, um, in concluding that service, and reflecting back on all the years of service, all the assignments, the family, uh that sort of thing. So that’s my reflection on my last day, if you will</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Have you kept in touch with people from the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, absolutely. Um, [<em>laughs</em>] there’s one warrant officer, uh, who served with me in Vietnam. He was the maintenance officer for the river section, and he, uh, sort of, uh, made it his business to stay in touch with, uh, those of us who were still around, and so, um, an email contact with him. As I said, Captain Smith, who relieved me of the Naval Training Service School Command job, um, was a good personal friend here. Dave Arms, retired Navy Captain, who was Commanding Officer of the [U.S.] Naval Reserve Center here in Orlando for a while, uh—still here, and, uh, we stay in touch. Um, you hear from some people every once in a while. One of the most poignant things I recall, uh, is: many, many, years went by, uh, after I had left Vietnam, and as I said, we lost a couple of people in our section, and I, over the years, received just a handful of correspondence from, uh, relatives of the people we lost, um, asking about them, and I responded to those people, and that was, in a way, staying in touch.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Was that hard?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, it—well, it was hard on—it wasn’t hard. Uh, I was glad to hear from them and to be able to tell them that, uh, their relative had served honorably.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Um, what values or characteristics do you believe that the Navy made, um—that instilled in you a great impression for the rest of your life?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I think discipline, and I—I mean that in the finest sense of the word. Organization, uh, good order, wanting to see things in the right place, um, making decisions, you know—right or wrong. Somebody’s gotta make that decision. Uh, working with others towards a common goal—that sort of thing.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Your lasting legacy with the, um, NTC in Orlando and the Navy’s legacy, um, in Central Florida—what do you think, um, is the lasting legacy in Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I think the lasting legacy [<em>sniffs</em>] is a couple of different things. One is: people, like myself, who are here and remain here, who chose to stay for many different reasons. Uh, but we have a tremendous veterans’ population here. People who served here and came back—I see a lot of that up in Sanford. You know, people—there’s a lot of, um, people who don’t, uh, know about the Naval Air Station Sanford, and, uh—and I had the opportunity to meet a lot of them during the restoration of the vigilante aircraft. Boy, they came out of the woodwork, um, for that, and so that’s one, uh—one thing. I think what we’re doing at—at, um, Baldwin Park, with the Lone Sailor Memorial [Project] is a great, great thing. Uh, that will stand forever and, uh, when generations go by, people will still know that there was a Naval Training Center activity here, hundreds and thousands of young men and women passed through here in service to their nation. Um, you can’t do more than that.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>How do you think that the former Navy personnel would like to see or reminded, um, at the memorial?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Well, I think that the Lone Sailor Memorial is a very, very appropriate, uh, recognition of what took place here over the years. I think, uh, there’s so much pride in—in veterans. I don’t care whether they did 20 years or a four-year hitch in the Navy. I have rarely spoken to an individual who served, especially in the Navy, uh, who didn’t come away saying “It was a good experience for me.” That sort of thing.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Okay. Um, when we’re looking at, uh, designing the [Blue Jacket] Park, what do you think they would like to see at the park?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Oh, nautical—Things of the nautical nature. I remember, when I [<em>laughs</em>] was, uh—had command at the Naval Training Center, and one of things, I think—my recollection of up at the Great Lakes is the—by—by virtue of the fact that it was a very, uh—I don’t want to use “old” in the wrong word—but it had been there for…</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Since 1903,<a title="">[5]</a> I think. They had accumulated a lot of maybe history there. Whether it was an anchor, or a gun, or what have you, and so as you walked around that base, if you will, a [inaudible] you saw a lot of these things And You knew you were at a military facility or a naval facility, and when I came to Orlando, one of things I asked my, uh, team to do was to bring some of those Navy artifacts to—to our activity, and I’ll never forget, uh, we brought two big—what we call “24-inch searchlights”—no longer in use in the fleet, but these, uh—If you see the movies and you see the big arc lights things searching for planes in the sky, and I, uh—I charged one of our officers. Uh, I said, uh, you know, “Get in touch with the—the old shipyards, who[sic] have this stuff in excess, and let’s see if we can’t get one.” They did. They brought it and it was mounted in front of the school. they got a, uh, uh, four-barrel—I think it was a 4-barrell—a 40-millimeter gun mount brought it down and got it there, and that was—when the base was closed, I think they transferred it, to my recollection, to the, uh, Oviedo High School and JROTC [Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps] unit, and they may still be there. I haven’t been in the back lot for a while.</p>
<p>So I think—and I remember that, uh, the torpedo—and it was a very strong World War II torpedo CO—submarine community here in Orlando, and I remember over at, eh, um—I don’t—it wasn’t near the USO, but it was somewhere over there in that vicinity, near the RTC [Recruit Training Center Orlando]. They had got these old World War II torpedoes and put them on display, and so I think, eh, you know, any of those type materials that can be brought, appropriately placed in and around Blue Jacket Park, uh, would really be a great reminder of, uh, the service that these people gave to their country.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>You’ve exhausted my list. Is there anything else you’d like to share with me?</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>Have a great Navy Day.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Aw.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>Thank you so much</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>You’re welcome.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>I appreciate your time.</p>
<p><strong>Sloane<br /></strong>My pleasure.</p>
<p><strong>Van Zandt<br /></strong>I’m ready to stop recording.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Correction: “There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at with no result.”</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Correction: Naval Destroyers School.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> B-52 Memorial Park.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Correction: Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD).</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> Correction: Naval Station Great Lakes was approved in 1904 and dedicated in 1911.</p>
</div>
</div>
A-5
advanced training
aircraft
airplanes
airports
auxiliary service
B-52
B-52 Memorial Park
Baldwin Park
basic training
Blue Jacket Park
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Bronze Star with V Device
BUPERS
Bureau of Naval Personnel
captains
Carli Van Zandt
Carolyn Van Zandt
Central Florida Research Park
Combat Action Award
Commander Carrier Group 8
Community Veterans History Project
conscription
CVHP
Dave Arms
deployments
destroyers
discipline
drafts
engineering
engineers
ensigns
Fernando Maldonado
Garcia
Get Me to the Church on Time
graduations
Great Lakes, Illinois
Grinder
Groucho Marx
gunnery officers
Harry Smith
historical preservation
historical restoration
Honey Bun
Jim Allen
Julius Henry Marx
Lake Baldwin
Legion of Merit
Lieutenant Junior
Lone Sailor Memorial Project
LSMP
LST
LTJG
Luis De Florez
Luis De Florez Building
Lydia and the Tattooed Lady
McCoy AFB
McCoy Air Force Base
Mekong Delta
memorials
military spouses
military training
military wife
military wives
Milwaukee
monuments
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
MWR
My Fair Lady
NAS Sanford
Naval Air Station Sanford
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Divisions
Naval Destroyers School
Naval Education and Training Command
Naval Training Center
Naval Training Center Great Lakes
Naval Training Center Orlando
Naval War College
Navy E Ribbon
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
NAWCTSD
NETC
Newport, Rhode Island
NMCRS
North American A-5 Vigilante
NTC Great Lakes
NTC Orlando
Nuclear Power School
nurses
OCS
Officer Candidate School
Officer Car
orlando
Orlando International Airport
Orlando-Sanford International Airport
parks
planes
preservation
Purple Heart
Queens, New York City, New York
RA-5C
RA-5C Vigilante
recruit training
Recruit Training Center
Recruit Training Center Orlando
recruits
Repair Division Officer
Research Park
retirement
Richard T. Sloane
Richard Tobias Sloane
river patrols
River Section 35
Rockbridge
RTC Orlando
Sanford
Santa Barbara
selective service
Service School Command
Service Schools Command
SERVSCOLSCOM
simulations
simulators
South Pacific
Surface Warfare Advisor
Surface Warfare Officers School
The Navigator
training
U.S. Naval War College
U.S. Navy
United Service Organization
USO
USS Blue Jacket
USS Garcia
USS Hassayampa
USS Milwaukee
USS Rockbridge
USS Santa Barbara
USS Wisconsin
veterans
Vietnam
Vietnam War
Vietnamese
volunteers
Ward Room
wars
Weapon Systems Officer
Wisconsin
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/568a371c7d9a15e61420e9cc47801acb.pdf
91becf0a983b24e5f0ec57c4729e3381
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
Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection
Alternative Title
Lone Sailor Collection
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
United States. Navy
Navy
Sailors--United States
Description
Collection of digital images and oral histories related to the former Recruit Training Center Orlando (RTC Orlando) for the United States Navy. The training center transformed raw recruits into highly effective sailors. This process took place over an intensive eight-week training period, commonly referred to as "boot camp." RTC Orlando occupied roughly one half of the former Naval Training Center Orlando (NTC Orlando), which was located at present day Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida. Between 1968 and 1994, over 650,000 men and women graduated from RTC Orlando.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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
Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project</a>
<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="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
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/.
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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 William Reuter
Alternative Title
Oral History, Reuter
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Navy
Orlando (Fla.)
Simulation
Description
An oral history interview of William Reuter (b. 1961), who served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 until 2012. Reuter was born in Camden, New Jersey on April 21, 1961. He served in Libya during the Action in the Gulf of Sidra and in the fjords of Norway. Reuter achieved the rank of Captain, earned a Legion of Merit, and served as Executive Officer (XO) at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) at Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando.<br /><br />This oral history interview was conducted by Daniel Bradfield on March 10, 2014. Interview topics include Reuter's experiences as XO at NAWCTSD, the simulation industry, Recruit Training Center (RTC) Orlando, the Lone Sailor Memorial Project, and applying to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:38 Background<br />0:01:40 Joining the Navy and active duty in warzones<br />0:05:20 Executive Officer at Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division<br />0:09:35 Simulation industry<br />0:15:05 Post-Navy career and lessons learned from naval experience<br />0:16:59 Naval Training Center Orlando and the Lone Sailor Memorial Project<br />0:19:07 National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Abstract
Oral history interview of William Reuter. Interview conducted by Daniel Bradfield at Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, Florida on March 10, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/286/rec/2" target="_blank">Reuter, William</a>. Interviewed by Daniel Bradfield, March 10, 2014. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014907. Audio/video record available. 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/109" target="_blank">Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project Collection</a>, UCF Community Veterans History Project Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
12-page digital transcript of original 21-minute and 23-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/286/rec/2" target="_blank">Reuter, William</a>. Interviewed by Daniel Bradfield, March 10, 2014. UCF Community Veterans History Project, DP0014907. Audio/video record available. 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
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Naval Support Activity, Orlando, Florida
Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Reuter, William
Bradfield, Daniel
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-03-10
Date Issued
2014-09
Date Copyrighted
2014-03-10
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
137 MB
165 KB
Medium
21-minute and 23-second DVD audio/video recording
12-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Daniel Bradfield and William Reuter.
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
"<a href="http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/" target="_blank">The History</a>." Lone Sailor Navy Memorial History Project. http://cfnavyleague.org/lone-sailor/
"<a href="http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/" target="_blank">The History</a>." RTC Orlando. http://rtcorlando.homestead.com/.
<a href="http://www.lonesailorfl.com/" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/286/rec/2" target="_blank">Reuter, William</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Today is March 10<sup>th</sup>, 2014. I am interviewing [William] “Bill” Rotto[sic]—Reuter, who served in the United States Navy from 1979 through 2010?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>2012.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>2012. Um, they, uh—Mr. Reuter served during the Cold War and completed his service as a…</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Captain.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Captain. Um, my name is Daniel Bradfield. We are interviewing Mr. Reuter as part of the UCF [University of Central Florida] Community Veterans History Project and as research for the creation of the Lone Sailor Memorial Project. We are recording this interview at [Central Florida] Research Parkway in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Reuter, can you please start us off by telling us when and where you were born?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter <br /></strong>I was born in [April 4<sup>th</sup>,] 1961 in Camden New Jersey.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Okay. Uh, what did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>My dad owned a mobile home business in, uh, Key West, Florida, which is where I grew up, and, uh, my mother, uh did all kinds of different things, including deal with us.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Uh, what did you, uh—do you have any brothers or sisters?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I have two younger brothers and, uh—one of them in Pennsylvania and the other down in the Keys.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Growing up, where did you go to school?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I went to school in Key West. Uh, grew up in a trailer park, because we owned trailers and trailer parks, and so, uh—but, uh—all—all throughout my life in Key West.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Um, what did you do before entering the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Uh, basically, I was a student—I was a high school student, and received an [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] ROTC scholarship out of—out of Key West High School, and then went straight to UF [University of Florida] to, uh, start my journey in the Navy.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Um, why did you join the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I wanted to fly airplanes. I wanted be an astronaut.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Um, do you have any other family members in the service?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I had an uncle that was in the Air Force, uh, but that’s about it.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Uh, how did your family feel about you joining the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Very, very supportive.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Where did you attend boot camp?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>As an officer, my boot camp was really going through the Reserve Officer[sic] Training Corps program at UF. So I didn’t attend a formal boot camp, like many of the enlisted sailors that you’ve interviewed.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Did you ever see active duty in a warzone?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Uh, only on, uh, Line of Death in Libya, and, uh, in the Norwegian fjords, uh, against Soviet, uh, reconnaissance, uh, and bomber aircraft, but not in the current [Persian] Gulf conflict.<a title="">[1]</a></p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Um, do you have any stories you’d like to share about those encounters?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter <br /></strong>Well, I mean, it’s always fun seeing people that, you know, think differently from you, and back in the [19]80s, certainly, we saw the Soviet Union as, uh—as sort of an enigma. It was very, very mysterious, because they were in this whole different, you know, behind the—Steel Curtain, you know? And so, uh, we had a lot of curiosity, and—and, uh, we’d look back at each other in airplanes, and here we are up in the middle of nowhere, and we just con—continue to have that kind of curiosity. Most of my stories having to do with, uh, stress and overcoming stress in the service have more to do with landing aircraft—landing aircraft on aircraft carriers at night. Those sorts of things. Because those are often, uh, scarier than most other things that an aviator would encounter.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Do you have any stories about any close calls while trying to land on an aircraft carrier?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Certainly. Uh, well, I can tell you that, uh, at one point, I was—I had had a, uh, problem—what we call a “bleed air fuel leak,” which can create a fire, and so I had lights in the cockpit that were saying that there was excessive heat in the engine compartment. Uh, and it was—it’s what they call “one step short of a fire.” And a fire out on the aircraft carrier, when there’s really nowhere else to go, and, In this case, the aircraft carrier was so far off of any coast, that we were doing what you call “blue water op[eration]s.” “Blue water ops” meaning you’re going nowhere but back to the carrier, or the aircraft is going in the ocean. So we had to think real quick[sic]. We had just launched off catapult, so we were still very heavy, and we couldn’t land on the carrier right away. Carrier read—wasn’t even ready to catch us right away. So, uh—so we had to do, uh, some— real, uh, quick emergency things. Cockpit was getting very, very hot. Uh, they estimated it was around 130 degrees, uh, in the cockpit, and, um, we had to, uh—had to bring it back aboard the carrier, and—and, uh, did that, and got out of the airplane, and went down, and had me a cheeseburger. Because, uh, that’s one of the ways that we aviators deals[sic] with—deal with stress.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Did you receive any special commendations or medals?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /><br /></strong>Uh, lots in the Navy, certainly. A couple of Legions of Merit medals, uh, which I am very, very grateful for. Uh, most of my accolades though, I can tell you—like most other sailors, I believe, would say—and that is: it’s not only due to them personally. None of these awards, uh—though you wear them as a personal decoration—a decoration, most of the time, they are as a result of the team you were on and the people you served with. Uh, But I was very fortunate to get a—a good number of accolades, uh, in the Navy, Including two commands. Uh, my—my biggest role, before this role down here at NAWCTSD [Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division], uh, was—it’s Commanding Officer and Chief Test Pilot of the squadron up at [Naval Air Station] Patuxent River, Maryland, Where I flew as an [McDonnell Douglas] F[/A]-18 [Hornet]<a title="">[2]</a> test pilot.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Uh, when were you assigned to NAWCTSD?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I got here in, uh, January of 2008. So—and as I—as I moved into the role as Executive Officer, which is the second-in-command.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Did you know the—did you know about the region, militarily or other, before coming to NAWCTSD Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>All I knew about Orlando, uh, other than knowing a little bit of what NAWCTSD did and the—the—I did not know or appreciate the whole modeling and simulation cluster we had here. I knew there was a base,<a title="">[3]</a> when there was a boot camp,<a title="">[4]</a> and everything like that, and the nuke school,<a title="">[5]</a> But I did not know a lot about what NAWCTSD did, other than produce the aviation simulators that I was fortunate enough to fly.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What were your first impressions of the base?<a title="">[6]</a> Or—or the surrounding area?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Well, I was very impressed with the—the—the—the proximity of everything. I was impressed that we were really close to the Army and we were really close to the Air Force and Marine Corps, and I was astounded with the intimacy of the relationship with the University of Central Florida, uh, and—and continued to enjoy that relationship throughout my tenure at NAWCTSD.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>How did that compare to other bases you have been stationed at?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>There’s absolutely nothing like this area right here. There—there are no—no entities, within the [U.S.] DOD [Department of Defense], that duplicate what we have here. What we have here is a clear synergistic effect, not only based on proximity. You can put anybody in a building next to another entity and not gain the kind of synergies we get here from the partnerships and the relationships that we have across academia, and industry, and now these DOD activities.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What were your first days at NAWS—NAWCTSD like?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I came in with—wearing civilian clothes, ‘Cause I was actually a, uh—in a—in a class. So this class had you wearing civilian clothes. So people didn’t know that I was the guy that was gonna come in and eventually be in charge. So it was actually very cool, ‘cause I could have this sort of <em>Brubaker</em> approach to it, Where [Henry] Brubaker was the guy that[sic] went into the prison as the warden and he went in as an inmate. So I kinda went in in that underground kind of incognito way, and it was great, ‘cause I got to hear the conversations. I got to understand a little bit more about the culture/ but it is the most unique place that I have ever served in the Navy.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What were your primary responsibilities while you were at NAWCTSD?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Well, I was the Executive Officer, who is the second-in-command, so responsible for pretty much everything that happens, uh, at NAWCTSD, and the other thing that a lot people don’t rec—recognize is that when you’re the commanding officer, or the Executive Officer, of NAWCTSD, You are also the Executive Officer, Commanding Officer of NSA Orlando—the Naval Support Activity Orlando, which is the base. So all of the stuff that deals with the gates, and the guards, and any of the sort of anti-terrorism measures, or any of that kind of stuff when it comes to protection, You deal with in capacity as CO or the XO, so—Commanding Officer or Executive Officer—of NSA Orlando. So you really had two hats and two jobs.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>So, eh, what was a typical day like, um, when you were, uh, Executive Officer?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Well, a typical day as Executive Officer, uh, had a lot to do with, uh, a series of meeting, most of which were people that[sic] wanted a decision about one thing or another. Some of them were informational, but we tried to keep those to a minimum. Most of the time, I was given direction and—and providing guidance to people that were trying to, uh, make decisions. Uh, I—I tried to give them enough context to how I would decide, so that they could make decisions on their own and have my full faith, trust, and confidence, as they did so. So a lot of different things go on as you can imagine. Running, uh, a warfare center and a base, and so, there’s, uh, everything from acquisition stuff that has to be decided, to what, uh—to—to where we’re gonna—to what color carpet we’re gonna pick out. There’s just a lot of different things [<em>laughs</em>] that—you[?] pro—and anything in between that spectrum.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Um, can you tell us about the types of projects you worked on and what they aimed to accomplish?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>The things that I’m most proud of, and the thing that people need to understand is that: simulation—we talk about it, kind of, trying to create an environment that is the real thing, and, in this environ—in this world today— in the way that we train our airmen, our sailors, our soldiers, and our Marines, We have to create some really, really immersive environments, in order to generate the kind of suspension of disbelief. For people to go in there and actually get proficiency from these environments. I mean, there’s[sic] so many people playing video games and they’re dealing with such cool graphics and immersive effects that you really, really need to wow them, in order to create that environment, and in the aviation community, it becomes even harder, because you’re dealing with very dynamic technology and it’s not as easy to do that.</p>
<p>So what we decided to do in the Navy was really, really take hold of this whole idea of increasing the fidelity of our simulations. Whether it be better visuals, better motions, better all kinds of different things that you can do to generate, uh—to—to give them an environment where they could actually be trained, and so, we were—I was—I was fortunate enough to be there, from ‘08 to ‘12—from 2008 to 2012—where we made huge investments that we still continue to make, but it was really the—the tip of the iceberg, for the money that’s going into simulation and that is being taken out of a lot of the live exercises that we used to do that cost a lot of money and that required a lot of infrastructure, and you had to sustain that infrastructure. So that’s a—a cost that is per—you know, in perpetuity. So we’ve have really changed our mindset on simulation. That’s been the most important thing that I was a part of—of being able to do that in, uh, aviation, surface, subsurface, and other communities.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>In what ways have the simulation projects at NAWCTSD impacted other branches of the military?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>So the Air Force, uh, is very, very big on simulation, as well. They’re—we do a lot of collaboration through—not only of the acquisitions that we do, you know? We—we go out and we buy a simulator, and we go to some of these industry partners that are in this area and around the country, and, in fact, the world, and we buy, you know, an aircraft simulator or we buy a ship simulator, or something like that, but what’s really cool is the collaboration that goes into the technical side of this, before we ever ask industry to give us a simulator. We inform each other, through symposia and the like, to understand better the science of learning, to understand better where the technology is going, So we can be leaning forward as a DOD—and not only as a DOD, but as other agencies around here. We still work with the [U.S.] Department of Homeland Security and with other agencies that have benefit from this technology training their workforce—whatever it might be. So that collaborative energy, and the fact that we have papers, and we have symposia that sort of continue to nurture that collective understanding of the technology and its merit in the science of learning. That’s what moves this needle forward for all of us. So that NAWC—it’s not only NAWCTSD, or PEO STRI [Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation], or any of those entities. It is all those entities and their collective, uh, IP—intellectual property—to get together that gets moved forward.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What do you think the future holds for simulation training in Central Florida?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Si—there is—there’s really no limit to what we can do with simulation and training in Central Florida. The fact that we have grown it, based on DODs demand, is very fortunate, but it is certainly not the limit to the application of this technology into other fields. We talk about transportation, we talk—modeling and simulating transportation, In order to understand where chokepoints are, to, uh, train people in dealing with different crises, to train emergency first responders, to train medical professionals. We’re already doing that at the VA [Veterans Health Administration] Sim[ulation] Learning[, Education and Research Network National Simulation] Center down here at Lake Nona, where [Lake Nona] Medical City is. We talk about construction simulation, So that we avoid, uh, costs of engineering changes and things like that, once we have gone into the construction phase, through just So many—education. There is so many applications of this simulation technology in—in moving forward. All of these industries.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What do you think are the most important achievements or contributions of the simulation projects to technology and to the future of technology?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I think that the—the most important contribution was to give some other technologies an application that actually could affect an end-product. So if you think about digital media and graphics, alright? and some of the, um, some of the, uh—the stuff we’re doing with, uh—with extensive graphics—much—much higher definition graphics—There’s are a lot of different applications for those types of technologies. What we did was bring those technologies into, uh, a simulation, into creating a virtual environment, Such that we could add proficiency to people. We can do that in so many different ways, not only across DOD, but others, as well.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfiels<br /></strong>When did you leave the Navy, and what did you do after you left?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>So I left the Navy in September of 2012, um, just—Not even two years ago now—And started my own consulting practice. I’ve also continued to work in the simulation industry and work with both companies in—in the simulation industry, as well as with folks like the [Metro Orlando] Economic Development Commission, and—and the Mayor’s office, and people that are moving forward this understanding of how simulation can grow and affect our economy. I was fortunate enough, in the very beginning of, uh—right after I retired, to assist in writing the strategic plan for modeling and simulation for Central Florida, and I can tell ya, more than anything we have a center of excellence. We need to grow and nurture it, even beyond the DOD, such that DOD just wants to be around it, because they recognize the kind of ecosystem we have here.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What values or characteristics of the Navy do you believe made an impression on your life?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Well, he standard answer, of course, would be: honor, courage, and commitment, and they, uh—and those are our watchwords in the Navy, and the—the caliber of people that I have met—that I have lifelong friends, uh, that[sic] I’ve been 28 years in the Navy. You’ve met people in so many different stages of your career, and you continue to be in touch with them, and so, that sort of, uh—that’s sort of such a nurturing environment, and the fact that we were off and off of the aircraft carrier, and test flying up in Patuxent River, Maryland, Launching into some pretty hairy situations, uh, and—and came through it, and shared a beer at the end, uh, Just continues to nurture those relationships, and we’ve seen kids grow up together, and we’ve had a lot of fun, and so that’s been the most valuable piece for me.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>How has the NTC Orlando base or Central Florida region changed since the time you spent there?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>In my case, of course, that would be a little NA [not applicable], But I can tell you that I’ve, uh—because I didn’t spend the time at NTC—But I can tell you that, um, you know, what has been done at [Lake] Baldwin Park is phenomenal. No question about it, it has definitely one of the better repurposing of a base environment that, uh, has taken place in our entire country, when it comes to BRACs, and how people have responded to Base Realignment and Closure. Uh, I think what’s unfortunate—and what was unfortunate for me and my family—was when we came here and saw that there was really no evidence that the Navy had been there, and so hence, the rationale and the driver behind the Lone Sailor Navy Memorial Project.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>What do you think former naval personnel would like to see or be reminded of when they revisit—when they revisit the site of the base and the LS[M]P memorial?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>I think, more than anything, they want to imagine—re—reimagine, especially ones that were stationed there, what that Grinder was like, to recognize that that is hallowed ground, and to be able to tell their descendants about the time that they spent here and the pride that they took in getting through that. Whether it had been the nuke school or whether it was RTC [Recruit Training Center Orlando]—you know, because there were a lot of Navy entities here, at that time, and so, they—people need to understand what the Navy meant to Orlando during those days. It was a big Navy town. People started and—and made businesses grow, as a result of the Navy being here during those times, and so, to have—and we’ve got such a tremendous amount of support from people way out of town, That have roots here in Orlando based on their time here at RTC, and so somehow, we have got to—got to memorialize that, and give them a chance to re-experience that and pass that on down the generations.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Is there anything else you would like to share about your Navy experience?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Well, I tell ya, I’m just—I was very blessed from the word go. Um, you know, you’re talking to a kid that—that grew up running on coral in Key West, And—often barefoot—had a dream to be an astronaut. Ended up going through the whole program, into Test Pilot School, finalist for NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration], ended up coming here into a place that I had no idea how special it was, and I—I’m grateful for the relationships that we have built, and I have built personally, as a Navy guy, with the folks at UCF with president [John C.] Hitt and a lot of others in this community, uh, that truly, truly are a partnership community, and, uh, it was the best way to—to leave the Navy. Understanding, that one, my command was in my good hands and the Navy was in good hands but also to come out into this tremendous community that[?], um, I’ve learned more in the last four years being in the Navy, than, uh, arguably then I learned in the la—in the ten prior, Uh, for sure.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>When did you start your astronaut training?</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Uh, you—basically, what you do is you—as you—when you become a test pilot and you go through Test Pilot School, You are then, uh, afforded the opportunity to apply to NASA, and the thing—fortunately or unfortunately—when I was through that training and was applying for NASA, We had—had encountered a couple of really tough things. The [Space Shuttle] <em>Challenger</em> disaster, uh, certainly setback some—in 1986—se—or 1985<a title="">[7]</a>—setback some things pretty big, and then the [Space Shuttle] <em>Columbia</em> disaster was really the one that was tough. I mean, I had two buddies on the <em>Columbia</em> that day: uh, [William] “Willie” [Cameron] McCool and Dr. David [McDowell] Brown, uh, and that really slowed the manifest of space shuttle launches. So—so it was harder to get through the eye of the needle there, when it came to NASA. They weren’t taking as many people—all that kinda stuff. So I was a finalist three times. I—I’m very grateful for that, But at the end of the day, uh, somebody had other plans, and I have no problem with that, and I am very, very grateful that I got to come here.</p>
<p><strong>Bradfield<br /></strong>Alright. Well, thank you very much.</p>
<p><strong>Reuter<br /></strong>Absolutely. Thank you for the opportunity.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Iraq War.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Now manufactured the Boeing Company as the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Recruit Training Center (RTC) Orlando.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> Nuclear Power School.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Naval Support Activity (NSA) Orlando.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Correction: January 28, 1986.</p>
</div>
</div>
Action in the Gulf of Sidra
aircraft
aircraft carriers
airplanes
anti-terrorism
astronauts
aviation
aviation simulations
aviation simulators
aviators
Baldwin Park
Base Realignment and Closure
Bill Reuter
bleed air fuel leak
blue water operation
Boeing F/A-18 Hornet
BRAC
Challenger disaster
Chief Test Pilot
cold war
college
colleges
Columbia
Columbia disaster
Commanding Officer
commendation
commendations
Community Veterans History Project
CVHP
Daniel Bradfield
David M. Brown
David McDowell Brown
education
Executive Officer
F-18
Henry Brubaker
Key West
Key West High School
KWHS
Lake Baldwin Park
Legion of Merit
Libya
Line of Death
Lone Sailor Memorial Project
LSMP
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
medals
memorials
military education
modeling
monuments
NAS Patuxent River
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division
Naval Support Activity
Naval Support Activity Orlando
Naval Training Center
Naval Training Center Orlando
NAWCTSD
Norway
NSA Orlando
NTC Orlando
outer space
Patuxent River, Maryland
pilots
planes
Recruit Training Center
Recruit Training Center Orlando
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
ROTC
RTC Orlando
science of learning
Soviet Union
Soviets
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
SU
terrorism
Test Pilot School
test pilots
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Navy
UCF
UF
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
universities
university
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
USSR
veterams
veteran
wars
warzones
William C. McCool
William Cameron McCool
William Reuter
Willie McCool
XO
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/e4b7f6422abac4d4b5353edbed6399c7.pdf
26c6287bc13290321f910fbed6b0c442
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.
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 Curt Sawyer
Alternative Title
Oral History, Sawyer
Subject
Veterans--Florida
Army
Description
An oral history interview of Curt Sawyer (b. 1954), who served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1994. Sawyer was born in San Francisco, California, on May 1, 1965, but grew up in Tennessee. While living in Fort Myers, Florida, in 1986, Sawyer joined the Army. During his service, he participated in training exercises with the French Foreign Legion in Corsica and served at Guard Post Ouellette in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North Korea and South Korea. Sawyer achieved the rank of First Lieutenant and received the Expert Infantryman Badge. He was also a graduate of the Army Ranger School, Army Airborne School, Army Air Assault School, and Army Rappelling School.<br /><br />This interview was conducted by Robin Dunn at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on November 13, 2014. Interview topics include attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, Airborne School and Air Assault School, serving in South Korea, the 1st Ranger Regiment, meeting his wife, his post-Army life, and training with the French Foreign Legion.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:40 Background<br />0:01:28 Enlistment<br />0:03:33 United States Military Academy at West Point<br />0:05:53 Army assignments <br />0:07:22 South Korea<br />0:10:52 Airborne School and Air Assault School<br />0:12:38 Rest and recuperation in South Korea<br />0:14:35 Savannah, Georgia <br />0:18:35 1st Ranger Regiment<br />0:20:33 Breakout of the Persian Gulf War<br />0:22:15 Wife<br />0:28:07 Post-military life<br />0:30:04 Training with the French Foreign Legion<br />0:34:44 Staying in touch with friends from the military <br />0:36:03 Impact of Army on life<br />0:37:38 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Curt Sawyer. Interview conducted by Robin Dunn at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida on November 13, 2014.
Type
Moving Image
Source
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/464/rec/1" target="_blank">Sawyer, Curt</a>. Interviewed by Robin Dunn, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016000, 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
20-page digital transcript of original 39-minute and 53-second oral history: <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/464/rec/1" target="_blank">Sawyer, Curt</a>. Interviewed by Robin Dunn, November 13, 2014. Audio/video record available. Item DP0016000, 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
United States Military Academy at West Point, West Point, New York
Fort Benning, Georgia
Guard Post Ouellete, Demilitarized Zone, South Korea
Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Eglin Air Force Base, Okaloosa County, Florida
Savannah, Georgia
Corsica, France
Creator
Sawyer, Curt
Dunn, Robin
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2014-11-13
Date Issued
2015-01
Date Copyrighted
2014-11-13
Format
application/website
application/pdf
Extent
342 MB
218 KB
Medium
39-minute and 53-second Digital (DAT) audio/video recording
20-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Robin Dunn and Curt Sawyer.
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
Kim, Kwi-Gon. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/857709227" target="_blank"><em>The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of Korea: Protection, Conservation and Restoration of a Unique Ecosystem</em></a>. 2013.
Si-woo, Lee, and Myung-Hee Kim. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/754765257" target="_blank"><em>Life on the edge of the DMZ</em></a>. Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2007.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/VET/id/464/rec/1" target="_blank">Sawyer, Curt</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Today is November 13<sup>th</sup>, 2014. I am interviewing Mr. Curtis Sawyer, Associate Vice President of Administrative Affairs at the University of Central Florida, who served in the United States Army for eight years, achieving 1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant as his highest rank. My name is Robin Dunn. We are interviewing Mr. Sawyer as a part of the UCF [University of Central Florida] Community Veterans History Project. We are recording this interview in Orlando, Florida. Good morning, Mr. Sawyer. How are you?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Good morning, Robin.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>I’m doing fine. Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Alright. We’re going to start with some easy questions. Um, when were you born?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>[May 1<sup>st</sup>,] 1965.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay, and where were you born?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>San Francisco, California.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] And what did your parents do for a living?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer <br /></strong>Hm, my father originally was a college English professor, and then he switched careers about midcareer and went into real estate, and that’s what—so those were his two primary careers. My mother was homemaker.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And did you have any siblings?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>I have one older sister.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>She’s three years older. Her name is Dojuan [Sawyer].</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Dojuan?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn <br /></strong>And, um, what is—did she have any military history, as well? Did she enlist in…</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>No, her husband did. He was enlisted man in the 82<sup>nd</sup> Airborne [Division] and he used to jump out of airplanes for a living. So he and I had quite, uh—a little bit of a common background.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And when did you enlist in the service?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Hm, I went in in [June 30,] 1986.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And what made you enlist into the Army?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Well, um, I actually went in as an officer, and so, um, it really wasn’t something that I had thought about, when I was a kid growing up in the country in Tennessee. Um, I always really liked playing war games, and, um—so my little toy soldiers, and, um, tanks, and—and I was just set up these elaborate massive battles, and that’s what they [inaudible], and then I’d go outside and whittled out swords and—And, um, play Army, but that was really the extent of what I thought I would do with that desire to do military stuff.</p>
<p>When I was living in Fort Myers[, Florida] in 1986, our [U.S.] senator,<a title="">[1]</a> who, at the time, senator was Senator<a title="">[2]</a> Connie Mack,<a title="">[3]</a> sent out a new letter to us and my dad saw it and it was a little blurb that said, “Hey. Anybody interested in applying to a service aca—academy, um, here’s what you do.” And so, um, my dad said, “Hey, Curt. You should try to do this. You will never get accepted, because you don’t know anybody political, but you can just go ahead and do it for the experience.” and so I did. I went through the process, I interviewed with the co—committee, I did all the PT [physical training] tests, I did the medical exams, I finished my grades, I showed all the stuff that I had done, and then I forgot about it, and, um, I had gone to community college, as well, like what you did. Edison Community College. Now it’s [Florida] SouthWest[ern] State College. and I was going to graduate from there and then I was either going to go to the University of Florida or Florida State [University], whichever school had the higher ratio of females to males.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>That was my criteria for de—deciding. and so one day, in the mail, came this official looking binder, and, um—and I opened it up, and I looked at it, and it said, um, “The United States Military Academy is pleased to offer you a letter of-of ac—of, uh—of acceptance to the class of 1986”—the class of ‘90—“at West Point.” So that’s how I started my military career.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm, and so you went to West Point?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>I did.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay. So how was West Point? What was your experience at West Point?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Hm, you know, um, it was something that I—I did not really prepare for. When I got there, um, a lot of my classmates had already prepared they knew what they were up—so There’s a lot of reading, a lot of memory work you have to do. It’s called “bugle notes.” it’s that thick. You memorize it all: insignia, rank, history, sayings, important figures that graduated—all that stuff. Um, they knew all that stuff, they knew how to shine their shoes and their boots, and they knew how to do a proper salute, and they knew—and I knew nothing about that. So it took me a while to figure that all out, and, um—but once I did it went well enough. Um, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Is there anything, um, memorable about West Point? Do you have any, like, experiences that you enjoyed there?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, I think every single minute of my four years there is seared into my memory. Um, so it—I’m very proud, um, of my West point experience. I’m glad I went. At the time, it was a little bit—I’ve always been a little bit of, um—of an independent type. Um, kinda a little bit of a free thinker. Not in a really kind of a weird or aggressive way, but just always been independent-minded, and that’s not what West point is about. So, um, it’s been around since [March 16,] 1802, and so there’s a history, and there’s a structure, and there’s a way of doing things, and you either comply with it and you do well, or if you don’t, then you really kind of—you just don’t make it. So, um—so once I kinda came to grips with that, um, I did well.</p>
<p>I, you know—the experiences were very rich. The classmates, which[sic] I still keep in contact with, um, the things I did, the training that I did. During the summers, we really wouldn’t have summers off in military training for vacation. We would go on military training. So I went to Air Assault School<a title="">[4]</a> and I got my Air Assault wings [Badge], went to Airborne School and did that, went to Germany for six weeks, and so just a lot of kind of—life at a hundred miles an hours.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And what did you do after West Point?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Well, um, with West Point comes, um, a commitment—a military commitment in the Army, and so, um, I went into the Army and did that for four and a half years. I was stationed at—at different places and did different things. Do—do you want me to share that with you?</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah. Where—where were you stationed?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Okay. So once I graduated from West Point, um, my parents bought me a trip to, um, Cancún[, Quintana Roo, Mexico] with a buddy, and, um, so we did that to kind of celebrate the four years of hard work, which is where I met my wife, Uh, by—By the way. She was my travel agent. I’ll tell that story a little bit later.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>And, um—and so then after that, I went to the Officer Basic Corps in Fort Benning, Georgia, and then I went to Ranger School, um, and then, um—and then my first duty assignment was in [South] Korea, and, um, did Korea for a while, had a regular line. It’s called a “line platoon,” which is a platoon of—in infantrymen, at the time, and then, um, there I took over—it’s called a “scout platoon,” which is a smaller unit—but basically we would go out and were kinda the eyes and ears of the overall battalion, and, um, once I left Korea, then I came back to the United States and went to Savannah, Georgia, and I served with the 75<sup>th</sup> Ranger [Regiment] battalion. So the first—first Ranger battalion in Savannah, Georgia, and did that for a while, and then I wrapped up my service.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn <br /></strong>Now, you said you went to Korea. Um, what—what was it like going to Korea? What were your first experiences and thoughts, while you were in Korea?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, um, you know, it was kind of a surprise that I even went to Korea. The way West point does it is that everything you do, um, counts against your rank, and so there is roughly 1,000 of us that entered, um, our plebe year, and so roughly 900 graduated. and so what they do—so every PT, every—every test that you take, every PT test you take, every academic grade you get, every sport that you play, every demerit that you get, everything goes into this basically a formula, and you’re rank-ordered from number one all the way down to the bottom. So you always know where you stand, in terms of the rest of your classmates, and so, what you do then, is you pick the branch that you want to go, and generally most folks get that they want. I always wanted to go infantry, and then what happens is, at some point in time, several couple month before we graduated, they take you into an auditorium, and we’re all in there, and your names are all—all 900—and then all of the available slots that are available worldwide, in terms of duty stations, right? And they’re all there. They’re all on the board. So the number one person…</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Who, in my class, was a guy by the name of Ed Hoyt, was just this—photographic memory—he is the first choice. So the—the best slots always go first. Vicenza[, Veneto], Italy, always goes first, Hawaii goes, Fort Ord, California, always go first. All the cool place go, and then they work down the list.</p>
<p>So I was about mid-pack. I was like around 450 or so, and I had planned—I was dating this girl, and we was all serious, and it was love and all that sort of thing, and so we had agreed that we were going to—that I was going to go to Fort Lewis, Washington. I was going to stay stateside, and, um, we were going to continue the relationship. and so when it can time, when they called my name, Cadet Curt Sawyer, I stood up and fully expected to say, “Fort Lewis, Washington,” but what came out of my mouth was “the Republic of Korea.” and honest to goodness, [inaudible] I’m like—and my friends all looked at me, and I looked at them, and I’m like, “What have I done?” And, um—and that’s where I went, and so, um, the relationship ended pretty quickly thereafter, and, um, I went to Korea.</p>
<p>So Korea was cool, just because, um, back then, it was fairly tense still. There’s still no formal treaty ending the [Korean] War between North Korea and South Korea. So it—it—it could be tense on the Demilitarized Zone—the DMZ, and, um, so I spent quite a bit of time on the DMZ, with—with the, eh—there—there’s a couple of guard posts that are right there. One of them is Guard Post Ouellette, and it’s actually surrounded on three sides by North Korea. So it kinda jets out and, um, it’s pretty tense, and we would do patrols, and—and look for the North Koreans, and they would look for us, and that sorta of thing.</p>
<p>So I wasn’t married. I didn’t have, um, commitments, and so it was a time that I really dove into my craft of learning to be an Army officer, and doing as well as I could. Um, there were several of my classmates that[sic] I went to West Point with, and I went to Airborne School, and I went to Ranger School—they were over there, and so we were pretty close, and we were just we really, really trained hard, and—And, um—yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay, and you said you went to Airborne and…</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Air Assault.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Air Assault School. Do you want to talk about those? And how those experiences helped you?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, um, those are kinda expected. Those are schools that are kinda expected, um, as an Army infantry officer, um, especially someone that wants to go to, um, Ranger School, and then serve in a Ranger battalion. you—you really—it’s hard to be in a Ranger battalion and not have—be airborne qualified, because of a lot of what Rangers do is you parachute in and do your mission, and so it’s just one of those things, and Airborne School is pretty straightforward. I went to it my junior year. They call it a “cow” at West Point. Your junior year, you’re—you’re a cow. Yeah. It goes: plebe, and then yearly, and then cow, and then firstie, right? And so, um, straightforward. You do five jumps, and then you get your Airborne wings, and you put it on, you wear them, you walk around like somebody special, because you—you jumped out an airplane five times.</p>
<p>So it was cool. It was hot, and then Air Assault School is where you—you—basically, you repel out of helicopters, and, um, it’s—it’s pretty straightforward. It actually was a hard course—not the physical part. It’s just you had to learn how to—to rig items, Jeeps, equipment, and that sorta thing, in order to be able to transport them, and so it’s pretty technical, and that was kinda hard. But, um, and that as in Fort Kentu—um, that was in, um—I forget the name—and in Kentucky. That was really hot. Everything I did, all the classes, or courses, were in the middle of the summer, it felt like. So they were good. It was good training. It helped me in my craft as an Army officer.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay. Um, now, while you’re in Korea—we’re gonna go back to Korea—um, what did you do when you weren’t working? What was your, like, R&R [rest and recuperation], while in Korea?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Um, yeah, you know, there wasn’t that much time that we were off, um, because we were, um, either at the home base, um, getting ready to go back to the DMZ or, um—or we were recovering from out last mission to the DMZ, or, um, we were actually at the DMZ—the Demilitarized Zone, and what that is: it’s basically a line that—the 45<sup>th</sup> Parallel [North] that divides North and South Korea.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>And, um, the few times that we—the times that we had off, we would go into the city of Seoul[, South Korea]. So we learned how to take the train and—and the sub—and, uh, the subway—and go into Seoul, and there’s a little place called Itaewon, which is were a lot of us would go. Um, I can’t tell you too much about it, because it was one of—it was kind of a younger, wilder, um, time that was a little bit of a blur.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>That’s okay [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>]I will tell you this: they have this stuff “soju,” right? Which is—it’s kinda like our white lightning. It’s—it’s, um—really, really, powerful, clear alcohol. And so you can’t drink it straight, ‘cause it’ll kill ya, I mean, it’s like drinkin’ gasoline. So [<em>laughs</em>] whatcha do though is you is mix it with, um, different kinds of Kool-Aids [<em>laughs</em>], and honest to goodness—and so, um, you know—cherry Kool-Aid, or grape Kool-Aid, or whatev—and so it tastes like Kool-Aid. You can’t taste the—the booze in it. So you drink a couple of those, and you just really kind of, you know, be all you can be as a young, American soldier in a foreign country.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And how long were you in Korea for?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>A year.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay, and when you came back, you said you went to Savannah, Georgia?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>That, um—so I was in Korea And, um—and so the scout platoon became available, so I got selected to do that, which is—which is kinda of an honor, because, um—it just is. Um, ‘cause there is just one scout platoon in a battalion, and, um, and the thing about scouts is, um, you—you have to go out, and you have to be very tactical, you have to be very—you cannot be seen, Right? So you kind of—you integrate.</p>
<p>Well, we had a colonel that was, um—came from the old guard in Washington, D.C, and those are the ones—the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. So they walk, and all the pomp and the ceremony, and all that sorta thing. Well, that stuff is great, but it doesn’t really work when you’re out in the field, you know? There it’s more about performance, more—it—more about getting the bad guy before the bad guy get you, and so I didn’t wear full uniform that—that he wanted. He thought I should.</p>
<p>For example, I would take my helmet off. When you’re out in the woods, you know, it’s really kinda hard to hear, and—and, um, be stealthy and crafty when you have this big ol’ thing on your head that’s covering your ears. So I’d take that off, and I would have the boys put—called “watch caps” or “balaclavas.” Well, he caught wind of that, and really, really, um, really, kinda hit the roof, and was determined that he was just going to kinda ruin my military career off of that, and, uh, the thing about him though: he was West Point, so he knew I was a West Point, and he said, “Well, let me give this,” you know—‘cause a lot of folks were really kinda rooting for me saying, “No. this guy is little bit kinda on the wild side maybe, but he’s really, really good at what he does, and so give him a chance.”</p>
<p>So what he did is like, “Okay, Lieutenant Sawyer. I’m gonna go on a mission with you, alright? And I’m gonna see if you’re as good as what people are sayin’.” And so, um, so he showed up and—and, of course, we have all our equipment, you know? For example, I would carry two radios, in order to communicate with higher headquarters, plus also my—my soldiers that[sic] were all spread out all over kind of Korea.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>And, um, so between all that equipment, it’s maybe 70-80 pounds of weight, and so he showed up with just his little—this kind of thing, with his water and his radio, and said, “Okay, Lieutenant Sawyer. Let’s go,” and I’m like “Sir, where’s—where’s all your equipment?” And he’s like, “I got my Jeep tailing me, so, um, don’t worry about me. You just show me what ya got.” So, um—so I’m like, “Okay.”</p>
<p>So I— told my platoon sergeant “Alright. Sergeant Iver[sp]. Get ready. Um, we’re gonna climb the tallest mountain I can find,” and, um— and so we did, and, um, a lot—a lot of it was climbing on our hands and knees, and it took most of the day to climb the mountain, and we got to the top, and then we set up camp, and, um—and then I deployed all my different scouts, and—and, um—and basically, we did such a good job that the colonel changed his mind, and, um—and so therefore, um—but then the next continuation of that is that the Rangers came recruiting to Korea, and, um, all my friends were like, “Rangers. That’s—that’s the pinnacle. We wanna go. Um, we wanna be a Ranger.” so, like, “Let’s go, Curt.” and I’m like, “No. I have only about a month left in Korea and I already have orders.” I’m gonna go to Fort Smith, Arkansas, with a—it’s called a “Joint Readiness Training Center”—the JRTC. I’m fine with that. I’ve come to grips with that. I’m kinda looking forward to it. I’m not really much interested in this Rangering stuff, and so they’re like, “Well, at least come along with us.” And, um, so I went with them, and I interviewed with the Rangers, and then, um, eh, strangely enough, I was the only one that—that was accepted, and was offered, um, an invitation to join the Rangers, and so once that happened, I thought, <em>Okay. Well, I guess this is too good </em><em>an offer to refuse, and </em>so I ended up going to Savannah with the 1<sup>st</sup> Ranger battalion.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay, and what was your job in the 1<sup>st</sup> Ranger battalion. What was—what did you do exactly?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, um, yeah. Uh, Rangers are—are part of [United States Army] Special Operations [Command], and so my job was a platoon leader to lead, and—and their big platoons, so it’s roughly 55, um—55 men, and, um, our job was different things: to raids, to do ambushes. We would—we would parachute in most of the time and—and do our—do our mission, and then get extracted. um, sometimes, it would be fast strobing—it’s called “fast strobing,” where you have a helicopter that comes in, and then basically, you jump out, grab the rope, and—and you slide down, and jump out of the way, and the helicopter keeps moving like this, so you go, and you kinda just go, and you assemble and move off.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Um, so ambushes, raids. Um, a big part of it was, um, airfield seizures—airfield—airfield takes downs, which is actually pretty cool, ‘cause we had a special vehicles, that, um—special vehicles Land Rovers, that were made just for the Rangers, that would fit into the airplanes. So the [Lockheed] C-130s [Hercules] and the [Lockheed] C-141s [Starlifter] [<em>sniffs</em>]. Um it—it’s called “Jeeps” and “bikes.”</p>
<p>So, uh, [<em>laughs</em>] it’s pretty cool. So you’d drop the ramp of the—of the aircraft, and then you’d drive your Jeeps up there, and we also had dirt bikes, and, um, our job was, um, once other members of the platoon would go in—jump in, and secure the airfield, make sure there was no debris on the runway—We would come in, drop the ramps, disembark, drive off, and then establish blocking positions, so that the enemy could not retake the—the airfield. So different things. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And, um, uh, did you see any combat at all?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>No?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>No, I did not. When I was in Korea—Korea—since Korea has just kind of a—kind of a special mission—because we’re at peace, but we’re not really—um, I did not go to the First, um, Iraq War.<a title="">[5]</a></p>
<p>When I was in Ranger School, um—I remember in January of ’91, we were doing a patrol at Eglin Air Force Base, and so we had just jumped into our—our rubber boats, called “Zodiacs” or “RB-15s,” and we were doing a mission. It was the last mission of that phase of Ranger School, and we were all just really tired and really weak, and, we just wanted to be kinda done with it—just done with it, and, um, course, it’s night. All the—all the missions you do in the military are—are at night, um, and so we had just pushed off, and we were just about to start rowing, and then this big ol’ colonel—this big ol’ colonel that[sic] I have never seen before—he must have of weighed 250 pounds—came running and jumped into our—our boat, and then, we—we could see just enough in the moonlight that he looked like he had some rank that kinda outranked us, or we were a little bit different, and he was listening to a radio, and that’s when we had first started bombing. That’s when we first went into Iraq, and he was listening to it and said, “Alright, Rangers. This is for real now. We’re goin’ to war. Every single one of you.” you know, gave some colorful adjectives, um, “Will be over there, um, inside of two months. So you better that this seriously,” which we already were, But, um—and so we were momentarily kinda pumped, you know, because when you’re in the military and that sorta thing that we’re doing, you kind of—you wanna go into combat, you want go where the danger is, but then after that, we were mostly worried about this big ol’ colonel was just gonna make our jobs harder to row, and—and, so, um, that’s what we’re mostly worried about.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Um, did you stay in touch with your family, while you were over there?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Well, um, that gets in the story of my wife. So do you wanna hear about this? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>I won’t tell you all the details.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>But, um—so when I graduated from West Point, my parents sent my best friend and I to a trip to Cancún, and so, um, we had to go to a travel agent. My mother, for some reason or another, got so upset with our normal travel agent. So we said, “We’re just not gonna go to her anymore. We’re gonna go fine a different travel agent.”</p>
<p>So back then you didn’t really have the Internet. You couldn’t pull up your—your PDA and see where the—we just went driving, and so we saw a “travel agent,” and Mom said “That’s it. That’s the one.” [<em>sniffs</em>] And so we walk in there, and there was this really, really pretty girl with really, deep green eyes, and I’m like, <em>Hello.</em> I didn’t say that.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>I was thinking that, right? And, um, so we sat down, and she arranged it, and I’m looking at her, and I’m thinking <em>Wow</em>, you know? Um, I—I—I think, um—and you can kinda tell, she kinda was mildly intrigued with me—not overwhelmed—but mildly, and so, um—and so when I get back from Cancún, I’m gonna come back and I’m gonna ask this—this lady out, Right? And so then when I came back, um, I—I remembered her, and I had every intention, and then I end up meeting this other girl, who actually was a cop in Miami[, Florida], who was also a lawyer, but she put the law thing on the side, and she wanted to work a cop in one of the most dangerous areas of Fort Lauderdale[, Florida], and so I got kinda sidetracked with that nonsense for about five months, until was finally able to get outta that—get out of that. That was really not a good relationship.</p>
<p>So then I got my orders to go to Korea, right? And, um—so I had to fly commercial, so I went back to the travel agent, and then when I walked in, I’m like <em>Hello.</em> I—I kinda, like, forgotten [<em>laughs</em>] all about her, but then when I saw those pretty green eyes, I[sic] like, <em>Whoa</em>, you know? And it was a mess. I was young, right? We were all young, and, um—and so then, I ask her out, and, um, so we dated for a week, and then I went to Korea, and the way Korea is, back then, you really don’t come back, and there really wasn’t a whole lot of e-mail back then. Um, so, we wrote. We hand wrote letters, back and forth, and she saved every single of them. She still has them. We’ve been married 22 years. She saved every single one of ‘em, and I was—and I was faithful to her, um, until about eight months through, and then—and I know this sounds funny—I mean, [inaudible— I met the colonel’s daughter. Literally, I met the colonel’s daughter, and, um, [<em>laughs</em>] and so, um, started dating her, and so I wrote Lisa [Sawyer]—my Lisa—a “Dear Lisa” letter, you—you know? And bought a 12-pack, and got liquored up, and wrote it, and she saved that doggone letter</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] And she still has that doggone letter. So alright—and anyways, so I’m like, “Sorry. Met the colonel’s daughter. It’s been nice knowing ya.” we only dated for a week. What’s the big deal, right? And, um [<em>sniffs</em>]—and that was that. So the colonel’s daughter came back—she was in Texas. I came back, and, um, thought everything was good, right? Unbeknownst to me, while I was I Korea, my parents took Lisa up under their wings, and really—they really like her, and so they stated to take her to church with them, and—and really kind of mentored her, and developed this close relationship.</p>
<p>So when I got back I said, um, “Dad and Mom,” uh, you know, “Lisa and I are no longer together.” “Well, what happened?” So I explained it all, and they’re like, “Well, that’s no good.” um, “That’s not the way to do it. We’re not happy with—with that, but that’s your decision, but you do not do that via a letter.” I’m like, “Alright. I’ll call her.” and they’re— “Nope. You gotta go see her and tell her face to face that you’re sorry.” And, um, and but you’re formally— I’m formally ending the relationship. They’re pretty old school. Um, I respect that now. At the time I was like, <em>Ugh</em>.</p>
<p>So I call Lisa up, and said “Lisa, this is Curt. Um, I—I wanna come see you.” She hung up on me. So I went back to my parents, and said, “Hey, I’m off the hook. She doesn’t wanna talk to me.” They’re like, “No, no, no.” [<em>laughs</em>]. “You’re a Ranger. It doesn’t work that well. Figure out a way.” So I called her back, said “Lisa,” you know, “The way my parents are. They won’t get off my back, until I come see you. Can I come see you? Just, eh, five minutes. Don’t even have to walk in the door. Just need to see you, check the block, then my parents are off my back. Help me out.” She was like, “Okay. Come over.”</p>
<p>So I went over to see her. She opened out, uh—the door, and I’m like, <em>Hello</em>, you know? The—I know, and, um, she ended up inviting me in. so, um—and so the long story short of it is: um, I broke it off with the colonel’s daughter, and then Lisa and I started dating again, and we got married six months later, and, um, so even with all that nonsense of how that started out, um, eh, she’s just been a blessing, and I’ve been absolutely faithful to her for 22 years, and she’s just more than I deserve. So that was kinda that.</p>
<p>Then the colonel’s daughter, right? So she was flying into Orlando, but flying out of Fort Myers. So I still had to go pick her up, and she was pissed at me. She was pissed. So I went to pick her up, didn’t speak a word for like three-quarters of the trip, and then the floodgate’s going, “How could you do this?” I mean, and, uh, I’m like, “What can I say? I’m sorry. I know I—it’s on me,” you know? So then, I put her on the plane and—and that was it. No more drama.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Okay. Um, what did you do when you—after, with your wife and—meeting her—what did you do after coming home from Korea and after you got out of the service? Like, what did you do afterwards?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, um, when I came back—so I did the Rangering thing for a while in Savannah, and, um, deployed quite a bit. Did a lot of, um—did a lot of trainings—did a lot of training. Really enjoyed it, really enjoyed the Rangers, and really enjoyed the Army. Um, When I was at West Point—even though I really appreciated my West Point experience and I’m very proud of it, very proud of the mission it has, and what—the impact it continues to have—but I said, <em>You know, if the Army is anything like West Point, then I want nothing to do with it. I’m just gonna do my time, and I’m going to get </em>out, and, um, the Army was completely different from the West Point, for the most part, and, uh, then I got out, um, from West Point into the Army, I—I tried all the stuff that I was taught. You know, it’s gotta be formal and—and all this sorta thing, and they laughed at me. Like, “Get over yourself, Lieutenant. That’s just not the way it works.” Well, I’m like, “Okay. How does it work?” “Just be yourself, just lead the men, just lead, alright?” I’m like, “Oh, okay. Well, that’s great.” so I scrapped all this stuff. It—it really wasn’t scrapping all the stuff, but it was truly being a leader and taking charge, and, um—so yeah, um, therefore, I really, really, um, really enjoyed the military. Um, really enjoyed what the Rangers did and what they stood for.</p>
<p>Um, Lisa and I got married while I was still in the military, and then um, we wanted to start a family and that sorta thing. So, um, decided to get out, and then after that, went into the, um—the private sector. Worked for three Fortune 500 companies for 14 years, before I came to UCF.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Now, you really seemed to enjoy the Army. What was your most memorable experience? Or something you really enjoyed in it? Like, what was—like maybe a good story, or hanging out with your friends? What was something you really, really enjoyed?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Hm, hm.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>It can be multiple. It doesn’t just have to be one.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, you know, I—I really, um—when I was with the Rangers, um, we de—we went and, um, trained with the French Foreign Legion, um, in Corsica, France. So, um, three companies of the, um—of the batta—um, three platoons of the company went to Belgium, and they did their training, and my platoon was selected to go and train with the Legionnaires, and, um, that was really cool, because not many military—not many American units are able to do that—to lay claim to training with the French Foreign Legion, which, when you’re in military circle, that’s—they’re well-known. They’re pretty hardcore. Um, Rangers—we considered ourselves hardcore, so it’s, —it was kinda cool for two hardcore entities to get together and train together.</p>
<p>They trained differently from us. Um, by that, I’ll give an example. We were running a live fire, and, um—in France—and kinda showing them American tactics, and right in the middle of that—American tactics—the—the military officers are very much involved in that—coordinating, that sorta thing. My counterpart—my French counterpart pulled me off the side and said, “Hey, Curt,” you know? He didn’t call me Curt. It was Lieutenant Sawyer. “We gotta go over here and do lunch.” I’m like, “What is that?” [<em>laughs</em>]. “What do you have in the basket?” And he pulled out a loaf of bread, and he pulled out some cheese, and he pulled out a bottle out a bottle of wine/ and he was kinda just wanting to sit up on that p—hillside and just kinda watch it all, and I’m like, “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t do that. I got live bullets flying down range, and it’s a very dangerous situation, and I need to be…” so he—he was—was just different tactics, and the other thing I would say that’s kinda interesting is that we—we actually parachuted with them, you know? They had these old planes, and we looked at the plane—My Rangers all looked at the plane, and were, “We’re gonna jump out of that thing?” It’s called a [Transall] “C-160.” It looked old. It was old, and, um—and they were like, “Yup, and we were like, “Okay,” you know? And so we waited, and we sat there on the tarmac out on the airfield, and we waited and we waited, and we’re like, “Where are the pilots?” and they’re like, “They’re still, um, having lunch.” and so they were inside having lunch, and drinking wine, and kinda getting half crocked. So when they came out, they were kinda a staggering a little bit, and, um, I’m like, “We’re not gonna jump with these guys. It’s—it’s a little bit…”</p>
<p>Plus, there’s a thunderstorm coming, the wind was picking up. When you—when you jump out of airplanes, the one thing you don’t want to do it jump out when the wind is blowing too hard, because you can’t control were you land, and, um—and basically they said, “Well, I thought Americans were tough,” you know? “You gonna let a—a little wind, a little wine kinda…” so, of course, we had to, and so we went up and—and we jumped, and, um, it was really, really windy. What they do is they throw a—it’s called a “dummy.” Um, it’s—it’s kind of, you know—it’s a stuffed—supposed to simulate a—a man—a grown man, and they throw it out, and then, wherever it goes, they adjust where the jumpers go out, and generally, you—the best case scenario: you throw the dummy out and the dummy just goes straight down. This time, he threw the dummy and the dummy went <em>wick</em> with the wind, and we’re like, “Whoa.” And so we jumped, and, um—and—and the wind is just taking us haywire, and, um, outside the compound—the compound was rimmed with—with [inaudible] or wire, and all that sorta thing, and, um—and as we’re going down and—and thinking, <em>Well, this is gonna really kinda be painful</em>, I saw my platoon sergeant just go <em>fwoomp</em>. He just was dropping like a rock, and I’m like, <em>Whoa. What’s going on with that?</em> And so I looked at him, and he figured out a way to really kinda make his parachute drop a lot faster. Basically, pulled his risers down, put his feet in ‘em, pushed them down, and it made him just go down. So I’m like, <em>Let me try that</em>. So I did it. So he and I were the only ones to land kinda where we were supposed to, and all the rest of the boys landed in the wire, or on the roofs, and on trees, and all that, and it took us the rest of the day to clean us all up, but nobody got hurt, and, um—so yeah. Things like that. Just kind of hardcore training, and, um, strong relationships, and, um, just standing ready to kinda serve our country, whenever we were called.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>And you said you made a lot of friends at West Point. Um, do you stay in contact with people from West Point? Or any people from the Rangers, as well?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer <br /></strong>Yeah, I do still. Some, you know—over—over the course of 20 years, you know, things drift, people change. That’s one things we really noticed is that we’ve changed. My wife and I really changed, and so, um, what used to interest us, just in terms of likes and—and [inaudible] and that sort of thing, they really—not so much anymore, so—inevitably too, but, yes, we have kept in touch with some of my classmates. Some of them are still in. some of them are now getting to the point they’re—they’re, um, becoming generals, brigadier generals—which is kinda cool, ‘cause, you know, we remember each other from just doing spirit missions at West Point, and getting hazed, and just doing silly things, and getting trouble over it, and that’s[sic] the memories a lot of us have, and now they’re—they’re national leaders, you know? A lot of my classmates have gone on and are part of the NSA [National Security Agency], and CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], and FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], and—and, um, into politics, and—and really had done well for themselves. So, yeah. It’s kinda cool to keep up with them. Um, Facebook, obviously, we see a lot. A lot of my classmates have children that are now at West Point, so, um—so, yeah. It’s kinda cool.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Um, has[sic] your experiences in the Army impacted your life?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Sure. Um, inevitably. One: it was just, uh—I think with anybody that that’s in, it’s just a special time. It’s just a really special time, because you’re so focused. One: you—I don’t think you will find anybody—you will—it will—rarely, that you will find someone that doesn’t really, really strongly believe in the mission of what we did, and so a lot of times, what we do—we go into the business world, we go in the corporate world, we—we get jobs in that sorta thing, and say, “Well, what’s your mission? What is your purpose?” and well, if you’re in the corporate world, it is to make somebody else money. It’s to make money. So you—you put that and you stack that against serving and honoring and protecting my country. Well, it’s kinda hard to compare with that. So when you put that—people strongly believe in that—then everything has a greater sense of urgency, just in terms of training, and—and awareness, and wanting to—to hone your craft, In order to be able to stand ready, when you’re called</p>
<p>So, yeah. It’s just kind of a special time, and, um—and certainly, some of the characters—the—the discipline—discipline, and the focus, and, you know—and the—the mentality that you’ll never give up, ‘til you accomplished the mission, you know? The mission manifests itself in many different ways, depending on what you do, but still, at the end of the day, still an objective or a mission, and the military just teaches you how to be creative in how you’re going to figure out how to do it.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>So that makes sense?</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Yes, yes [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Um, well, um, we are getting to the end. So, um, would you advise anyone else, um, today to enlist? Since you enlisted, would you advise anybody else who would like to enlist that it’s a good thing, a bad thing?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Yeah, I think it’s a great thing. You know, there’s[sic] two different ways about going about it. One is through the officer, um—through the officer channel. The other is through enlisted, you know? And so each have its attractiveness for—depending on what people’s goals are.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>You know? So I always wanted to do the officer thing, just because I wanted—I wanna be a leader, you know? You—you’re either a leader, or you’re kinda not. So, if you’re a leader, you kinda wanna be right in the middle of things, and—and you have more impact as an officer, generally. Um, um, I—I know as an NCO—a non-commissioned officer—you can still have that, but it takes longer to get that so, but certainly, as enlisted, I think that’s a very noble profession. Um, and it certainly helps with the GI Bill, and benefits, [U.S. Department of] VA [Veterans Affairs] care. A lot of folks don’t think about that from an early age.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>But once you serve in the military, you have access to VA—Veterans Administration care the rest of your life, and, um, that’s kinda a bid deal, and a lot of the other benefits that come along with it. So that’s not the primary reason why you should join, but certainty, I think it’s part of the consideration, and, um, the other is: there’s not a whole lot of pensions around anymore. If you do your 20 years in the military, then you get a pension, and, um—so, yeah. I would strongly encourage folks that[sic]—that[sic] are really, truly want to serve their country to—to consider it, and—regardless whether it’s Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard—all that. I’ve never been one to say, “Well, it’s gotta be Army only.” Yeah. We all serve.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Uh, is there anything else you want to talk about? Any stories you wanna tell us? Anything that comes to mind?</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Hm, no. I don’t think so.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>No? Okay. Well, I would like to thank you for sharing your story with us, and myself, and the UCF community, and we will be in touch with you once the copy of the interview is done.</p>
<p><strong>Sawyer<br /></strong>Okay. Well, thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Dunn<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Correction: Representative.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Correction: Representative.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Legally named Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Officially the Sabalauski Air Assault School (TSAAS).</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> Also known as the Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, Gulf War I, Kuwait War, and Iraq War.</p>
</div>
</div>
45th Parallel North
75th Ranger Regiment
Air Assault Badge
Air Assault School
Airborne School
aircraft
airplanes
alcohol
alcoholic beverages
Army Air Assault School
Army Airborne School
Army Ranger
balaclava
bugle notes
C-130
C-141
C-160
Community Veterans History Project
Connie Mack
Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy II
Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III
Corsica, France
cows
Curt Sawyer
CVHP
Demilitarized Zone
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Department of Veterans Affairs
deployments
DMZ
Dojuan Sawyer
DPRK
DZ
Ed Hoyt
Edison Community College
education
Eglin AFB
Eglin Air Force Base
enlistment
fast strobing
firstie
Florida SouthWestern State College
Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Myers, Florida
Forty-Fifth Parallel North
French Foreign Legion
GI Bill
Guard Post Ouellette
Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Iver
Jeep
Joint Readiness Training Center
JRTC
Jump School
Korean War
Land Rovers
line platoons
Lisa Dojuan
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
military benefits
military education
military training
North Korea
Officer Basic Corps
parachutes
planes
plebe years
plebes
R&R
Ranger
Ranger Regiment
Ranger School
RB-15
Republic of Korea
rest and recuperation
Robin Dunn
ROK
Sabalauski Air Assault School
San Francisco, California
Savannah, Georgia
scout platoon
scout platoons
Seoul, South Korea
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944
Seventy-Fifth Ranger Regiment
soju
soldiers
South Korea
Special Operations Command
Tennessee
training
Transall C-160
TSAAS
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Military Academy at West Point
USASOC
USMA
VA
veterans
Veterans Affairs
watch caps
West Point
yearly
Zodiac
-
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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
Rock Collection
Alternative Title
Rock Collection
Subject
Music--United States
Rock music--United States
Lakeland (Fla.)
Maitland (Fla.)
Orlando (Fla.)
Description
Collection of digital images, documents, and other records depicting the history of rock music in Central Florida. Series descriptions are based on special topics, the majority of which students focused their metadata entries around.
Rock music is uniquely American, emerging in the late 1940s and 1950s, with the influence of African-American blues, jazz, boogie woogie, and gospel, mixed with predominantly white country and Western swing music. This hybrid genre helped define a generation, breaking down color barriers in the South by merging African musical traditions with European instrumentation. The popularization of rock music coincided with the African-American Civil Rights Movement, which sought to end racial segregation and discrimination in the South. The sudden interest of white teens in black “race music” provoked a backlash among traditionalists and Americans found themselves in the middle of a “culture war.” The counterculture youth of the 1950s and 1960s rejected many of the mainstream cultural standards of their parents’ generation, especially in regards to race.
During the First and Second Great Migration of the 20th century, African Americans and whites began living in closer proximity to one another, more so than ever before, resulting in both races emulating the other’s style in fashion, art, and music. Rock music influenced the language, attitudes, ideas, and trends of a generation. The genre continued to evolve, incorporating new elements with each subsequent decade. During the 1960s, the subgenres of folk rock, jazz rock, country rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, glam rock, and progressive rock emerged. Musicians in the 1970s and 1980s created punk rock, Southern rock, heavy metal, new wave, and alternative rock. By the 1990s, artist continued to expand the genre by creating rap rock, reggae rock, grunge, and indie rock.
Florida has been at the heart of rock music and the “culture war” since the 1950s. The recording industry was actively making rock records in Tampa during the 1960s and in Miami during the 1970s. Gram Parsons, a native of Winter Haven, is credited as the father of the country rock movement of the late 1960s, and Southern rock emerged from Jacksonville during the 1970s and 1980s, with bands such as the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws, and Molly Hatchet. These contributions played an integral part in the history of rock music.
Contributor
Knickerbocker, Carl
Wahl, Julie
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/140" target="_blank">Central Florida Music History Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Type
Collection
Coverage
Bob Carr Theater, Orlando, Florida
Enzian Theater, Maitland, Florida
Great Southern Music Hall, Orlando, Florida
Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida
Orange County Civic Center, Orlando, Florida
Orlando-Seminole Jai Alai Fronton, Fern Park, Florida
Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Cravero, Geoffrey
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Altschuler, Glenn C. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51518334" target="_blank"><em>All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America</em></a>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Fisher, Marc. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/69594101" target="_blank"><em>Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation</em></a>. New York: Random House, 2007.
Studwell, William E., and D. F. Lonergan. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/41090615" target="_blank"><em>The Classic Rock and Roll Reader: Rock Music from Its Beginnings to the Mid-1970s</em></a>. New York: Haworth Press, 1999.
Language
eng
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
4 color digital images
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
Barrage T-Shirt
Alternative Title
Barrage Shirt
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Rock music--United States
Music--Florida
Description
A t-shirt for the band Barrage. Barrage was a hard rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1988. The original lineup consisted of Jamie Barker on keyboard and background vocals, Jeffrey Alan Bonenfant on drums and percussion, Andy McKinney on bass and backing vocals, Steve Tedesco on lead vocals and guitar, and Tony Visconti on background vocals and guitar. The group won Best Band in Jam Magazine's Jammy Awards in 1991 and were nominated for Entertainer of the Year in 1995. The released a self-produced album, <em>Constant Pounding</em>, in 1991, which contained lead and background vocalist, David Hayes, and an album for Signature/Barrage Productions, <em>Barrage</em>, in 1994. Barrage disbanded in 1994, and Tedesco and Visconti eventually reunited in the band, Black Canvas, in 2012.
Type
Physical Object
Source
Original color digital images: Private Collection of Mick Dolan.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/142" target="_blank">Rock Collection</a>, Central Florida Music History Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original color digital images.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Contributor
Dolan, Mick
Date Created
ca. 1988-1994
Format
image/jpg
Extent
220 KB
98 KB
208 KB
277 KB
Medium
4 color digital images
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Music Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Barrage and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Cravero, Geoffrey
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
Private Collection of Mick Dolan
External Reference
Harrison, Thomas. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/701807954" target="_blank"><em>Music of the 1990s (American History Through Music)</em></a>. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood, 2011.
Page, Roby. "<a href="http://blackcanvasband.com/the-band/steve/" target="_blank">Black Canvas: The Band</a>." Blackcanvasband.com. http://blackcanvasband.com/the-band/steve/ (Accessed October 7, 2015).
airplanes
Andy McKinney
bands
Barrage
David Hayes
hard rock
Jamie Barker
Jeffrey Alan Bonenfant
Mick Dolan
orlando
planes
rock
rock music
shirts
Steve Tedesco
t-shirts
tie-dye
Tony Visconti
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/77a206815c98b044db74537aea94ec5f.mp3
19e9e957a64d4a63ecf646393bb1deae
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/94a3a8051032f1c90e5399fe8d0ce935.pdf
4aaf1dc6277067bf5a968b5b856d16d1
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
Oviedo Historical Society Collection
Alternative Title
Oviedo Historical Society Collection
Subject
Oviedo (Fla).
Description
The Oviedo Historical Society Collection encompasses historical artifacts donated for digitization at the Oviedo Historical Society's History Harvest in the Spring semester of 2015.
The Oviedo Historical Society was organized in November 1973 by a group of citizens. The society is a 501(3) non-profit organization. Its purpose is to help preserve the community identity of Oviedo by collecting and disseminating knowledge about local history, serve as a repository for documents and artifacts relating to Oviedo history, promote the preservation and marking of historic sites and buildings in the Oviedo area and foster interest in local, state, national, and world history.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/128" target="_blank">Oviedo Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Oviedo, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>
<a href="http://history.cah.ucf.edu/staff.php?id=304" target="_blank">Dr. Connie L. Lester</a>'s Introduction to Public History course, Spring 2015
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>." Oviedo Historical Society, Inc. http://oviedohs.com/.
Adicks, Richard, and Donna M. Neely. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5890131" target="_blank"><em>Oviedo, Biography of a Town</em></a>. S.l: s.n.], 1979.
Robison, Jim. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796757419" target="_blank"><em>Around Oviedo</em></a>. 2012.
"<a href="http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68" target="_blank">History</a>." City of Oviedo, Florida. http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68.
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3" target="_blank">RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 41: Oviedo, with Dr. Richard Adicks</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Tammaro, Elizabeth
Interviewee
Jones, James Marion
Location
<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida
Original Format
1 audio recording
Duration
28 minutes and 49 seconds
Bit Rate/Frequency
128kbps
Dublin Core
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Title
Oral History of James Marion Jones
Alternative Title
Oral History, Jones
Subject
Oviedo (Fla.)
Education--Florida
Airplanes--United States
Description
An oral history of James Marion Jones, conducted by Elizabeth Tammaro on March 19, 2015. Jones, who was born June 19, 1945, grew up in Oviedo, Florida, and had a long career as teacher and assistant principal in Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS). This oral history interview conducted by Elizabeth Tammaro at the Lawton House on March 19, 2015. Interview topics include family history, such as his great-great grandfather's service in the American Civil War under A. P. Hill, an historic dental kit of one of his ancestors, and his parents, who worked at the post office, with his father being the postmaster general for many years. Other topics include his brother, vacations and summer activities, college at the University of Florida (UF), the Oviedo School plane crash , life in the Navy, his career in education, how Oviedo has changed over time, hobbies, marriage and children, and influence of past teachers.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:28 Ancestry<br />0:05:24 Parents and siblings<br />0:10:00 Growing up in Oviedo<br />0:15:38 Plane crash near the Oviedo School<br />0:20:17 Career in the Navy and in education<br />0:23:24 How Oviedo has changed over time<br />0:25:27 Hobbies and marriage
Abstract
Oral history interview of James Marion Jones. Interview conducted by Elizabeth Tammaro at the <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a> in Oviedo, Florida, on March 19, 2015.
Type
Sound
Source
Jones, James Marion. Interviewed by Elizabeth Tammaro, March 19, 2015. Audio record available. Oviedo History Harvest, <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida.
Requires
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/147" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society Collection</a>, History Harvest Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
18-page digital transcript of original 28-minute and 49-second oral history: Jones, James Marion. Interviewed by Elizabeth Tammaro, March 19, 2015. Audio record available. Oviedo History Harvest, <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida.
Coverage
Mitchell Hammock, Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida
Sweetwater Park, Oviedo, Florida
Creator
Jones, James Marion
Tammaro, Elizabeth
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Date Created
2015-03-19
Date Modified
2015-12-08
Date Copyrighted
2015-03-19
Format
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Extent
26.3 MB
185 KB
Medium
28-minute and 49-second audio recording
18-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by James Marion Jones and Elizabeth Tammaro 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://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3" target="_blank">RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 41: Oviedo, with Dr. Richard Adicks</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3.
Adicks, Richard, and Donna M. Neely. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5890131" target="_blank"><em>Oviedo, Biography of a Town</em></a>. S.l: s.n.], 1979.
Robison, Jim. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796757419" target="_blank"><em>Around Oviedo</em></a>. 2012.
"<a href="http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68" target="_blank">History</a>." City of Oviedo, Florida. http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68.
Transcript
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay. Today, it is March 19<sup>th</sup>, 2015. I am interviewing James [Marion] Jones as part of the UCF [University of Central Florida] Oviedo History Harvest, and we are recording this interview at the Oviedo Historical Society located at the Lawton House in Oviedo, Florida. So my first question is: what is your full name?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>My full name is James Marion Jones. That’s Marion—M-A-R-I-O-N. I was born June the 19<sup>th</sup>, 1945.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Um, and when did your family come to Oviedo?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>My—on my paternal side, my, uh, great-great grandfather was…</p>
<p>[<em>cell phone rings</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Was Batts Nusum Mitchell. He was the first one to move here in about 1870. He was, uh, a dentist, and he also farmed in the area now known as Mitchell Hammock, and—off Mitchell Hammock Road, which that’s named for him. Uh, in fact, he’s buried out in the Drawdy[-Rouse] Cemetery. You know where that is? Rouse-Drawdy[sic] Cemetery on Rouse Road, by UCF.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh huh, he’s buried out there. He was the first one of our family to move from[sic] Oviedo—to Oviedo from Georgia, uh, again around 1870.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay, um, did you—your maternal family—did they live here? Or is that…</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Excuse me?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Different? Your maternal family?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, my maternal family. My maternal family—my, um, mother’s—my, uh, mother’s family was from Macon, Georgia.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And as far as I know, back there, on their side, my great-great grandfather fought in the [American] Civil War. His name was C. A. Dewberry. Uh, he fought in A. P. Hill’s division of the Army of Northern Virginia, under—under [Robert E.] Lee. He was, uh, injured in the Battle of Vicksburg<a title="">[1]</a>, was captured at [the Siege of] Petersburg,<a title="">[2]</a> held as a POW [prisoner of war] in Virginia until the end of the war, and, uh, the[?]—he lived until 1922—I believe that it was—then[?] died in Macon, Georgia, and then my—I don’t know how my mother and father met in Macon, but they did, married in Macon, and then he brought her back to Oviedo where the rest of my paternal side was—was living at the time, and, um, my, uh—again, it was my—I keep getting all the greats confused [<em>laughs</em>] —Great-great-great-grandfather was Batts Mitchell. He has a daughter…</p>
<p>[<em>cell phone rings</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Named Emma Jean Mitchell, who married the first Jones, uh, and her name was, uh, Emma Jean Mitchell Jones. They’re buried right here in the Oviedo Cemetery</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And—and again, he practiced farming out in what’s now known as the Mitchell Hammock area, and he, uh, practiced dentistry too, and, uh, when he, uh—when he died, we gave his dental kit, which is a rather elaborate dental kit, to the University of Florida and the Florida State Museum</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, wow.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>In Tallahassee. That’s a picture of his dental kit. They’re all pearl—pearl-handled, uh, instruments, uh, even still had some of the chemicals and that—that he—they used then in 1870s, including arsenic—believe it or not [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And stuff like—you can have that, if you’d like.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And I still have the original picture of it too, if you ever wanted a better copy, but, um, uh, it—it—yeah, they moved here. He traced it—we traced it—we can trace his lineage—Mitchell’s—back to 18—to 1700s, and they moved here from Ireland and Scotland. Uh, in fact, I don’t know if you’d be interested in any of this or not. I just ran, uh, this, uh, thing. I didn’t do all this work. Somebody else did…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>This work, but that was the, um—the lineage there.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, wow.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Of, um, where we came from. I’m somewhere around generation six or seven, I believe. Uh, it goes back to—it goes back to the old country anyway, beginning like when the first Mitchells moved here from Ireland and Scotland. One of ‘em served in the [American] Revolutionary War, and then his son served in the War of 1812, and then we had some that fought in the, uh, Civil War, for the South<a title="">[3]</a> of course [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>The— I [inaudible]—the War—War of Northern Aggression, it was known as in the South, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And, uh, just—just for you—your case, that’s the, uh, maternal side where I came from,</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /> </strong>Mmhmm[?].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And, um, the first one of that, [inaudible] I can’t trace her back as far as the old country. I never had really tried though, but that’s where they came—they all came from Macon, and thank God they left Macon too. You ever been to Macon, Georgia?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>I have not.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, don’t ever go.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>No?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>It is hot, dirty, smelly—oh, it’s a terrible place [<em>laughs</em>]. Great place to be from [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>But, um, anyway…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay[?], um, so, what did your parents do?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>My, uh, oh, okay, uh, like I say, uh, Dr. Mitchell—he had a, um—his daughter Emma Jean married the first Jones. He had a general store in Oviedo. He—he would’ve been my great grandfather, and then my grandfather, uh, continued that on, and he had a general store. He also worked for the railroad, and he was postmaster of Oviedo for about 15 years, and then his son—my father—John Batts Jones, Jr., uh, was postmaster of Oviedo post office for 25 years until his death in [19]63.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay[?]. Um, uh, what would you say your father was like—like his personality?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh, he was very businesslike. Uh, they worked hard back then. Uh, I know that, back then—actually when he was a postmaster—back then, in those days, the post office was open six days a week, including Saturdays, and of course, they had to be there in advance to open up, they had to be there afterwards to shut down, so I’ll bet you he worked a 70-hour week, and my mother was a clerk at the post office as well, and, uh—so they worked long, hard hours. It was—it was—back then in those days, it was—it was a hard life. It was a lot—lot of hours of work. [Inaudible], you know, we don’t appreciate it, uh, now, I don’t think, uh, but they did. They worked very hard. He’s very businesslike, but, uh, they were good.</p>
<p>They had, uh, two children: my brother<a title="">[4]</a> and myself. Uh, both of us went to Oviedo High School. I think there were 12 in my brother’s graduating class of Oviedo High School in 1955. There were 30 in my graduating class in 1963, and there were half—there were about five of us, I think, that started in the first grade together and went all the way through—graduated together.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>What did your brother do—go on to do?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>My brother, uh—you see, the basketball picture up? He was a, uh, superstar in basketball. In fact, he set records at Oviedo High School that are[?]—still exist. He’s in the hall of fame up there, and he got a full basketball scholarship to the University of Florida, uh, and he played up there his freshman year. He was red-shirted his sophomore year, and then in the summer of his sophomore year, he was working for the Alachua County, just to make some spending money, and he—and, uh, he was, uh, working with the road department, and he was sawing a limb off a tree and he had a terrible accident, fell, and nearly died, and—and he—and he was left with a severe handicap after that, which he had to cope with for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>So that ended his—any potential sports career that he might have had, because he was—he was excellent in basketball particularly, but[?] he was also a good baseball player. Oviedo didn’t have football back then. We didn’t have enough people in the school to have a football team [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh, oh, where was I? Then, of course, uh—then I grew up in his shadow. He was eight and half years older than me. I certainly grew up in his shadow. Oviedo was a little town back then, and everything circulated around the church and the school.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And, of course, everybody in town knew everybody, whether you went to the gas station to get gas for your car, or whether you went to the barbershop to get a haircut. It was really—you’ve seen the movie. Do you remember—you remember <em>Mayberry R.F.D.</em>—that TV series?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, I don’t know.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Sorry.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>You’re too young. Okay, it was just a little one stoplight town, and I grew up in his shadow. “Are you going to be as good as your brother? You gonna be…” Well, Johnny was 6’3”, 185 pounds in high school. I was 5’8, 140 pounds [<em>laughs</em>]. There wasn’t any way I was going to be another Johnny Jones in sports, but he was my hero, nevertheless. I loved him to death, and—and, uh, we had a good, warm, uh, relationship growing up until he, uh—until his injury [inaudible] almost took his life.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm[?].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Buddied around with him. You wouldn’t know we were eight years difference, ‘cause he always took me along with him everywhere—just about everywhere he went.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Um, okay, so did you have any favorite family stories that you wanted to tell?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Or any traditions?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Gosh, well, our, uh—like I said, work was always a big part of, uh, my mother and dad’s life, and when it came to, uh, vacation time, we did one of two things: we either went to the mountains in North Carolina or we went to Daytona Beach and spent a week or two—or a week or two up in the mountains. That was—that was their life. That’s what they loved to do. They loved to go to the mountains and they loved to go to the beach. So we would do that. Of course, I was like an only child, uh, because my brother being so much older. So when we would go on these vacations, I was like an only child, by myself. Wasn’t anybody to play with, but I had to make up my own, uh, time. Uh, in the summer, uh—again, all the life in Oviedo, in that time, circulated around either the church or the school during the regular year. When I say “regular year,” I mean like the school year from September to June.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh, uh, and then in the summers, the only thing there was to do in the summers was to go to the Oviedo swimming pool. Are you familiar with the Oviedo swimming pool…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Down in Sweetwater Park?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones <br /></strong>It was built on WPA.<a title="">[5]</a></p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, really?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh huh, uh, back in the ‘30s, and it really was a nice pool. It was one of the nicest pools in the area. In fact, people came from as far away as Titusville and others—and other cities to use the Oviedo pool, because it was—it was—it really was a nice pool, uh, for its time. Of course, they ended up closing it in, mm, late ‘60s, because there’s no way—it didn’t meet any mind of health standards. It didn’t have a filtration system. It didn’t have a chlorination system.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Wow [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jone<br /></strong>What they would do is, every three or four days, they would empty all the water out of the pool and fill it up with fresh water.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>So the day after they filled it up with fresh water, it was cold [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>I bet.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And then, by the fourth day, it was really nice and warm [<em>laughs</em>], but, uh—so that was all there really was to do much in, uh—in Oviedo back in—in, uh, the summertime was the pool, and as it[?] got a little bit older, uh, there were some summer baseball leagues for, uh—for little kids. They called them Babe Ruth Leagues, Where you just, uh—just got together and played, uh, Sanford schools or Longwood or something, uh, and then like I say, during the school year, everything circulated around the church and the school. The “school” primarily meaning basketball games, and, uh, the baseball games, of course, were played, uh, during the day, and so that wasn’t as big a community event, because people were working. They didn’t have lights back then. Um, so, eh, the, uh, basketball games were the main thing—that and—and church. Um, Oviedo was quiet. It was, of course—I started—I was born, again, in 1945, right at the end of the war. It was a quiet little town, safe. Nobody locked anything. I don’t know that we even owned any keys to the house. Um, nobody ever stole anything, or anything like that.</p>
<p>One kind of funny story, along that line, my mother and my brother had been to church one Sunday night. They came home and she went in. I stayed home with my dad, and she woke my dad up, and she called him J. B. that was his nickname, J.B. “J.B., who’s asleep on the couch?” And he, uh—and—and, we had a couch, [inaudible] “Nobody. It’s just Jimmy and I here.” She says “Somebody’s asleep out there on the couch.” So I went out there and sure enough, some drunk had wondered in off the street, laid down on the couch, and gone to sleep [<em>laughs</em>]. So I guess they just woke him up and send him on his way. I would have been just a real little fella at this time, but I remember that was just hilarious, because nobody locked anything. I don’t know if we owned any keys to the house.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] And everybody else was the same way too.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, um, what church did your family go to?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>The Oviedo Baptist Church.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[inaudible]?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Right across the street there. Uh huh, my—in fact, my, um—my great grandfather, J. M. Jones, was the clerk of the, uh, church for many years. I don’t know how many. Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay, um, did you go on to go to college as well?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, I went—after I graduated from high school in ’63, they had a junior college in Orlando called Orlando Junior College at the time. It was a private junior college. I went there for one year, and then I transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville. It was before UCF.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>There were no other—yeah, all the other colleges in the area were a few private schools—private colleges, like Rollins [College], Stetson [College], Florida Southern [College]. So I went to Gainesville, and also I always wanted to go to Gainesville, because that’s where my brother Johnny went too.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Did you enjoy it?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, yes. Best[?]—look—look back at it now, some of the best years of my life. Of course, like every other kid, at the time, you know, “We gotta hurry up and get outta here and get on with life and blah, blah, blah,” and when you get older, you look back and those are some good years, and—wish I took more time to smell the flowers [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Um, so I understand you went to Oviedo [School] when the plane crashed?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh huh. Sure, did, and, uh, I wrote up a little thing that I sent to— I don’t know if you got this or if I sent it to—Desta’s<a title="">[6]</a> her name?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, yeah, I think she told me about it.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh, yeah, I’m, um, you know—do you where the old school was? You seen pictures of the old school up there?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>It was a typical old two-story, brick schoolhouse.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And I happened to be on the first floor, on the west side, in my English class. The teacher was Jack Caliber[sp], and I was sitting there and staring out the window, as I often did [<em>laughs</em>] in school—class, and I saw, uh, these planes coming barely above treetop level. There were three of them at first. There were, uh, two what they call [North American A-5] Vigilantes. They were all photo reconnaissance planes out of NAS<a title="">[7]</a> Sanford at the time, and just as they came over treetop, they obviously realized that there was a school dead ahead, and a two-story school, and they were not going to clear it. The playground, which is right across the back of the property here, was full of elementary—the elementary kids were at recess, at that time. Uh, the—the high school kids, like myself—we were all in the big building. Anyway, as soon as they realized that the two Vigilantes just <em>phew</em>, peeled off like that, and that, uh, A3J [Vigilante]—the one you see the picture of there.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>That—that’s not the plane. That is just, uh, one of the type planes.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh, as soon as he saw it, he did—what you’re used to seeing planes horizontal. I mean, I served on an aircraft carrier in the Navy, and [<em>laughs</em>] so I’ve seen lots of planes, and you’re used to seeing them, but as soon as he saw the school, he did this, and went completely vertical, and it is still etched in my mind. You—you don’t see planes in that vertical position, and he did that, and then, <em>shoo</em>—<em>bam</em>, and he landed about, oh, probably no more than a couple hundred feet from the school property, but [inaudible] in the orange grove that was owned by the Ward family at the time, and of course, pandemonium was breaking out at the school, even though we—there weren’t many of us. There was only like—oh, like 300 of us in the whole school at the time. That’s grades one through 12, and, um, my business teacher, right across the hallway—Novella [Driggers] Aulin was her name. She said, “Jimmy, Jimmy, won’t you—I need you to go check on Burt [Ward] and Bill Ward. See if they’re okay,” because they—they were some friends of hers that had a mobile home right over there in that area. She said “Here, take my car.” She gave me the keys to her car. Now, I was a junior in high school [<em>laughs</em>]. They’d hang you for this kind of stuff today [<em>laughs</em>]. She handed me the keys to her car, an old Mercury. I remember I had a hell of a time driving it, ‘cause it had some kind of weird transmission.</p>
<p>So I go out there and I jump in, and I was the only one that left the school grounds, and I drove around to the site, and by the time I got over there, the Navy had already posted a sentry, but that—but there—I was from here to the door to the crash, but I think—there was nothing—it was nothing much left. When a plane crashes and burns, I mean, it just—it just burns up. There’s a big ball of, uh, fire from the, uh, jet fuel, but that just goes up—<em>whish</em>, and that’s it. The rest of it then is just smoldering, and I didn’t put this in the write-up, ‘cause it was kind of, um, gross, or macabre, but you get the bodies of the three dead were on top of the ground still strapped into their, uh, seats. Uh, so then I went back to the school and I told—told Novella that Burt and Bill’s house was okay. That is didn’t hit ‘em. Of course, one of the other teachers was mad as hell at me for leaving the school grounds [<em>laughs</em>], but that was okay. he couldn’t do anything, because the other teacher not only gave me permission, told me to go, gave me the keys to her car, and, um, I was—I was on the student council at the time, so, uh, a delegation of us went over to Sanford to the memorial service for the three that died, but they definitely—they gave their lives to avoid hitting that school. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it, because they—they would have hit—there’s no doubt they would have hit it.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Alright, um, so, uh, you were in the Navy?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, I was—I was—like I say, I went over to Florida, and I graduated from Florida—the University of Florida—in ’67. This was right in the middle of the Vietnam War.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Ah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And, uh, so I had to choose, uh, what I was going to do, so rather than being drafted and going into the Army, I, uh, signed up and I went to, uh, went to the Naval Officer Candidate School in New Port, Rhode Island, where I got commissioned as [inaudible] in 1967. Ending up staying and getting out in ’69, at the end of the war, and I stayed in the Navy Reserves[sic] for 20—a total of 25 years, and retired in 1991 as a captain.</p>
<p>[<em>cell phone rings</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, I graduated—I retired in ’91. Um, when I got off active duty in 1969, I wanted to teach, so I went to work for Seminole County [Public] School system. I taught two years at—well, it was, at that time, South Seminole Junior High School. Then it became, the next year, South Seminole Middle School. Then I transferred to Oviedo Junior-Senior High School, where I taught for one year, then they moved the middle school to Jackson Heights [Middle School]. Uh, it had been a sixth grade center and they added the seventh grade out there. So I went out there, and I became the assistant principle at Jackson Heights, and I was there for 21 years, I believe, or—21 or 22 years at Jackson Heights, and then I transferred to Tuskawilla Middle School. I was their assistant principle for nine years, and then I transferred my last two or three years to Lawton Chiles Middle School, where I retired in—I think it was 2003.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>What did you teach?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>I taught math.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Did you enjoy that[?]?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. I’ve always been math—math buff. My, uh, high school math teacher’s probably shaking his head, but, uh—but I did. I would say one thing you might find that was interesting: I remember when I—when I was at, uh, Oviedo Elementary School, you know, the—the price of one of those half pints of milk were three cents, at that time [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>I think a full lunch—and it was a full lunch back then—it wasn’t the kind of lunches they have now—like, it was 30 cents, but the milk was three cents. So it’s a different time, and, uh, so then after, uh—after I, uh, retired, then I—I, uh, always liked the, uh, east coast, and Oviedo was getting so big. This area was getting so big then that I decided to move over the Melbourne. That’s where I’ve been ever since.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah.<strong> </strong>So how do you feel about all the changes in Oviedo?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, I tell you. It’s, uh—it’s progress, I guess, but there’s sometimes [<em>laughs</em>] I wish they’d just put it back the way it was, but, you know, you can’t go back again. That’s just—it’s gonna get—it’s—in the next 20 years, it’s gonna be even bigger. No doubt about it. It’s—it’s—it is something. It’s something. I remember when I was in high school, where—where UCF is out there, that property was for sale, and it had a plywood si—signs up there with, uh, Carrigan and Boland Realty. All that property was for sale for 300 dollars an acre.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>And the—and the sign stayed there ‘til it rotted down. That’s just how [<em>laughs</em>]—it wasn’t—you can imagine now what it’s worth [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>That’s crazy. Did you hear they’re tear—they’re gonna make this road<a title="">[8]</a> bigger?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yes, they did. I have, um—my cousin, um, Mary Jones, um, owns one of the buildings in the old…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, really?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Down—Mary Jones Bird owns one of the buildings, and, uh, in fact, she was here visiting last week, and she told me she had just closed with the State of the Florida. Are they going to take this house down over here—you know, my old house?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Um, I don’t think so, I think it’s everything before the Baptist church. Like Townhouse [Restaurant]…</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>All that way?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Down that way.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Um…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro</strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Uh huh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>So I don’t think so.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>I just wondered if they were going to take it down. I—I guess it’s open to some—some sort of office buildings…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Or something in there now. Many years ago, I was here for one of their<a title="">[9]</a> Great Day in the Countries, and I, uh, just went over there and walked through, just kind of looked around for old time’s sake, because as a little kid, I remember I thought it was huge, and then I went in and looked and I said, <em>Man, this is little.</em></p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] But, uh, okay. I was wondering about that.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yeah, I think that staying. Um, okay, so do you have any interests or hobbies?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, boating, sailing…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Boating?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Fishing, outdoor activities like that.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>I, uh, right now, in my retired years, I spend three—three months a year, I spend over in the Bahamas, and then we come back during the—when hurricane season starts, we start getting ready to go back the next year, and we have a lot of family that comes over with us every year, ‘cause they all love it, and stay with us for a week or two, and friends, so that’s what—that’s what I’m—that’s what my life’s doing right now.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Do you have family that’s still here in Oviedo?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yes, uh, my daughter Dawn [Raquel Jones] Jensen is very active in the [Oviedo] Historical Society.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>You know her?</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Yes, I think I met her.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, that’s my daughter. Uh, my, um—my other daughter, Kathy [Jones], lives in Miami Beach. I have a daughter, Pam [Jones], that lives over in, uh, East Orlando, and then just two years ago, I—we lost a son, uh, uh, Jimmy. I[?]—he passed away and, uh, lost him, and that’s—that’s the family, and my cousin, Mary—she, uh—she was down—she lives in Asheville, North Carolina now. She was a longtime Oviedo resident too, but I guess that Dawn actually is really the only one who’s still living in the Oviedo area—in Oviedo, as per se.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Right. Alrighty, um, so were you remarried—your wife?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Yeah, uh, I got married, um, out of, uh, college. Had the two children, Pam and Jimmy, and then that marriage didn’t survive. Remarried in 1995, uh, a girl from Goldenrod. We had two children Dawn and Kathy, and that’s it.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>Oh, okay. Um, so is there anything that you want to tell me that I haven’t asked you about?</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, gosh, I’m trying to think…</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, hi. I’m Jim.</p>
<p><strong>Tammaro<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Horner<br /></strong>Desta [Horner].</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>Oh, you’re Desta. Okay, great. Yeah, uh, we’ve been having a very interesting conversation. I [inaudible]. Let me look here real quick. Dawn, uh, sent me some things, said you might want to mention this, that, or the other. Let me see what it was that, uh, she said to talk about. Uh, uh, um, uh, well, we had, uh—the Oviedo School was really great. We had some really wonderful teachers…</p>
<p><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Jones<br /></strong>There, and I really do credit the success that I have had in life with the great teachers that, uh—that we had. I know Mrs. Palmer—Betty Palmer Sprat. She’s a member of your historical society. She was my science teacher in high school—wonderful lady, uh, and there were several others like her that, uh, didn’t take any gruff from us, and believe me, we were capable of hand—handing it out [<em>laughs</em>], but they were always a step ahead of us [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Commonly known as the Siege of Vicksburg.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Officially known as the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly known as the Confederacy.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> John “Johnny” Jones.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> Originally called the Works Progress Administration and renamed the Work Projects Administration.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Desta Horner, the President of the Oviedo Historical Society.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Naval Air Station.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Broadway Street.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> Oviedo Woman’s Club (OWC).</p>
</div>
</div>
A. P. Hill
A3J Vigilante
airplane crashes
airplanes
Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr.
American Civil War
Army of Northern Virginia
assistant principals
athletes
Babe Ruth Leagues
Baptists
baseball
baseball leagues
basketball
basketball players
Batts Mitchell
Batts Nusum Mitchell
Betty Palmer Sprat
Bill Ward
Broadway Street
Burt Ward
C. A. Dewberry
Carrigan and Boland Realty
churches
Confederacy
Confederate States of America
Confederates
CSA
Dawn Raquel Jones Jensen
dental kits
dentists
Desta Horner
Drawdy-Rouse Cemetery
education
educators
elementary schools
Elizabeth Tammaro
Emma Jean Mitchell Jones
farmers
general stores
Great Day in the Country
high schools
J. B. Jones
J. M. Jones
Jack Caliber
Jackson Heights
Jackson Heights Middle School
James Marion Jones
JHMS
Jimmy Jones
John Batts Jones, Jr.
John Jones
Johnny Jones
junior high schools
Kathy Jones
Lawton Chiles Middle School
Lawton House
LCMS
Macon, Georgia
Mary Jones Bird
Mayberry R.F.D.
middle schools
Mitchell Hammock
Mitchell Hammock Road
Navy Reserve
North American A-5 Vigilante
Novella Driggers Aulin
OES
Officer Candidate School
OHS
OJC
OJSHS
Orlando Junior College
Oviedo
Oviedo Baptist Church
Oviedo Cemetery
Oviedo Elementary School
Oviedo High School
Oviedo Historical Society
Oviedo History Harvest
Oviedo Junior-Senior High School
Oviedo School
Pam Jones
plane crashes
planes
post offices
postal service
postmasters
Richmond–Petersburg Campaign
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee
Rouse Road
schools
SCPS
Seminole County Public Schools
Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Vicksburg
South Seminole Junior High School
South Seminole Middle School
sports
SSJHS
SSMS
students
Sweetwater Park
swimming pools
teachers
TMS
Tuskawilla Middle School
UCF
UF
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
vacations
Vietnam War
War of Northern Aggression
Work Projects Administration
Works Progress Administration
WPA
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/9929a175f1dfc6e4b005fa3d61672e9b.pdf
cb5daf2a442c1dba68baeefe36f0286c
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
Oviedo Historical Society Collection
Alternative Title
Oviedo Historical Society Collection
Subject
Oviedo (Fla).
Description
The Oviedo Historical Society Collection encompasses historical artifacts donated for digitization at the Oviedo Historical Society's History Harvest in the Spring semester of 2015.
The Oviedo Historical Society was organized in November 1973 by a group of citizens. The society is a 501(3) non-profit organization. Its purpose is to help preserve the community identity of Oviedo by collecting and disseminating knowledge about local history, serve as a repository for documents and artifacts relating to Oviedo history, promote the preservation and marking of historic sites and buildings in the Oviedo area and foster interest in local, state, national, and world history.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/128" target="_blank">Oviedo Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Oviedo, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>
<a href="http://history.cah.ucf.edu/staff.php?id=304" target="_blank">Dr. Connie L. Lester</a>'s Introduction to Public History course, Spring 2015
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>." Oviedo Historical Society, Inc. http://oviedohs.com/.
Adicks, Richard, and Donna M. Neely. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5890131" target="_blank"><em>Oviedo, Biography of a Town</em></a>. S.l: s.n.], 1979.
Robison, Jim. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796757419" target="_blank"><em>Around Oviedo</em></a>. 2012.
"<a href="http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68" target="_blank">History</a>." City of Oviedo, Florida. http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/68.
"<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3" target="_blank">RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 41: Oviedo, with Dr. Richard Adicks</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep41-Oviedo.mp3.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Dossie, Porsha
Interviewee
Bunch, Alice Kathryn Aulin
Location
<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida
Original Format
1 audio/video recording
Duration
22 minutes and 10 seconds
Bit Rate/Frequency
626kbps
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 Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch
Alternative Title
Oral History, Bunch
Subject
Oviedo (Fla.)
Orlando (Fla.)
Description
An oral history interview of Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch (1926-), conducted by Porsha Dossie on April 18, 2015. Bunch was born in in Oviedo, Florida, on July 2, 1926. After graduating from Oviedo High School, Bunch began working in a bank in Downtown Orlando. On August 17, 1946, she married Richard Burdette Bunch (1924-) and together they had two daughters: Mary Kathryn Bunch Hamby (1947-) and Billy Beatrice Bunch Parrot (1948-). In the interview, Bunch discusses attending high school during World War II, her career as a bank teller, how she met her husband, the founding families of Oviedo, church and her social life growing up, the influence of the military on Oviedo, the artifacts that she contributed to the Oviedo History Harvest, her parents and her siblings, and how Oviedo has changed over time.
Table Of Contents
<br />0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:43 Attending high school during World War II<br />0:04:32 Career as a bank teller and meeting Richard Burdett Bunch<br />0:06:16 Founding families<br />0:07:47 Church social life<br />0:09:53 Influence of the military on Oviedo<br />0:11:38 Oviedo History Harvest<br />0:14:49 Parents and siblings<br />0:18:44 How Oviedo has changed over time<br />0:21:51 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch. Interview conducted by Porsha Dossie at the <a href="http://www.cityofoviedo.net/node/1322" target="_blank">Lawton House</a> in Oviedo, Florida, on April 18, 2015.
Type
Moving Image
Source
Bunch, Alice Kathryn Aulin. Interviewed by Porsha Dossie, April 18, 2015. Audio/video record available. Oviedo History Harvest, <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, 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="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/147" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society Collection</a>, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
References
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6290" target="_blank">The Oviedian, Vol. VII</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6290.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6364" target="_blank">Letter from Steen Nelson to Annie Tes Rae (July 20, 1938)</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6364.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6292" target="_blank">Oviedo High School Varsity Letters</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6292.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6289" target="_blank">U.S. Army Air Force Aircraft Warning Service Armband from Oviedo</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6289.
Has Format
15-page digital transcript of original 22-minute and 10-second oral history: Bunch, Alice Kathryn Aulin. Interviewed by Porsha Dossie, April 18, 2015. Audio/video record available. Oviedo History Harvest, <a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>, Oviedo, Florida.
Coverage
Oviedo, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Creator
Bunch, Alice Kathryn Aulin
Dossie, Porsha
Publisher
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Contributor
Cepero, Laura
Date Created
2015-04-18
Date Modified
2016-01-22
Date Copyrighted
2015-04-18
Format
video/mp4
application/pdf
Extent
164 KB
Medium
22-minute and 10-second audio/video recording
15-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Julia Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch and Porsha Dossie, 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://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=69149825" target="_blank">Andrew Aulin</a>." Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=69149825.
Adicks, Richard, and Donna M. Neely. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5890131" target="_blank"><em>Oviedo, Biography of a Town</em></a>. S.l: s.n.], 1979.
Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website)
<a href="https://youtu.be/YuSG0LJyDUs" target="_blank">Oral History of Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch</a>
Transcript
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>My name is Porsha Dossie. This is an oral history interview of [Alice] Kathryn Aulin…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Bunch.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Bunch, and it is April 18<sup>th</sup>, 2015, and we are at the Lawton House in Oviedo, Florida.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So, Kathryn, please tell me a little bit about growing up in Oviedo. You were born here? Is that correct?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>I was born here in[sic] July 2<sup>nd</sup>, 19, uh, 26 [<em>laughs</em>], and lived here ‘til I graduated from high school, but most everything we, uh, did, we did it e—either at the church or at school. That was[sic] our activities in those days—back in those days.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Uh, you went to the Oviedo School? Is that right?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh huh, it was just one school. You went from first through, um, twelfth, and then you graduated from there, and it was only three of us that graduated, because it was wartime. Not that we had that many to start with, but with—it was ‘cause of the war and the boys were gone—had gone off to be in service during World War II.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>What was that like?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>We just got used to the war. We—I mean, like, a lot of things that were different—uh, you were limited, uh, to a lot of things back then that, Uh, you couldn’t, uh,—you couldn’t buy clothe[sic]—or shoes—leather shoes. You were limited to so many like that and things, uh, but other than that, we got used to it, and, uh, had, uh, some—I—I was older when I was—in high school, I was—had boyfriends that would go off to the service and come—and not come back, and that was sorta sad too, uh, in those days. We had servicemen stationed in, uh—in the [Armed] Service, uh, in the woods near here too, as well as—they were—their main place was in Orlando, but they would be over here at different times, and my father<a title="">[1]</a> ran the—we had two swimming pools, and there was, um, dance hall there, and, uh, he ran the swimming pools, and we—that’s where we had a number of the service boys—would come and dance there with—as well as the local, but we didn’t have that many local boys of that age around anymore. So…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>That was it.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>What were the swimming pools called?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>They were the Oviedo swimming pool. It was, um, by the city, and they did away with ‘em. Uh, I have a couple of pictures of them that—I don’t know if they still ever—that—there’s—it still belongs to the City [of Oviedo].</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong> The property does, but the pools have been done away with, and they got ballparks there or somethin’ now, but that was the thing to do. Uh, we had a sm—a small and a large one, uh, and he man—he managed those for—during that period of, um—my daddy did for a while.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Was that the—Sanlando?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>No, we went to Sanlando when you went—go on a big date[?].</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] I have a picture of, uh—of the three…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>The three seniors at Sanlando, and it, uh—in my book, or it’s in our yearbook, I think.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So tell me a bit about your yearbook. I know you brought that with you today…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh huh.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>To be scanned. You made that yourself?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>We, uh—we put it together, although I’m sure somebody else helped us, uh, but we did have to glue the pictures in, and, uh, I noticed that I—in the other one—the year before me—that we typed the words in there, and actually, I noticed that in one place, the typing—if we made a mistake, instead of erasing the letters, just typed back over it, which [<em>laughs</em>] would not be a thing to have done, I don’t think, in those days, but they’re hand-typed. I mean, everything was done by hand, not woven books and things, like they are nowadays, but other than that—and we had an awful of, uh—I was a Baptist, and we all went to the Baptist church, and did most everything—social life was there, as well as school. Those were our two main things [<em>sniffs</em>] to do during—but other than that, I don’t—I…</p>
<p>When we left Orlando, we still [inaudible], uh—I graduated from high school, but I had a job in Orlando, uh, my last year, and I started working at the bank. My sister—older sister<a title="">[2]</a>—two years older than me—was already working in Orlando, so I moved from Oviedo to Orlando, and been there the rest of my life, after that.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So you, uh—what did you do at the bank?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Teller. When you started out, in those days, at the bottom, you learned every step. Nowadays, I understand you go in whatever department you’re gonna—but you—you started answering the phone, then[?] learning the each thing—bookkeeping—and, uh, I ended up—I was a teller when I left.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So how did you meet your husband?<a title="">[3]</a></p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>That was—my mother-in-law<a title="">[4]</a> was a big person to go into bank, and I understood she wanted my husband, who was in the service—and I didn’t know ‘im. I knew her from being a customer at the bank, but, uh, she wanted to have him meet her—my sister, but for some reason, he just—and she was already there two years ahead of me.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But for some reason, he would rather have met me, so…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] I dated him, and we met, uh—we married later on, uh, after he’d come out of the service. He was a—in the—she had, uh, property in—in, uh, cattle and dairy and a ranch, and he was in the ranch business at that time, after he came out of the service, and we married, had two girls,<a title="">[5]</a> and that’s been it.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So, um, growing up in Oviedo, you knew the, uh, Wheelers and the Evans? Is that correct?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>The Wheelers were actually kin—uh, my daddy’s sister, Mary Ann, um—Mattie, uh, Wheeler<a title="">[6]</a> married, uh—he—that’s his sister—married [Robert] Lee Wheeler, who was a brother to Frank Wheeler, uh, that had Nelson and Company and those[?]…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>And there was the Law—Lawtons and the, uh, Lees, and the—all those were, uh—they—they were the people in Oviedo, and everybody knew everybody back in those days.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>And, uh, I actually—my daddy, uh—the man that, uh—my daddy’s dad<a title="">[7]</a>—that named Oviedo was born—he was—the house at where he was born is still here,<a title="">[8]</a> as I understand. It doesn’t look anything like it did…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Back then. They’ve changed it around, but it’s still there.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So you said the Wheelers were kin?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yes, uh, Lee Wheeler—my aunt married—was a brother to Frank Wheeler. That—like I said, they were—and, um—and I think I, uh—we’ve got the background all in—in all these books and things, and[?] the Lawtons—there’s a com—combination of—way back there, with all those—that’s first started. Now, about the Lees, I’m not real sure, but they were here too. They were another family that was—but everybody knew everybody…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Back in those days—and you—for some reason, we never did—did—my sister and I have talked about it since—why the women went to the Methodist church—most of ‘em—of the husband and wife, and the men went to the Baptist church. I, uh—not in our family, but m—most of ‘em—a lot of ‘em, that’s the way it worked, and you—still, you got together, eh, for socials and things like—I mean, you got together with the two churches, but for some reason, the women all seemed to be—want, uh—go to the Methodist church, and we—but I went to the Baptist all my life and still do [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>What kind of social events did you guys have at the Baptist church?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Well, just, uh—just nothing really that much. Uh, picnic-type things, and, uh, we had, uh, training you, uh—the one thing I did do, which isn’t the thing[?] to try to tell, uh, we had BYPU<a title="">[9]</a> or BTU, we called it—Baptist Training Union—at night, which is like—Sunday mornin’, you have Sunday school, and at night, and I would have a date. I could go to trainin’ union and not stay for church at[sic] Sunday night, and this was a, uh, typical thing, and it—I wasn’t the only one that did this. It was a—but that was the thing to do Sunday night, and we’d—we’d go to Winter Park. Uh, that was the place to go after—and, uh, go, uh, to a movie, and then go to, uh, get Coke and a sandwich, and come home. That was just a typical Sunday, uh, night. We went to, uh—did that, back in those days, but we didn’t, uh—anything that we had as far as social things, uh—there weren’t that many. I mean, it was something at the church, or, uh, it was eating or something, and I’m, uh—but, uh, other than that, I don’t remember too much, but[?] that’s about it. I [<em>laughs</em>]…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So let me ask you about, um, the influence of the military on Oviedo in the 1940s. How did that affect your life here in Oviedo?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>It—it did. Like I said, we met a lot of them men that were stationed here, and, uh, That’s when we could go to the pool and, uh, could dance, and Met a lot of ‘em that way, and then, uh—but, uh—and some of them even dated other people, because I remember, uh, one going with my sister to church. Uh, I mean, they were close enough friends if they were doing that, back in—they were very good. I—we didn’t—we didn’t mind ‘em being here, by any means. It was something going on. ‘Course, war was just so different, anyhow, back then. I mean—and then when they left here, we went, uh—moved to Orlando, and we still did things with the service people there, uh, at the different things that were for so—the soldiers back then too. Went to dances and things like that. That was mainly what most of the things were. Although, I have some pictures I’ve seen that we were at a lake out there at the—at the, uh, base<a title="">[10]</a> in our bathing suits and things, with the boys out there. So we did do things out there at the base too.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh, but it was just different than things are nowadays [<em>laughs</em>], but an awful lot of boys stayed—married people and, uh—and just like in Sanford, they married, uh—a lot of the Navy people are married to Sanford people too. So other than that, I really don’t know too much to report on that.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So we can discuss some of the items you brought today. You brought your yearbook? Um…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>What else did you bring?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Well, the, um—my, uh, my sister-in-law wanted a copy of a letter that was written by Steen Nelson, as to how Oviedo was named. Our fa—grandfather, they say named—I mean, and—why he named it Oviedo and that business. So I—that’s in the—one of those copies, and I had an annual, uh, yearbook for the fo—where we got to get together for our 50<sup>th</sup>, uh—the other class—we didn’t have but two that showed up, but they—for our 50<sup>th</sup> anniver—graduatin’, we have a book on that. That’s in—in those things that I saved, uh, but we didn’t have but two that showed up for that [<em>laughs</em>]. That was me and, uh, one boy, and he’s still here in Oviedo, I understand.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Auliff[?] [inaudible], and, um, other than that, I don’t know…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>You brought some…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>44s?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh, my letters for my—I got a—I was, uh—played basketball in high school…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>When I was—got a 44 and a[sic] O for, uh, my letter, with my stripes and stars on it for being captain—co-captain, and, uh, they’re in there—the O and the 44, and I also have an [U.S. Army Air Force Aircraft Warning Service] armband that I got from havin’ watched planes go over, uh, during wartime. We—we each had a shift. They had a tower they built over in Downtown Oviedo, and, uh—in front of the [First] Baptist Church [of Oviedo], and, uh, we would report whatever plane was going over and[?] the direction, and I’m pre—I’m thinking we were reporting back to the base, or somethin’, what kind of plane. Now, why I would know, uh—I’m sure they taught us how and all that.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But that was what it was, and they gave us an arm—and I have that in there to give to the His—[Oviedo] Historical Society.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>What was that like watching the planes overhead?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Uh, I don’t know.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>I’m thinkin’ back. I—I don’t know that I was that smart about it, but I guess they were tryin’ to get—and they would get more[?] girl—people they would get…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>On, uh—and you had a shift, I’m sure, you know, and, uh, went[?]—went there after school or whenever. Maybe it was a weekend, um—on the weekend. I—I just know we did it same time at—why they chose to do it right[?] there in Oviedo? I don’t know. I guess they did it in all kind of different areas of the—around the bases, but, uh, that was part of it, and—and they gave us a[sic] armband to put on that says that that’s what you were. So I have—I saved that and my letters, and I never did use ‘em for anything. I didn’t put ‘em on a sweater, I don’t think.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Hm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But that was about it. It wasn’t very [<em>laughs</em>], uh—not—not like it was nowadays with young people, and things[?] goin’ up, but was good.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>I’ve enjoyed it.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>I had, uh, two sisters<a title="">[11]</a> and, uh, two brothers,<a title="">[12]</a> and, uh, so we had pretty good-sized family to—to deal with, and my daddy—as well as having the pool, he did do a lot with examining fruit, uh, to be sure it was ready to be picked and that, and he did that for quite a few years too—too, and my mother<a title="">[13]</a> worked at Nelson and Son, but she was a seamstress, and she did a lot of, uh, sewing for people. Uh, you know, the [inaudible].</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So they both working at the Nelson packing company here?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Mmhmm, both ‘em had, mmhmm. matter of fact, my mother was working there when my youngest brother<a title="">[14]</a> was still too—too young, uh—little to go to school, and she would—would keep him in one of the—the places where they were packin’ the oranges, and I—when school was out, I’d go out do there and get him and go back home with him, and I got a nickel to go by the drugstore, which was in the center of Downtown Oviedo, to get a Coca-Cola, and—and he[?] got ‘em off of a fountain. The man behind the fountain would give[?] them to you. That was one thing I remember—and ordered—that was my payment for…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Eh, takin’ care of him ‘til she got home.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie</strong> [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But, uh, we did—didn’t have a lot of money, but we had—we had plenty to get by with, and that was the way it worked in those days.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>So tell me about, uh, your siblings. You just—you mentioned that you had brothers and sisters.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Well, I had one girl—one sister that was two years older, and, uh, she was smart—very smart, and, uh—and why she—how she got the job in Orlando ahead of time? I don’t know, but anyway, she moved over there, and, uh, as a teller at the bank, and, uh—and I—we did not go to college that much in those days. The girls didn’t then[?], and, uh, [inaudible] we couldn’t have afforded it anyway, I’m sure, but, uh, she liked the bank and was doing alright and had a place in Orlando called the [inaudible] Community Club, which was right down near the center of Downtown Orlando, and, uh, you stayed there and you got your food and that kind of stuff, and she knew that I was graduatin’ and that—she thought I’d get a job there, so I did. I went over and applied and they gave it to me, and I moved in and we stayed there at the [inaudible] Community[?] Club, and that’s when went to a place in Downtown Orlando to dance with the USO.<a title="">[15]</a> Uh—they had a place for—but, uh, she started making too much money to stay at [inaudible] Community[?] Club, which was part of the deal. I mean, the—and so we all moved to a place down out of there, uh, and then—but stayed there ‘til I get married—met my husband and we got married, and that was it, but then I have a sister that’s here, and she’s giving information today. She’s an artist, and I had a brother,<a title="">[16]</a> but he went to Texas. He—he was in the service, uh, also, and he’s no longer living, and my older sister isn’t either, but my other sister’s here, and she’s[sic] lives in Lake Mary, and, um, is an artist, and she’s doing a lot of work today for them, and then I’ve got my brother<a title="">[17]</a> that lives here in Oviedo, and he and his wife<a title="">[18]</a> live here, and that’s it—that I…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>With us—the rest of the family, but all the rest of ‘em are gone, but we’ve got the sister here and the brother here, and that’s—and me—of the family—of the five of us. That’s what’s left. I’m the oldest of the group.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Well, is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Oviedo that we haven’t covered yet?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>No, it’s, eh—it—it is—nothing the same.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>I don’t know my way around it at all. I—I just cannot—I—how much the church, uh—how big it is, uh—has added and added to, uh, and I came out, went to church [inaudible], and there was no—well, the person that I—only person I knew that I saw—that I knew that day and he’s [inaudible]. He was a Wheeler—Frank Wheeler, Jr., and, um, I didn’t know anybody, and—just like I don’t know anybody out here nowadays, uh, but, uh, my mother is, uh—she’s been dead a pretty good while, and, uh, that—once she was gone, then I didn’t come back out like I did to—did later on, but, uh, it’s grown, and that’s for sure, and I keep seeing it goin’ more too, but other than that—and back in our day, we didn’t have anything but a Methodist and Baptist church. Now, I’m sure they got all of ‘em different ones…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Now, out here now.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Has the growth surprised you?</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yes, it really has. It’s—it’s—it is—it’s much—than I would’ve thought when I was growing up, yes, um, ‘cause like I said, you knew everybody, but I think it’s this way with other small towns, but probably the way they do, but this one has grown from what it was back in our day. That’s for sure, but other than that, I don’t know. Eh, I—I really don’t know of any other—and I don’t know if I know anybody that lives out here, except my sister—my brother-in-law—my brother and sister-in-law, and, uh, Bettye [Jean Aulin Reagan] has, um—her child is out here now, but I don’t know any of the past, uh—I—that’s why I said when I was looking in that, uh, yearbook, I don’t know that there’d be anybody anymore, and as old as I am, um, I’m—I guess I’m one of—of, uh, the older ones that would be, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Out here nowadays.Knowing how—I know people go to their 90s and that, but I still—they can’t, uh—back in my day, I don’t—I don’t know if there’s anybody that much more out here that I would’ve known, unless I was kin to ‘em, and I don’t have anybody out here now. So—but things have sure changed, and I do see there are, uh, in the b—block that we called[?] goin’ around Oviedo, uh, some of those houses, when we’ve gone, are still there. That—which is odd. Very—they’ve been there quite a while. Like I said, where my daddy was born,<a title="">[19]</a> uh, it’s still there these days, but it doesn’t look anything like it—I mean, they changed it all around—backyard and everything.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>But I don’t have that much to contribute [<em>laughs</em>] to Oviedo. That’s for sure.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Oh, you definitely…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>And, um…</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Told us some great…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Information today.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Yeah, so I think that’s enough.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>Well, we’re going to bring the interview to a close. I wanna thank you so much…</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<p><strong>Dossie<br /></strong>For being interviewed, and I really appreciate you coming out here and doing [inaudible] did.</p>
<p><strong>Bunch<br /></strong>Okay [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Andrew Aulin, Jr.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Mary Leonora Aulin Bartlett.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[3]</a> Richard Burdette Bunch.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[4]</a> Mary Bunch.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[5]</a> Mary Kathryn Bunch Hamby and Billy Beatrice Bunch Parrot.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[6]</a> Martha Lenora Aulin Wheeler.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[7]</a> Andrew Aulin, Sr.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[8]</a> Correction: Andew Aulin, Sr. was born in Sweden.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[9]</a> Baptist Young Peoples Union.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[10]</a> Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[11]</a> Mary Lenora Aulin Bartlett and Bettye Jean Aulin Reagan.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[12]</a> Charles Warren Aulin and Andrew Aulin, Jr.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[13]</a> Mary Alice Powell Aulin.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[14]</a> Andrew Aulin, Jr.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[15]</a> United Service Organizations.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[16]</a> Charles Warren Aulin.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[17]</a> Andrew Aulin, Jr.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[18]</a> Julia Nadine Davis Aulin.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[19]</a> May 20, 1893.</p>
</div>
</div>
aircraft
airplanes
Alice Kathryn Aulin Bunch
Andrew Aulin III
Andrew Aulin, Jr.
Andy Aulin
AWS
bank tellers
banks
Baptist Training Union
Baptist Young Peoples Union
Baptists
Bettye Jean Aulin McGill
Bettye Jean Aulin Reagan
Billy Beatrice Bunch Parrot
BTU
BYPU
Charles Warren Aulin
church
churches
citrus
Downtown Orlando
Downtown Oviedo
Evans
Frank Wheeler
Frank Wheeler, Jr.
history harvests
Lawton
Lee
Llewellyn Roberts Bartlett, Jr.
Martha Lenora Aulin Wheeler
Mary Alice Powell Aulin
Mary Bunch
Mary Kathryn Bunch Hamby
Mary Leonora Aulin Bartlett
Mattie Aulin Wheeler
Methodists
Naval Training Center Orlando
Nelson and Company
NTC Orlando
OHS
oranges
orlando
Oviedo
Oviedo Historical Society
Oviedo History Harvest
Oviedo School
packing
planes
Porsha Dossie
Richard Burdette Bunch
Robert Lee Wheeler
sailors
servicemen
soldiers
Steen Nelson
swimming pools
U.S. Army Air Force Aircraft Warning Service
U.S. Navy
World War II
WWII
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/3611d0b11871ba52632756dded22ce0b.jpg
c838d3a141fee9872290f778262d2ddb
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/6fb7d3099b3bd650a26f5a9b104cf5f5.jpg
6f8dd5b54b2c66a424c394dd868c0a5b
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
Orlando Remembered Collection
Alternative Title
Orlando Remembered Collection
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/46" target="_blank">Orange County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/20">Orlando Collection</a>, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Downtown Orlando Information Center, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Public Library, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando Regions Bank, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://orlandoremembered.org/" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://thehistorycenter.org/Orlando+Remembered+Committee/" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered Committee of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc.</a>" Orange County Regional History Center. http://orlandoremembered.org/.
<span>"</span><a href="http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/" target="_blank">The Historic Icons of Orlando</a><span>." Orlando Remembered. http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/.</span>
<span>Bacon, Eve. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2020029" target="_blank"><em>Orlando: A Centennial History</em></a><span>. Chuluota, Fla: Mickler House, 1975.</span>
<span>Rajtar, Steve. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70911136" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a><span>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.</span>
Description
Collection of digital images, documents, and other records contributed by the Orlando Remembered Committee of the Historical Society of Central Florida, Inc. Orlando Remembered was created to in response to the proposed demolition of the San Juan Hotel at the northwest corner of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Orlando Remembered began creating exhibits to "showcase artistic renderings of the time depicted, with artifacts and historical memorabilia from the location in an effort to preserve the memory of Orlando's history while acknowledging the potential of the City's future." In the Summer Semester of 2014, UCF history intern Rachel Williams digitized two of the exhibits created by Orlando Remembered. In the Fall Semester of 2014, Dr. Anne Lindsay's undergraduate class will be digitizing several more of the many exhibits in Downtown Orlando.
Contributor
<a href="http://orlandoremembered.org/" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered</a>
Herrera, Angelena
Jeffries, Andrew W.
Lindsay, Anne
Randall, Robert
Williams, Rachel
Williamson, Ryan
Has Part
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/126" target="_blank">Downtown Orlando Information Center Collection</a>, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/110" target="_blank">Orlando Public Library Collection</a>, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/111" target="_blank">Orlando Regions Bank Collection</a>, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
2 color digital images
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
Orlando Remembered Exhibits at the Orlando City Hall
Alternative Title
Orlando Remembered Exhibits at Orlando City Hall
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
City halls--United States
Description
Two exhibits, produced by Orlando Remembered, showing objects from the Orlando City Hall, located at 400 South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. These exhibits house objects relating to Orlando's municipal government. The current building opened in July of 1991. The former city hall was located directly in front of current building and was in operation from 1958 to 1991. The exhibit features photographs and memorabilia from past Orlando mayors dating back to 1932.<br /><br />Orlando Remembered is a community based group, dedicated to the preservation of Downtown Orlando's past. To date, the group has constructed 18 exhibits in the downtown area that highlight the current building's connection to the past.
Type
Still Image
Source
Original color digital image by Mark Barnes, January 12, 2016.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/173" target="_blank">Orlando City Hall Collection</a>, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Coverage
Orlando City Hall, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Creator
Barnes, Mark
Date Created
2016-01-12
Format
image/jpg
Extent
2 MB
186 KB
Medium
2 color digital images
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Mark Barnes.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="https://www.thehistorycenter.org/" target="_blank">Orange County Regional History Center</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Contributing Project
Orlando Remembered
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
Orlando Remembered
External Reference
Rajtar, Steve. <em><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70911136" target="_blank">A Guide to Historic Orlando</a></em>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
A/C
air conditioning
airplanes
badges
batons
billy clubs
billy sticks
blackjacks
city commissioners
city councils
city governments
city halls
City of Orlando
cops
cosh
coshes
Downtown Orlando
fire alarms
gavels
George A. Baker, Jr.
groceries
grocery stores
handcuffs
heating
horns
Howard Grocery Company
instruments
keys
law enforcement
municipal governments
nightsticks
Orlando City Commission
Orlando City Council
Orlando City Hall
Orlando Remembered
planes
police officers
saps
truncheons
Wilbur H. Strickland
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/f553c02a02397da13368e55e7a70987a.pdf
fdf8d1392044be6068bd0548340a0e84
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
Westinghouse Electric Collection
Alternative Title
Westinghouse Collection
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Description
Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its divison headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Curator
DeRosa, Peter
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
19-page academic paper
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
Evolution of Heavy-Duty Power Generation and Industrial Combustion Turbines in the United States
Alternative Title
Heavy-Duty Power Generation and Industrial Combustion Turbines
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Turbines
Description
A paper published in 1994 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Written by A. J. Scalzo, R. L. Bannister, M. DeCorso, and G. S. Howard, this paper provides a concise compilation of the history of Westinghouse Electric's combustion turbine technology, from its origins in the early development of a U.S.-built aviation gas turbine for jet propulsion during World War II, through the early industrial applications starting in 1948, and continuing through decades of evolution of the heavy duty power generation machines up to and including the advanced 160MW W501F.
Type
Text
Source
Reprinted 19-page academic paper: Scalzo, A. J., R. L. Bannister, M. DeCorso, and G. S. Howard. 1994. "Evolution of Heavy-Duty Power Generation and Industrial Combustion Turbines in the United States." <em>Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo</em>: Private Collection of Harry Jaeger.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/169" target="_blank">Westinghouse Electric Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of reprinted 19-page academic paper: Scalzo, A. J., R. L. Bannister, M. DeCorso, and G. S. Howard. 1994. "Evolution of Heavy-Duty Power Generation and Industrial Combustion Turbines in the United States." <em>Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo</em>.
Coverage
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, The Quadrangle, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Scalzo, A. J.
Bannister, R. L.
DeCorsO, M.
Howard, G. S.
Publisher
<a href="https://www.asme.org/" target="_blank">American Society of Mechanical Engineers</a>
Contributor
Jaeger, Harry
Date Created
1994
Date Copyrighted
1994
Format
application/pdf
Extent
6.01 MB
Medium
19-page academic paper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Science Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by A. J. Scalzo, R. L. Bannister, M. DeCorso, and G. S. Howard published by the <a href="https://www.asme.org/" target="_blank">American Society of Mechanical Engineers</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="https://www.asme.org/" target="_blank">American Society of Mechanical Engineers</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Jaeger, Harry
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
Private Collection of Harry Jaeger
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
191-9
1973 Oil Crisis
501F Advanced Combustion Turbine
501F rotors
701F
A. J. Scalzo
A286
Advanced Turbine Systems
airplanes
AISI 310
AISI 422
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASME
Atoms for Peace Program
ATS
Baldwin Company
blast furnace engines
BOT
burner outlet temperature
Chance Vought Corsair
Chicago Works
clean coal
cogeneration
cold war
compressor integral vanes
cooling systems
CURVIC
DCF
direct coal-fired
directionally solidified
Discalloy 24
DOE
Dow Chemical Company
DS
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David Eisenhower
ECONOPAC
ECY768
engines
Fiat Avio
Fuel Use Act
G. S. Howard
Gas Turbine Age
Gleason Works
Hastelloy X
Hayes International
Haynes Stellite 31
heat recovery
heavy-duty power generation
hybrid burners
IGCC
Ike Eisenhower
IN617l International Nickel Company
IN713L U500
industrial combustion turbines
integrated gasification combined cycle
International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exposition
J30
J34
jet fighters
Joule-Brayton cycle
LCF
leading edge groove
LEG
low cycle fatigue
M. Decorso
Marine Gas Cooled Reactors Program
McDonnell Douglas FH-1 Phantom
McDonnell F2H Banshee
McDonnell FH Phantom
MGCR
MHI
Mississippi River Fuel Company system
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Morgantown Energy Technology Center
NACA
NACA 65
Northeast Blackout
nuclear power plants
nuclear submarines
nuclear subs
Oil Embargo
orlando
packaged power plants
Patuxent Flight Test Center
PFB
PGBU
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
planes
Power Generation Business Unit
pressurized fluidized bed
Public Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, PURPA
R. L. Bannister
railroads
Rankine cycle
RIT
rotor inlet temperature
SC
Sermetech International Incorporated
Sermetel 5380DP
simple cycle package
single crystal
single row 1 vanes
Special Metals Companies
steam turbines
TG501
thermodynamics
turbine discs
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Naval Test Laboratory
U.S. Navy
U.S. Steel Corporation
U520
Union Railroad
W101
W121
W122
W171
W191
W201
W201RE
W21
W251
W251 B12
W251A
W251AA
W251B
W251B10
W251B12
W251B8
W251BS
W301
W31
W352
W41
W501A
W501AA
W501B
W501D
W501D5
W52
W62
W72
W81
W82
W92
WE19A
WE19B
West Texas Utilities
West Texas Utilities San Angelo's Power Station
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Westinghouse Research Laboratory
Wolverine
World War II
WWII
X-750
X45
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/3e23e0fb1b215ea2a442b3800cc86d98.jpg
686be4f01efd03c0180419663aba8a03
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
Lucile Campbell Collection
Alternative Title
Campbell Collection
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Teachers--Florida
Educators--Florida
Description
This collection features postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. Campbell collected postcards from her travels around the world and used them as teaching aids in her classrooms. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards.
Contributor
Campbell, Lucille
<a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center/Student Museum</a>
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Raffel, Sara
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center/Student Museum</a>
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
1 color postcard
Physical Dimensions
3 x 5 inches
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
Newark Airport Postcard
Alternative Title
Newark Airport Postcard
Subject
Highways
Airports--United States
Description
A postcard depicting Newark International Airport along the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP). Originally called Newark Metropolitan Airport, the airport opened for service on October 1, 1928. It was renamed Newark International Airport in the 1970s and then Newark Liberty International Airport in 2002. The turnpike opened in 1951 and was intended to be the world's model highway. It is still the most heavily traveled tollway in the United States.<br /><br />This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.
Type
Still Image
Source
Original 3 x 5 inch color postcard: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, <a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Is Part Of
File folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, <a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center</a>, Sanford, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/151" target="_blank">Lucile Campbell Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 3 x 5 inch color postcard.
Coverage
Newark International Airport, Newark, New Jersey
Publisher
Howard Johnson Publishing Department
Contributor
Campbell, Lucile
Date Created
ca. 1950-1959
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1950-1959
Format
image/jpg
Extent
144 KB
Medium
3 x 5 inch color postcard
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by the Howard Johnson Publishing Department.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Aphasia Project
Curator
Raffel, Sara
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center/Student Museum</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.jerseyhistory.org/exhibits/turnpike.html" target="_blank">What Exit? New Jersey and its Turnpike</a>." The New Jersey Historical Society. http://www.jerseyhistory.org/exhibits/turnpike.html.
"<a href="http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-history.html" target="_blank">History of Newark Liberty International Airport</a>." Newark Liberty International Airport. http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-history.html.
airplanes
airports
automobiles
cars
highways
motor vehicles
New Jersey Turnpike
Newark International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Metropolitan Airport
Newark, New Jersey
NJTP
planes
roads
tollways
transportation
turnpikes
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/5580df7f0e909273582d3beaa3cd8da4.jpg
c00cd62dcc6fc9b05f8ef39c05e6e0a9
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
1 black and white photograph
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
Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr.'s Airplane After Crash
Description
Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr.'s (1921-1944) plane after his crash in Martimpré, France, on May 27, 1944. Lt. Post was a pilot from Tampa, Florida, who served in the U.S. Army during World World II. He fought with the 357th Fighter Group of the 264th Fighter Squadron and was executed by German authorities after being hidden by French citizens in Gérardmer. Lt. Post is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Date Created
1944-05-27
Coverage
Martimpré, France
Creator
Voirin, André
Source
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph by André Voirin, May 27, 1944. <a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
External Reference
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM" target="_blank">Dean Post</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM.
"<a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">Crash du P-51 Mustang - type B-10-NA - s/n 42-106632 C5*?</a>" Franch-Crashes 39-45. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675.
"<a href="https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post" target="_blank">Missing Air Crew Reports</a>." fold3.com. https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post.
Frommer, Jean-Loup. "<a href="http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post" target="_blank">1st Ltt Post N. Dean Jr.</a>" Aérostèles. http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post.
Alternative Title
Lt. Dean Post's Plane After Crash
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Veterans--Florida
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
257 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Language
fre
Type
Still Image
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by André Voirin.
Contributing Project
Epinal Cemetery Project
Curator
Bates, Chris
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Transcript
Chasseur américain tombé à Martimpré le 27 mai 1944. Photo André Voirin
American fighter fell to Martimpré on May 27, 1944.
Photo André Voirin
airplanes
André Voirin
aviators
crash
crashes
Dean N. Post, Jr.
pilots
planes
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Air Corps
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/c466c62cc24820f63a1f8118627ebcc2.pdf
79980ec8eaab4856c6f007c1bf648c33
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
Classified Document
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
Missing Crew Report for Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr.
Description
The Missing Crew Report for Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr. (1921-1944), filed by Major John A. Storch. Lt. Post was a pilot from Tampa, Florida, who served in the U.S. Army during World World II with the 357th Fighter Group of the 264th Fighter Squadron. His airplane crashed in Martimpré, France, on May 28, 1944, and was executed by German authorities after being hidden by French citizens in Gérardmer. Lt. Post is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Date Created
1944-05-28
Coverage
Martimpré, France
Creator
Storch, John A.
Source
Digital reproduction of original 2-page typewritten report by John A. Storch, May 28, 1944: <a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives and Records Administration</a>, Washington, D.C.
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives & Records Administration</a>
External Reference
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM" target="_blank">Dean Post</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM.
"<a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">Crash du P-51 Mustang - type B-10-NA - s/n 42-106632 C5*?</a>" Franch-Crashes 39-45. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675.
"<a href="https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post" target="_blank">Missing Air Crew Reports</a>." fold3.com. https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post.
Frommer, Jean-Loup. "<a href="http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post" target="_blank">1st Ltt Post N. Dean Jr.</a>" Aérostèles. http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post.
Alternative Title
Missing Crew Report for Lt. Dean Post
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Veterans--Florida
Has Format
Original 2-page typewritten report by John A. Storch, May 28, 1944: <a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives and Records Administration</a>, Washington, D.C.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
200 KB
Medium
2-page typewritten report
Language
eng
Type
Text
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by John A. Storch.
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>
<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>
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>.
Contributing Project
Epinal Cemetery Project
Curator
Bates, Chris
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://www.archives.gov/" target="_blank">National Archives & Records Administration</a>
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
352nd Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
364th Fighter Squadron
airplanes
aviators
bombers
crash
crashes
Dean N. Post, Jr.
Greenhouse Blue flight
Harris
John A. Storch
MIA
missing in action
pilots
planes
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Air Corps
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/5251ac2f250f8863ae76cced10afbc24.jpg
484bc704433aee0e5b2833399dc51fc8
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
Paper
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
Plane and Patches for Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr.
Description
The plane and patches for Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr. (1921-1944). Lt. Post was a pilot from Tampa, Florida, who served in the U.S. Army during World World II with the 357th Fighter Group of the 264th Fighter Squadron. His airplane crashed in Martimpré, France, on May 27, 1944, and was executed by German authorities after being hidden by French citizens in Gérardmer. Lt. Post is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Date Created
ca. 2000-2016
Coverage
Gérardmer, France
Creator
Jean-Loup Frommer
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
External Reference
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM" target="_blank">Dean Post</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM.
"<a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">Crash du P-51 Mustang - type B-10-NA - s/n 42-106632 C5*?</a>" Franch-Crashes 39-45. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675.
"<a href="https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post" target="_blank">Missing Air Crew Reports</a>." fold3.com. https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post.
Frommer, Jean-Loup. "<a href="http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post" target="_blank">1st Ltt Post N. Dean Jr.</a>" Aérostèles. http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post.
Transcript
C5
P-51B-10-NA Mustang du 357th FG 364th FS 8th AF
Mission : escorte de bombardiers sur Ludwigshafen
Du : samedi 27 mai 1944
Groupe de chasse : 357th FG N° de l’escadrille : 364th FS 8th AF
N° de l’avion : 42-106632 Type : P-51B-10-NA Mustang
Lettres d’indicatif d’appel : C5-?
Abattu par : une possible collision avec le 43-6653 du Lt. Harris de la même unité, ou abattu par la chasse ennemie vers 12h15mn
Lieu de chute : Xéfosse 88230
N° de MACR : 5110
Pilote 1st Lt. POST Dean N. Jr. KIA
Insigne du 357th FG Insigne du 364th FS
P-51B-10-NA Mustang of 357th FG 364th FS 8th AF
Mission: Escorting of bombers on Ludwigshafen
Date: Saturday, May 27, 1944
Target group: 357th FG N of the squadron: 364TH FS 8TH AF
N° of the airplane: 42-106632 Type: P-51B-10-NA Mustang
Signals: C5-?
Shot down by: a possible collision with the 43-6653 of Lt. Harris of the same unit,
or shot by the enemy chase towards 12h15mn
Place of dropping: Xéfosse 88230
N° of MACR: 5110
Pilot 1 st Lt. POST Dean N. Jr. KIA
Insignia of 357th FG Insignia of 364th FS
Alternative Title
Plane and Patches for Lt. Dean Post
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Veterans--Florida
Source
Original 1-page typed document.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
73.8 KB
Medium
1-page typed document
Language
fre
Type
Text
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Contributing Project
Epinal Cemetery Project
Curator
Bates, Chris
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
352nd Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
364th Fighter Squadron
airplanes
aviators
crash
crashes
Dean N. Post, Jr.
Harris
KIA
killed in action
pilots
planes
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Air Corps
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/2409c39d8c726fe4d1be7641c559ce52.jpg
a543c11f53bc5fbe03fee06fd348e502
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
Newspaper article
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
Géromois, le 29 Mai, Ayez une Pensée pour Dean POST
Description
A French newspaper article about Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr. (1921-1944), who was killed in action in France during World War II. Lt. Post was a pilot from Tampa, Florida, who served in the U.S. Army with the 357th Fighter Group of the 264th Fighter Squadron. His airplane crashed in Martimpré, on May 27, 1944, and he was executed by German authorities after being hidden by French citizens in Gérardmer. Lt. Post is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Date Created
ca. 2016-05-29
Coverage
Martimpré, France
Gérardmer, France
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource held by <em>L'Echo Des Vosges</em> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
External Reference
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM" target="_blank">Dean Post</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM.
"<a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">Crash du P-51 Mustang - type B-10-NA - s/n 42-106632 C5*?</a>" Franch-Crashes 39-45. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675.
"<a href="https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post" target="_blank">Missing Air Crew Reports</a>." fold3.com. https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post.
Frommer, Jean-Loup. "<a href="http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post" target="_blank">1st Ltt Post N. Dean Jr.</a>" Aérostèles. http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post.
Alternative Title
A Thought for Lt. Dean Post
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Veterans--Florida
Source
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: <em>L'Echo Des Vosges</em>, May 29, 2016.
Publisher
<em>L'Echo Des Vosges</em>
Date Copyrighted
2016-05-29
Date Issued
2016-05-29
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
274 KB
Medium
1 newspaper article
Language
fre
Type
Text
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <em>L'Echo Des Vosges</em>.
Contributing Project
Epinal Cemetery Project
Curator
Bates, Chris
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
352nd Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
364th Fighter Squadron
airplanes
André Clair
aviators
bombers
Boulevard Kelsch
Clefcy
crash
crashes
Dean N. Post, Jr.
Evelines
Gérardmer, France
Harris
KIA
killed in action
Martimpré, France
Nathan Lévy
pilots
planes
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Air Corps
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/be8afef4257693a0903b959c59b383af.jpg
db6e2e7a9355c4c7442b1141027ada6d
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
1 newspaper article
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
Post Dean, tué Froidement le 29 Mai 1944
Description
A French newspaper article about Lieutenant Dean N. Post, Jr. (1921-1944), who was killed in action in France during World War II. The article talks about the plane crash that Andre Clair witnessed as a boy, as well as the French citizens' act of defiance to protest Post's death,
Lt. Post was a pilot from Tampa, Florida, who served in the U.S. Army with the 357th Fighter Group of the 264th Fighter Squadron. His airplane crashed in Martimpré, on May 27, 1944, and he was executed by German authorities after being hidden by French citizens in Gérardmer. Lt. Post is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Coverage
Martimpré, France
External Reference
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM" target="_blank">Dean Post</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZL-TCM.
"<a href="http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675" target="_blank">Crash du P-51 Mustang - type B-10-NA - s/n 42-106632 C5*?</a>" Franch-Crashes 39-45. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=2675.
"<a href="https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post" target="_blank">Missing Air Crew Reports</a>." fold3.com. https://fold3.com/image/28628684/?terms=Dean%20Post.
Frommer, Jean-Loup. "<a href="http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post" target="_blank">1st Ltt Post N. Dean Jr.</a>" Aérostèles. http://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-gerardmer-post.
Alternative Title
Post Dean, Coldly Killed
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Veterans--Florida
Source
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article.
Date Created
ca. 2016
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
242 KB
Medium
1 newspaper article
Language
fre
Type
Text
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Epinal Cemetery Project
Curator
Bates, Chris
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Transcript
Post Dean, Cold Killing
May 29, 1944
On May 27, 1994 at 11:45, in the sky of Hautes-Vosges, combat engages in air between German and Anglo-American fighter aircrafts. This story is recounted today by André Clair who remembered that awful day: << It was a beautiful day, the children of the City Nathan Levy, play on the sidewalk of Kelsh Boulevard. Suddenly, just above, very close to the ground, many fighter planes tear the silence >>. Never were there so many planes appeared in such tight rows. The fight lasts more than an hour. We saw seven aircrafts downward and fallen in flames. The first lieutenant Post Dean managed to parachute from his plane in flames. Injured, he landed in Thalet, a town in Valtin. According to the Military History Club of Remiremont, he was treated in a house in the country, and then taken by the Germans in Gerardmer. On the 29th of May, after being interrogated at the Hotel de la Poste; he was escorted by foot, led by a sergeant, Chief Feldgendarmerie of Saint Dié, to the prison of the "Goering-Kasern" (current Kléber neighborhood). In the middle of the path on the road between the Grand’Rue and the gate of the barracks, just in front of this portal and some Géromois, the helper killed the pilot prisoner with a shot of a pistol to his back. The departmental archives specify time: 14h, and the name of Feldgendarme: Major Hiss, head of department in Saint-Dié. On May 30, the body of the American pilot, Dean Post, was handed over to French authorities and civil burial took place at the communal cemetery, German authorities have forbidden any procession and only ten people could follow the hearse. The crowd congregated in the vicinity of the tomb and despite monitoring Feldgendarmerie, many flowers are laid on the coffin. The Feldgendarmerie gave the order to all move from the grave. The tomb of the aviator was covered overnight with an impressive layer of flowers, removed by the Germans in the morning, but restarted the following night. After the war, the body of Post Dean rejoined the American cemetery of Quequement in the aisle B28-30. Today, based on the locations of the fallen aircrafts, we can collect these stones, in Clefcy, the Evelines at Martimpré.
352nd Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
364th Fighter Squadron
airplanes
André Clair
aviators
Boulevard Kelsch
Dean N. Post, Jr.
Haustes-Vosges
Hiss
KIA
killed in action
Martimpré, France
Nathan Lévy
pilots
planes
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Air Corps
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/9bbd1b07ecbf876b6e8137d4d3f056db.jpg
419744f9f39bf08a116321f8630fefad
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
Westinghouse Electric Collection
Alternative Title
Westinghouse Collection
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Description
Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its divison headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Curator
DeRosa, Peter
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
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
Westinghouse Electric W19XB-2B Jet Engine
Alternative Title
W19XB-2B Jet Engine
Subject
Engineering--United States
Aircraft--United States
Description
In March of 1943, the first U.S.-designed and -manufactured jet engine went on test for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, 15 months after the signing of a contract with the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer). This first engine, with a 19-inch intake diameter, was designated the WE19A, had a thrust of 1130 pounds, and weighed 827 pounds. This photograph shows the improved version of the first engine, the W19XB, circa 1944.<br /><br />Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Type
Still Image
Source
Original black and white diagram: <a href="http://www.afhra.af.mil/" target="_blank">Air Force Historical Research Agency</a>, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama.
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.afhra.af.mil/" target="_blank">Air Force Historical Research Agency</a>, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/169" target="_blank">Westinghouse Electric Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Referenced By
Lagasse, Paul D. "<a href="http://www.enginehistory.org/GasTurbines/Westinghouse/WestinghouseAGT.pdf" target="_blank">The Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division 1950-1960: A Case Study of the Role of Failure in Technology and Business</a>." M.A. thesis, University of Maryland at College Park, 1997, page 4.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original black and white diagram.
Coverage
Kansas City, Kansas
Contributor
Jaeger, Harry L.
Date Created
ca. 1944
Format
image/jpg
Extent
245 KB
Medium
1 black and white diagram
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Science Teacher
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>
<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>
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>.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Jaeger, Harry L.
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.afhra.af.mil/" target="_blank">Air Force Historical Research Agency</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
aircraft
airplanes
combustion chambers
compressors
exhaust nozzles
fuel manifolds
jet engines
mounting lugs
oil coolers
planes
W19XB-2B
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/641cf7e8bc26287cc7efa001d09adb41.jpg
efdb585d1c06ba23d919c55ccd70dd12
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
Westinghouse Electric Collection
Alternative Title
Westinghouse Collection
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Description
Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its divison headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Curator
DeRosa, Peter
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
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
First Flight Test of the WE19B Engine Under Chance Vought Corsair FG-1
Alternative Title
1st Flight Test WE19B
Subject
Engineering--United States
Aircraft--United States
Description
The first flight test WE19B under a Goodyear FG-1 Corsair airplane. The WE19B was a improved version of the first engine, the WE19B (later known as the J30) was flight tested in January of 1944 as a booster unit on a Chance Vought Corsair FG-1 fighter jet. The engine delivered 1365 pounds thrust and weighed 731 pounds.<br /><br />Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Type
Still Image
Source
<a href="http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2011/03/from-hero-to-zero.html" target="_blank">Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph</a>: U.S. Navy Aircraft History.
Is Part Of
<a href="http://thanlont.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">U.S. Navy Aircraft History</a>.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/169" target="_blank">Westinghouse Electric Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Coverage
Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Patuxent River, Maryland
Contributor
Jaeger, Harry L.
Date Created
1944-01
Format
image/jpg
Extent
15.8 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Mediator
History Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://thanlont.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tommy H. Thomason</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Jaeger, Harry L.
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://thanlont.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">U.S. Navy Aircraft History</a>
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Thomason, Tommy H. "<a href="http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2011/03/from-hero-to-zero.html" target="_blank">Westinghouse: From Hero to Zero</a>." U.S. NAVY AIRCRAFT HISTORY, March 21, 2011. http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2011/03/from-hero-to-zero.html.
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
aircraft
airplanes
fighter jets
Goodyear FG-1 Corsair
jet engines
planes
WE19B
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/d4b9bc5396186a443c9feee9e76ace65.jpg
c55316d89e45b0b347053979e431388e
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
Westinghouse Electric Collection
Alternative Title
Westinghouse Collection
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Description
Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its divison headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Curator
DeRosa, Peter
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
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
Westinghouse J30 Engine
Alternative Title
Westinghouse J30
Subject
Engineering--United States
Aircraft--United States
Description
Westinghouse Electric's J30 jet engine, originally known as the J19B, was a simple and robust unit with six-stage compressor, annular combustor, and single-stage turbine. The J30 initially gave 1,200 pounds of thrust, but improved to 1,600 in production versions. The engine's first flight was under a FG Corsair in January of 1944. It was developed into the smaller J32 and the Westinghouse J34, an enlarged version which produced 3,000 pounds of thrust.<br /><br />Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Type
Still Image
Source
Original black and white newspaper photograph: <a href="http://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/" target="_blank"><em>Naval Aviation News</em></a>, August 1947: <a href="http://www.history.navy.mil/" target="_blank">Naval History and Heritage Command</a>, Washington, D.C.
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.history.navy.mil/" target="_blank">Naval History and Heritage Command</a>, Washington, D.C.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/169" target="_blank">Westinghouse Electric Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.
Coverage
Kansas City, Kansas
Publisher
<a href="http://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/" target="_blank"><em>Naval Aviation News</em></a>
Contributor
Jaeger, Harry L.
Date Created
ca. 1945
Format
image/jpg
Extent
17.7 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/" target="_blank"><em>Naval Aviation News</em></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>
<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>
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>.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Jaeger, Harry L.
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.history.navy.mil/" target="_blank">Naval History and Heritage Command</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
aircraft
airplanes
J19B
J30
jet engines
planes
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/24ee3c2035a3b8f8a2748502181e1750.jpg
f5c47bf85456849d72675f5088ea22b7
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
Westinghouse Electric Collection
Alternative Title
Westinghouse Collection
Subject
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Description
Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business the The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its divison headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling, and a top-level decision to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings in the area were leased and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation of Germany in 1998, additional buildings (Quad II and Quad III) were added to the original complex at the Quadrangle. From 1998 to 2003 the Orlando operation was known as Siemens-Westinghouse, after which the name of Westinghouse was dropped. The operation has been known as Siemens from that time forward.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Curator
DeRosa, Peter
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
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
Westinghouse J34 Engine
Alternative Title
Westinghouse J34
Subject
Engineering--United States
Aircraft--United States
Air Force
Description
The Westinghouse J34 was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 pounds of thrust, twice as much as the J30. Later models produced as much as 4,900 pounds with the addition of an afterburner. The engine was first used for flight in 1947. This photograph was likely taken at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in the early 2000s.<br /><br />Originally called the Westinghouse Electric Company, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) founded his manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. In 1889, he renamed his business The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse's primary products include turbines, generators, motors and switchgear related to the generation, transmission, and use of electricity. The company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945. In 1981, the company began to relocate its division headquarters for the Steam-Turbine Generator Divisions from Pennsylvania (turbines from Lester and generators from Pittsburgh) to Orlando, Florida. The Power Generation Business Unit (PGBU) building was located in The Quadrangle, at 4400 Alafaya Trail. Originally, Westinghouse had purchased a large plot of land for future development that extended westward from Alafaya Trail to Rouse Road. The original headquarters was located on several acres of that land parcel close to Alafaya Trail.<br /><br />As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation, additional buildings were added to the complex. In 1994, after a major corporate management shuffling and commitment to change from an industrial manufacturing company to primarily a broadcasting/communications company, Westinghouse bought the CBS Network and changed its name to the CBS Corporation. As the PGBU grew in size, other buildings were rented and then, after PGBU was sold to Siemens Corporation in 1998, additional buildings were added to the Quadrangle.
Type
Still Image
Source
Original color photograph: <a href="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/index.asp" target="_blank">Wright-Patterson Air Force Base</a>, Ohio.
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/index.asp" target="_blank">Wright-Patterson Air Force Base</a>, Ohio.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/169" target="_blank">Westinghouse Electric Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original color photograph.
Coverage
National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio
Contributor
Jaeger, Harry L.
Date Created
ca. 2005-10-21
Format
image/jpg
Extent
19.7 KB
Medium
1 color photograph
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
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>
<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>
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>.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Jaeger, Harry L.
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History" target="_blank">History</a>." Westinghouse Nuclear. http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/About/History.
"<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422" target="_blank">Westinghouse Power Generation Booklet</a>." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/6422.
aircraft
airplanes
J34
jet engines
planes
turbojets
U.S Air Force
USAF
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/4a31e2436324c921e5d9c510feffd973.png
55e7b147156a69947ac1cdfc3f321813
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/8a7731a7310d4fff6e498062e47bc871.mp4
34994d1e9770a7e6b7e0d129fa736cc5
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
Orlando City Hall Collection
Alternative Title
City Hall Collection
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
City halls--United States
Description
Historic artifacts from an exhibit created by Orlando Remembered at the Orlando City Hall, located at 400 South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This exhibit houses objects relating to Orlando's municipal government. The current building opened in July of 1991. The former city hall was located directly in front of current building and was in operation from 1958 to 1991. The exhibit features photographs and memorabilia from past Orlando mayors dating back to 1932.<br /><br />Orlando Remembered is a community based group, dedicated to the preservation of Downtown Orlando's past. To date, the group has constructed 18 exhibits in the downtown area that highlight the current building's connection to the past.
Contributor
Orlando Remembered
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/106" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered Collection</a>, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection. RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando City Hall, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
Orlando Remembered
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Barnes, Mark
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
"<a href="http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/" target="_blank">The Historic Icons of Orlando</a>." Orlando Remembered. http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/.
Bacon, Eve. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2020029" target="_blank"><em>Orlando: A Centennial History</em></a>. Chuluota, Fla: Mickler House, 1975.
Rajtar, Steve. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70911136" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Moving Image
A series of visual representations that, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion.
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
Action Center USA
Alternative Title
Action Center USA
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Sports--Florida
Tourism--Florida
Description
An advertisement produced to showcase the advent of mid-century modernism in Orlando, Florida. The film depicts marketing strategies aimed at attracting white middle-to-upper class men in either military or defense technology engineering professions. It emphasizes the economic, cultural, and social changes taking place within Orlando that make it an ideal place to raise a family and to live a fulfilling life. The film also depicts developments and signs of growth that occurred in Orlando before the Walt Disney World Resort opened.
Type
Moving Image
Source
Original 14-minute and 28-second color film: <a href="https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/232384" target="_blank"><em>Action Center USA</em></a>. Directed by Grant Gravitt (Orlando, FL: Tel Air Interests, Inc.): <a href="http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_Researchers.cfm" target="_blank">State Library and Archives of Florida</a>, Tallahassee, Florida.
Is Part Of
<a href="http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_Researchers.cfm" target="_blank">State Library and Archives of Florida</a>, Tallahassee, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/20" target="_blank">Orlando Collection</a>, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 14-minute and 28-second color film: <a href="https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/232384" target="_blank"><em>Action Center USA</em></a>. Directed by Grant Gravitt (Orlando, FL: Tel Air Interests, Inc.).
Coverage
Cape Kennedy, Titusville, Florida
McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida
Central Florida Museum, Orlando, Florida
Loch Haven Art Center, Orlando, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Colonial Plaza Mall, Orlando, Florida
Date Created
ca. 1960-1969
Format
video/mp4
Extent
98.4 MB
Medium
14-minute and 28-second color film
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Geography Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_Researchers.cfm" target="_blank">State Library and Archives of Florida</a>, and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Orlando Remembered
Curator
Wolf, Casey
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="http://www.floridamemory.com/" target="_blank">Florida Memory</a>
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_Researchers.cfm" target="_blank">State Library and Archives of Florida</a>
External Reference
Dickinson, Joy Wallace. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53872607" target="_blank"><em>Orlando: City of Dreams</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
Antequino, Stephanie Gaub, and Tana Mosier Porter. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/783150094" target="_blank"><em>Lost Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2012.
airplanes
airports
amusement parks
Arnold Daniel Palmer
Arnold Palmer
arts
automobiles
baseballs
Billy Kelly
boating
boats
Bruce Devlin
Bruce William Devlin
Cape Kennedy
cars
Central Florida Museum
chambers of commerce
church
churches
citrus
citrus groves
Citrus Open Golf Tournament
City Beautiful
City of Orlando
cold war
colleges
Colonial Plaza Mall
Commerce
County of Orange
Dean Refram
Delta Air Lines
dog racing
Doug Sanders
Downtown Orlando
Eastern Air Lines
Elegant Company
festivals
Florida Symphony Orchestra
Florida Technological University
footballs
FTU
George Alfred Christian Knudson
George Douglas Sanders
George Knudson
Glover
golf
golfers
Graduate Engineering Education System
Grant Gravitt
Herndon Municipal Airport
highways
I-4
industrial parks
Interstate 4
jai alai
Jim Carlton
Joan Roberts
Julius Boros
Julius Nicholas Boros
Lake Eola
Lake Eola Park
libraries
library
Loch Haven Art Center
Mad Tea Party
manufacturing
marching bands
Martin Marietta Corporation
McCoy AFB
McCoy Air Force Base
McCoy Jetport
Minnesota Twins
Minute Maid Company
monorails
motor vehicles
National Airlines
orange county
Orange County School System
oranges
orchestras
orlando
Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce
Orlando businesses
Orlando Central Park
Orlando Junior College
Orlando Panthers
Orlando Public Library
Orlando Twins
paintings
parks
planes
Player
retail
roads
Rollins College
Rule
schools
Seven Dwarfs
shopping
shopping malls
shops
space
space age
space race
sports
Spring Training
stores
Sunny Fader
synagogues
Tangerine Bowl
technology
Tel Air Interests, Inc.
theme parks
Tupperware Brands
UF
University of Florida
Vanda Cosmetics
Walt Disney
Walt Disney World Resort
Walter Elias Disney
water skiing
Weiskopf
Winter Park
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
Xerox Corporation
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/a45db057634d10412b5ad228676a42cf.JPG
488b6af21989106ff15bd3f01780b3f7
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
Orlando City Hall Collection
Alternative Title
City Hall Collection
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
City halls--United States
Description
Historic artifacts from an exhibit created by Orlando Remembered at the Orlando City Hall, located at 400 South Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This exhibit houses objects relating to Orlando's municipal government. The current building opened in July of 1991. The former city hall was located directly in front of current building and was in operation from 1958 to 1991. The exhibit features photographs and memorabilia from past Orlando mayors dating back to 1932.<br /><br />Orlando Remembered is a community based group, dedicated to the preservation of Downtown Orlando's past. To date, the group has constructed 18 exhibits in the downtown area that highlight the current building's connection to the past.
Contributor
Orlando Remembered
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/106" target="_blank">Orlando Remembered Collection</a>, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection. RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Orlando City Hall, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Contributing Project
Orlando Remembered
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Barnes, Mark
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
"<a href="http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/" target="_blank">The Historic Icons of Orlando</a>." Orlando Remembered. http://www.historiciconsoforlando.com/.
Bacon, Eve. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2020029" target="_blank"><em>Orlando: A Centennial History</em></a>. Chuluota, Fla: Mickler House, 1975.
Rajtar, Steve. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70911136" target="_blank"><em>A Guide to Historic Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2006.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
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
B-52G Model from McCoy Air Force Base
Alternative Title
B-52G Model from McCoy AFB
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Aircraft--United States
Description
A model of a B-52G bomber plane from McCoy Air Force Base. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long range, heavy bomber that entered military service in 1955. The primary role and purpose of the B-52 was strategic bombing and nuclear deterrence; two roles that were essential for a Cold War bomber. From 1952 to 1962, Boeing Company produced 744 B-52s. Out of those 744 B-52s built, 193 were G models.<br /><br />In 1961, McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida, acquired the B-52. McCoy Air Force base was a key strategic base for the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC). SAC was in charge of all strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles within the continental United States. With the B-52 located at such a strategic Air Force base, it was capable of performing one of its main roles, nuclear deterrence.
Type
Physical Object
Source
Original model airplane: Orlando Remembered Exhibit, <a href="http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-hall-hours-directions/" target="_blank">Orlando City Hall/a&gt</a>
, Orlando, Florida.
Is Part Of
Orlando Remembered Exhibit, <a href="http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-hall-hours-directions/" target="_blank">Orlando City Hall</a>, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/173" target="_blank">Orlando City Hall Collection</a>, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Original color digital image, 2016.
Coverage
McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida
Date Created
ca. 1961-1975
Format
image/jpg
Extent
279 KB
Medium
1 model airplane
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="https://www.thehistorycenter.org/" target="_blank">Orange County Regional History Center</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Orlando Remembered
Curator
Pacheco, Alexander
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=8e422c1d-95dd-40cf-b132-70355e932d0f%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3D%3D#AN=87994690&db=ers" target="_blank">B-52</a>." <em>Encyclopædia Britannica Research Starters</em>, EBSCOhost (accessed January 28, 2016). http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=8e422c1d-95dd-40cf-b132-70355e932d0f%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=87994690&db=ers.
Evans, John C. "<a href="http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/McCoy_AFB.htm" target="_blank">Pinecastle / McCoy Air Force Base</a>." Strategic-Air-Command.com. http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/McCoy_AFB.htm.
"<a href="http://www.stratofortress.org/history.htm" target="_blank">History</a>." B52 Stratofortress Association. B-52 Stratofortress Association. http://www.stratofortress.org/history.htm.
aircraft
airplanes
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
McCoy AFB
McCoy Air Force Base
planes
SAC
Strategic Air Command
strategic bombers
U.S. Air Force
USAF
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/a537622c60ad6b78d72d7ed1a4c0d04d.jpg
5b42618e91f8c5218d1d2bfe539288dc
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
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
Missing Air Crew Report for Second Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee
Alternative Title
Missing Air Crew Report for 2nd Lt. Doyle Nee
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Veterans--Florida
Description
A Missing Air Crew Report for Second Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee (1921-1944). This report was completed by Captain Lawrence W. Pool on October 3, 1944. 2nd Lt. Nee (1921-1944) was an alumnus of Pensacola High School in Pensacola, Florida. He married one of his classmates before joining the U.S. Army Air Forces' (USAAF) 367th Fighter Squadron of the 358th Fighter Group during World War II. 2nd Lt. Nee became a skilled airplane pilot and participated in many battles throughout France during his career. His life came to an end on October 2, 1944, when a friendly airplane struck his plane, and he evacuated the aircraft without a parachute near Faulquemont, France. 2nd Lt. Nee is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Type
Text
Source
Digital reproduction of original 1-page typewritten report by Lawrence W. Pool, October 3, 1944.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Original 1-page typewritten report by Lawrence W. Pool, October 3, 1944: <a href="https://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park" target="_blank">National Archives at College Park</a>, College Park, Maryland.
Coverage
Faulquemont, France
Creator
Pool, Lawrence W.
Date Created
1944-10-03
Format
image/jpg
Extent
Medium
1-page typewritten report
Language
eng
Audience
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Lawrence W. Pool.
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><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>This resource 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>.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial Project
Curator
Guild, Victoria
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="https://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park" target="_blank">National Archives at College Park</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56374483" target="_blank">1Lt Doyle Fleming Nee</a>." Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56374483.
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SRN1-GT2" target="_blank">F Doyle Nee</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SRN1-GT2..
"Missing Air Crew Report for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee." RICHES of Central Florida.
"Missing Air Crew Report Statement for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee." RICHES of Central Florida.
358th Fighter Group
367th Fighter Squadron
aircraft
airplanes
Doyle Fleming Nee
Faulquemont, France
John E. Molen
Lawrence W. Pool
MIA
missing in action
pilots
planes
Robert R. Ueeck
second lieutenants
U.S. Army Air Force
USAAF
veterans
World War II
WWII
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/cb6d53b343d215a8044adb200979a8f6.jpg
d5dd51243d7e3da601440785b20cf780
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
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project Collection
Alternative Title
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Subject
Cemeteries--Europe
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Army
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES</a>.
<a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida-France Soldier Stories Project</a>.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Dinozé, France
Contributing Project
Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Curator
Barnes, Mark
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Epinal Project- by Students of History 357: The Second World War</a>." University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://history.wisc.edu/epinal_project.htm (accessed January 3, 2015).
Description
<p><span>The </span>Florida-France Soldier Stories<span>project seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.</span></p>
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
Missing Air Crew Report Statement for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee
Alternative Title
Missing Air Crew Report for 1st Lt. Doyle Nee
Subject
World War II, 1939-1945
Veterans--Florida
Description
A Missing Air Crew Report Statement for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee (1921-1944). This statement was completed by John E. Molen on October 2, 1944. 1st Lt. Nee (1921-1944) was an alumnus of Pensacola High School in Pensacola, Florida. He married one of his classmates before joining the U.S. Army Air Forces' (USAAF) 367th Fighter Squadron of the 358th Fighter Group during World War II. 1st Lt. Nee became a skilled airplane pilot and participated in many battles throughout France during his career. His life came to an end on October 2, 1944, when a friendly airplane struck his plane, and he evacuated the aircraft without a parachute near Faulquemont, France. 1st Lt. Nee is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Dinozé, France.
Type
Text
Source
Digital reproduction of original 1-page typewritten statement by John E. Molen, October 2, 1944.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/172" target="_blank">Epinal American Cemetery Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Has Format
Original 1-page typewritten report by John E. Molen, October 2, 1944: <a href="https://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park" target="_blank">National Archives at College Park</a>, College Park, Maryland.
Coverage
Faulquemont, France
Creator
Molen, John E.
Date Created
1944-10-02
Format
image/jpg
Extent
Medium
1-page typewritten statement
Language
eng
Audience
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by John E. Molen.
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><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>This resource 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>.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial Project
Curator
Guild, Victoria
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="https://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park" target="_blank">National Archives at College Park</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56374483" target="_blank">1Lt Doyle Fleming Nee</a>." Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&
GRid=56374483.
"<a href="https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SRN1-GT2" target="_blank">F Doyle Nee</a>." FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SRN1-GT2..
"Missing Air Crew Report for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee." RICHES of Central Florida.
"Missing Air Crew Report Statement for First Lieutenant Doyle Fleming Nee." RICHES of Central Florida.
358th Fighter Group
367th Fighter Squadron
aircraft
airplanes
Doyle Fleming Nee
Faulquemont, France
John E. Molen
MIA
missing in action
pilots
planes
Robert R. Ueeck
second lieutenants
U.S. Army Air Force
USAAF
veterans
World War II
WWII