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Marie Edwards talks about her work as a civilian employee at Camp Hale, Colorado, headquarters of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, during World War II. She describes life at the camp, ski training for soldiers, and post-war reunions on Tennessee Pass of soldiers and others who spent time there. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and...
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Billy Weil talks about his service in the U.S. Army before and during World War II. This interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado and the Mesa County Historical Society.
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John Sigmon discusses his experiences as a U.S. Navy seaman at the attack on Pearl Harbor, and as a Chief Gunners Mate on a submarine that fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
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John Andrew Sigmon describes lying about his age so that he could join the US Navy in 1931. He tells about life in the Navy and working on destroyers prior to World War II, and about transferring to submarine duty just prior to US involvement in World War II. He talks about being stationed in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and about receiving commendation for shooting down a Japanese plane on December 7, 1941. He describes submarine munitions,...
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Jack Williams, an automotive dealer and realtor from Grand Junction, Colorado, talks about his experiences in World War II’s Pacific Theater. He describes sitting on the deck of a destroyer in Pearl Harbor when the bombing began on December 7, 1941. He describes the aerial attack by Japanese forces, the mobilization of US Naval forces, and receiving credit for the downing of a Japanese plane. He discusses engaging with Japanese submarines in the...
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Julia Harris discusses hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when she was hosting a Republican Party event for a special congressional election at her home on the Grand Mesa. She describes finding out about the bombing from the radio and from a local telephone operator who called people in the region to inform them. She talks about younger relatives of hers who joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor, about the general absence...
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Don Burgess talks about enlisting in the US Army during World War II, receiving basic training as a gunner on B-17’s and B-24’s, and being stationed in England with the Army Air Corps. He describes his first bombing mission, a raid over Berlin. He speaks about his grade school years in Montrose and Grand Junction, about playing high school and college sports, and about playing on a conference-champion football team at Mesa Junior College during...
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Mary talks about her early childhood in Kansas as one of nine children and her family's move to Colorado upon the death of her father. Mary details the train and its passengers during the move, including Russian immigrants coming to work the beet fields, and her mother's outreach. She mentions her mothers career training riding horses as a way to support the family. She talks about her relationships, children, and the struggle she faced trying to...
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Al Look talks about his reaction to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He speaks about his son’s service in the Navy during World War II. He reminisces about his own service in the US Navy as a gunner’s mate during World War I and about the mobilization of resources for the war effort in the United States. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums...
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In this interview with Bill McKelvie and a student, Marion Bain tells about her life including details about her administrative position at Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp, and her work as a cryptographer during World War II.
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Thatcher Shaw discusses his time spent as a US Army lawyer processing claims by German civilians for damages caused by American soldiers during the allied occupation of Germany after World War ll, and his later work as a judge under US civilian control. He also recounts his memory of the Yalta Conference, and talks about the Nuremberg Trials, which he attended on numerous occasions. This recording is made available via signed release by the Mesa County...
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Dave Hinkle talks about coming to Western Colorado in the 1920’s, riding the rails in search of work, dealing with the railyard “bulls,” working the peach harvests in Palisade, and working for the railroad in ice cars packed with peaches. He recalls other jobs he held, including the Star mail route from Dragon Mountain to Somerset, ranch work for the D.R.C. Brown Ranch on Muddy Creek, and herding sheep on the Uncompahgre. He speaks about the...
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Earl Laycock talks about running the Laycock Motor Company with his brother Austin Laycock in the 1920’s and 1930’s. He speaks about the role the Post Office played in financing car buyers when local banks closed during the Depression, and about giving driving lessons to new car owners. He describes working as a mechanic for Consolidated Steel in Long Beach during World War II, after rationing made the sale of new cars difficult. He discusses...
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Grace Traynor talks about her son Harold Baker Wood and his service as a Boatswain’s Mate aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She discusses her son’s death during the attack and subsequent medals he received. She speaks about the enlistment of her sons in the armed forces during the Great Depression, when jobs were scarce, and about their lives in Grand Junction as young adults. The interview was conducted...
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Rosemary Kitson talks about the death of her older brother during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the devastation it caused her family. She talks about her journey to Hawaii to memorialize her brother during his reburial in a veterans cemetery. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado. *Photograph from the 1950 Colorado...
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Vesta Fitzpatrick speaks about a railroad accident that occurred west of the town of New Castle, Colorado around 1900. She talks about her father, a Union Civil War veteran. She discusses poetry and short stories that she wrote about her youth. She remembers working in a rooming house in Uravan for workers from Oakridge, Tennessee during secretive mining for the first atomic bomb, and receiving a letter of appreciation for her work after the first...
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Lloyd Bullington talks about his enlistment in the Army 18th Engineers just prior to US involvement in World War II, his recruitment into the then new 804 Engineers, and constructing a runway in Kauai at the time of Pearl Harbor. He discusses his experiences building runways in contested areas just behind the front lines in the Pacific Theater. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries...
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Thatcher Shaw, a foot soldier and occupation lawyer during and after World War II, talks about the reaction of people in the United States to the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He speaks about attitudes towards German and Japanese people at the start of the war. He discusses his experiences as a private and officer during World War II. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County...
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Mabel Cowden discusses her pioneer father, who owned a stagecoach line in Meeker and Rifle, Colorado, and her pioneer mother, who was active in the community and Methodist church affairs of Rifle. She goes into her education as a teacher and her teaching position in Harvey Gap. She talks about meeting her fiance, his service during World War I, and about the service of her brother, sons and grandsons in other wars. She also talks about raising a family...
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Mrs. Rose Perry relates her son’s experience on the U.S.S. Helena, a Brooklyn-class light cruiser used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater of World War II. The Helena was one of the cruisers attacked in Pearl Harbor, and was directly torpedoed by the Japanese. The Helena survived the attack and was assigned to assist in the Guadalcanal campaign. It helped to destroy several Japanese aircraft and battleships and contributed to American victories...