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Mildred MacGregor was born November 2nd, 1912 in Detroit, Michigan. After graduating from Hamtramck High School in 1931, she got her Registered Nurse Degree from St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1934. She did Private Nursing Duty for eight years at the University of Michigan and St. Joseph Mercy Hospitals until World War II was declared on December 7, 1941. Mildred joined the United States Army Nurse Corp on October 30, 1942 and went overseas on December 7, 1942. She served with the Third Auxiliary Surgical Group, a new experiment in war to operate close to the front line, as a surgical nurse to save severely wounded soldiers who might not otherwise survive. She served in the Tunisian, Sicilian, Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe Campaigns. She was discharged in February of 1946. Her decorations and citations include: Meritorious Unit Badge, American Theatre Ribbon, EAME Theatre Ribbon w/one Silver Battle Star and two Bronze Battle Stars, five Overseas Service Bars, and the Victory Medal. ASR score on September 2, 1945, was 102.
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Doris Maleski was born May 20, 1921 in Willis, Michigan. She was an important member of the "Rosie the Riveter" generation war effort. Doris started out as the manager of a small grocery store that predated the super market. Her brother suggested that she get a job at the bomber plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan which she did in the spring of 1942. Doris started her work in the tool crib. One day one of the foremen asked if she could work on the line. As long as they would train her, she was willing. She drilled the holes for the brackets that held the oxygen system. She became confident-very quickly, but too confident. After a few weeks on the job, she made a mistake and drilled a hole in the wrong place. She was sure that she had ruined the entire plane. When she told her foreman, he merely laughed. He pointed out that everything got inspected down the line and any mistake would be set aside for correction later. In spite of his assurance, Doris was upset all day. After that she never again became too confident. Doris lived only 11 miles from the plant. She would ride to work with her brother. Soon after taking the job, she bought her first (used) car. The owner was going into the service and did not want to leave it unused until he got home. So, Doris bought is for $1,100. Since she only had $800, she went to the bank for a loan. Since her father was an official of the bank, Doris got her loan. Soon she was driving three others neighbors to and from the plant. There were always rumors about the plant being a target for the enemy. Although she was not frightened, she was encouraged to take a first aid class in the plant. Doris also bought and sold War Bonds. They came in handy when she and her husband were building their house. The plant had only one plane crash while being tested, which is phenomenal when considering all of the planes that were made at the Willow Run plant. Her father used to tease her and would say he was going to hide in the house when the planes came over because he never knew which she worked on. Doris' finance was in an Army Anti-Aircraft unit on Long Island. When he was scheduled to go overseas, the War ended. They waited until the War ended to get married because her father was against them marrying in Wartime. Doris' husband worked two jobs most of their married life. In the morning, he worked as a milk trucker who took the milk from farmers to the dairy, and in the afternoon, he worked as on automobile mechanic. He died suddenly of a heart attack. A few years ago, Doris met a pilot who flew the Liberators. He praised them saying they were very reliable. Doris was also present at the Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti when the "Rosie the Riveter" stamp was released. She is especially proud of the Museum and hopes to place her very extensive scrapbooks there when the new museum is built.
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Atwood McAndrew Jr. was born on July 2, 1920 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In his senior year of college, Atwood enlisted in January, 1942 and was allowed to graduate in May. He was sent to Notre Dame, Indiana for indoctrination and then to Tower Hall in Chicago, Illinois for three months and came out as a line officer. Atwood was allowed home for Christmas and after New Year’s Day was sent down to Miami for training in anti-submarine tactics. He was then taken to Quebec to commission the U.S.S. Haste as a stores officer. Progress was delayed because the St. Lawrence River was frozen, but they set out for Boston after two months. Atwood returned to Miami, Florida for more schooling and after two months was sent to Norfolk, Virginia to become an anti-submarine and gunnery officer on the DE48 U.S.S. Doppler. The Doppler's job was to escort convoys made up of Liberty ships across the Atlantic to North Africa and the Mediterranean. It usually took three weeks to cross due to the speed of the Liberty ships. Atwood remembers that on their first trip they watched the film "Casablanca" and then landed in Casablanca in North Africa. Other ports in which the Doppler docked included: Tangier, Oran, Algiers, Tunis, Bizerte, Gibraltar and Palermo. The Doppler's convoys never lost a ship, distinguishing the Doppler as the first escort to not lose a ship in the Mediterranean. One event that stuck out in Atwood's memory is when the Doppler was attacked near southern France by torpedo bombers. The Doppler crew was able to shoot one bomber down. The Doppler also served as a submarine target ship in New London, Connecticut for two months. The Doppler was decommissioned at the Brooklyn Ship Yard at the end of the war. Atwood was transferred as a lieutenant serving as executive officer to the DE102 U.S.S. Thomas which served as a mother ship to a captured German U-Boat. The Thomas was involved in the Seventh Bond Tour that sailed from Norfolk, Virginia to Key West, Florida to the coast of Texas. The Thomas was decommissioned in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Atwood was mustered up to Chicago, Illinois where he was transferred to the Naval Reserve on April 13, 1946, ending his service. -
Vance joined the service right after high school. He was always fascinated with airplanes. After basic he volunteered for K-9 duty. He had to go through Air Police training and then Sentry Dog School. He was assigned to guarding B-52s in Oklahoma before being sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Vance patrolled the perimeter of the base with his dog, Dutch. He and Dutch went through training together. Dogs were trained to detect intruders and also Booby Traps. Sentry duty lasted all night and they were responsible for the integrity of the base. Handlers would alert the Air Police when an intruder was detected. Although Vance's unit received a Presidential Citation and an Outstanding Unit Award with the V device for Valor, he was most proud of the Good Conduct Medal. In the Air Force, a person needed good conduct for three years, which he admits was difficult. Vance had a difficult time transferring Dutch to another handler. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Dutch." After Vietnam, Vance was again sent to Oklahoma to guard armed aircraft. Upon discharge, Vance returned to Michigan and eventually retired as a Supervisor at AT&T. Vance is married and has two children and eight grandchildren. After his retirement from AT&T, he took a job at Milan Precision. Vance is very active in the community and in Vietnam organizations. -
Edward McLogan was born in Flint, Michigan on April 2, 1920. He entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1942. He was eventually sent to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. Since he was single at the time and 23, he volunteered for Merrill's Marauders. He spent time in Burma on some very dangerous assignments. At one battle, Lt. McLogan decided to pull his platoon back to a less vulnerable position. At dawn they heard cries of "Banzai" and Death to the Americans." The Japanese followed with a barrage of grenades on the position previously held by Lt. McLogan's platoon. They let the Japanese come down to within 15 yards before opening up. The discharge of 40+ weapons was devastating to the Japanese. During his service, Ted received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantry Badge. He is a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame. Ted was a Captain and later in the Michigan Army Reserves was promoted to Major.
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While in college at Eastern Michigan University, Jack joined the Naval Air Reserve. He received a notice from the Ypsilanti Draft Board in August 1951 and volunteered the for a two-year term in the U.S. Army. Jack was inducted into the army at Fort Custer in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After basic training, Jack received his military occupational specialty as a cryptographer. After going through cryptography school, he was kept on as an instructor for a while. Then Jack received his Far Eastern Command and traveled to Camp Stockton, California where he boarded a troop ship for a 17-day trip to Camp Drake, Japan. He was assigned to the battalion headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. While in Japan, Jack was on the Honor Guard, in charge of quarters, and played on both the company and battalion basketball teams. Jack returned to teaching in Michigan after his tour of duty was completed. He obtained his masters from the University of Michigan and his doctoral degree from Michigan State University. Later on, he went on to work for Michigan State University, the Michigan Department of Education, and finally Eastern Michigan University where he retired in 1992.
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Harvey C. Morrison was born on January 28, 1925 in the city of Prairie Depot, Ohio. He volunteered at the draft board in Flat Rock, Michigan when he turned 19 in 1944. He received basic training for six weeks at Camp Hood, Texas. Then Morrison volunteered for airborne training, which he received at Fort Benning, Georgia. After this, he went to Fort Bragg where he was assigned to the 17th Airborne Division. His division went to England in late May to act as replacements, if needed. They parachuted into France after D-Day, but were well past their target due to flak and loss of altitude. It took three days to regroup with other airborne units after encountering little German resistance. Assignments while in France included holding bridges and train yards and disarming infrastructure. The 17th Airborne Division was set up in St.-Saens, France, from which they proceeded on foot to Germany. When the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes got underway, the 17th was sent in as replacements for the 101st and 82nd Airborne in Bastogne, Belgium. Morrison remembers the severe fighting and even more severe weather, which was made worse by their lack of winter gear. He was wounded in Bastogne but soon returned to full service. He carried a standard rifle along with a BAR and a Bazooka (used to take out German emplacements). He received Special Forces training and was authorized to wear a "T" under his Corporal bars. His company crossed the Rhine in a glider and secured Wesel, Germany. From there they went to Hamburg and Dusseldorf, encountering slow house to house fighting. Along with 17 other men, Harvey captured the son of a German diplomat named Von Poven in the Ruhr Valley. In April they began occupation training in Dusseldorf. It was there that they received word of Germany's surrender and were sent to Nancy, France to receive training to go to Japan. Three days out on their way to Japan, the atomic bomb was dropped and the men began to go home. Harvey returned home in January to a parade in New York along with his division. From there, he returned to Fort Bragg and was called back into service before the outbreak of the Korean War. His job was to handle reservist and draft papers in Fort Wayne near Detroit and Battle Creek, Michigan. Due to his and his wife's stay in hospitals, Harvey was not sent over to Korea during the conflict. Harvey was awarded the bronze star for meritorious service.
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Austin Norton was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan on June 15, 1924. His family was in the florist business, in which he admits he had no interest. After completing high school, he enrolled in Michigan Normal, later becoming Eastern Michigan University. While at EMU, he took courses that covered weather predicting. When he was drafted, they placed him in the Navy. After extensive training in weather forecasting, he was assigned to an aircraft carrier, the USS Bunker Hill. His job was to forecast weather for the flights. The Bunker Hill was the Flag Ship for the Admiral. On May 11, 1945, at sea near Okinawa, his ship came under attack. Sensing the critical moments of WWII, the Japanese began using their planes and pilots for Kamikaze attacks. Nobody saw the planes coming. Two huge explosions rocked the ship. The first plane hit the flight deck. The second hit the super structure close to where Austin was working as weather engineer. There were explosions all over the ship. Austin was trapped inside a burning area. He was able to free himself eventually and then helped the crew fight the fires. The carrier burned for 24 hours. The ship was eventually returned to Hawaii. Austin was discharged in March, 1946. He returned to Michigan and enrolled at Michigan State University, where he met his wife, Dorothy. He majored in Horticulture. He eventually went into the family florist business. Austin still feels honored by being invited to participate in a special recognition for the crewmen of the USS Bunker Hill. He was the only member of the original crew that was physically able to travel. He currently lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with his wife Dorothy.
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Martin Nurkkanen was born October 20, 1920 in Kaleva, Michigan. He was married in 1942 and in 1943 his son was born. Martin was then drafted into the army in February of 1943. He received basic training in Little Rock, Arkansas at Camp Robinson and then went on to Camp Phillips for additional training and finally Arizona for desert maneuvers. At the time of training, his unit, the 80th Infantry was to be deployed to North Africa, but by the time they were ready to deploy, that front was closed. Instead, Martin went with the 80th over to Europe on the Queen Mary, and then on to France. Martin’s unit landed at Omaha Beach, after the D-Day invasion, and proceeded through France. While at the Falaise Gap, Martin narrowly escaped being killed by a German shell by jumping into a ditch. The blast left his backpack in shreds and he was injured by the shrapnel. After being treated for his injuries, he was told he could choose not to go back to the front lines, but he decided to rejoin the 80th as he believed they still had a job to finish, and he wanted to help finish it. Along with the 80th, Martin relieved troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Martin’s unit crossed into Germany, liberating a concentration camp and then went on into Czechoslovakia. After the war ended, Martin traveled back to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin and was discharged. He then returned to his job at Ford Motor Company as a quality control employee.
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Daniel O'Donnell enlisted in the Navy when he was 18 years old. He spent eight years in the Regular Navy and five years in the Naval Reserves. After boot camp, Daniel became a gunner controller. He like the Navy in spite of the primitive living quarters. They slept in hammocks. During his time on the Arkansas, they escorted supply ships across the Atlantic. In November of 1944 they took Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Casablanca and Tehran. They also returned him to the United States in December of that year. Daniel was assigned to the USS Iowa which was assigned to support the highly vulnerable "baby carriers." As the war ended, Daniel's ship shelled southern Kyushu Island. When the war ended, Daniel's ship entered Tokyo Bay as part of the surrender ceremonies. Daniel returned home and was discharged. He eventually retired to Fox Run Residential Center in Novi, Michigan.
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Prior to being drafted, Don had been in pharmacy school in Grand Rapids, MI for two years. After being drafted in January 1942, he received basic training at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. He then went to pharmacy training, and into the army specialized training program (ASTP) for engineering. It was held at Kansas State College and it lasted nine months. Other programs included were foreign language and medicine. It was a large program but it was eventually closed down because the army needed the manpower to serve overseas. After several more camps for training, he was sent to Camp Shanks in New York in October of 1944. From here he was sent overseas in a navy convoy of 25-30 ships including several destroyers. His job overseas as combat engineer was connected with the 3rd army under General Patton. His unit’s job was to build and repair bridges and structures and to handle water purification units for the infantry. They welded repairs on bridges to allow for tanks use and they picked up minefields. This was done very carefully, and often with bayonets. Don landed at La Havre and then moved into Luxembourg. There they came under fire. General Patton was moving so fast that they couldn’t keep enough gas in the mechanized tanks and keep the troops completely supplied. Don stayed with General Patton’s unit all the way across the Rhine River and into southeastern Germany. Later, he went into Austria and eventually ended up in, what was then, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic today). One story he recounts is of a Hungarian gunboat that was captured as it came up the Danube River. It was escaping the Russians, but it was caught by his unit. They joked that they had captured the entire Hungarian Navy. After the war ended, he was in Passau, an old German city, from May to November of 1945. They were occupying the area, as well as building barracks and housing for civilian refugees in Regensburg, a nearby town also in Germany. His route home was from Marseilles, France into the Strait of Gibraltar and out to sea. The voyage was not uneventful as they ran into a storm near the Azores and the ships power blew out. The flue on their ship’s boiler had blown. Luckily, another ship came along, gave them a new flue and helped them with repairs, and then they were on their way back to the US. They then landed at Newport News, VA. His last stop was at Camp Henry Harrison in Indiana and then he was separated from the army and sent home. He returned to Michigan in January 1946, and by February he was back at school. He finished his pharmacy degree at the University of Michigan on the GI Bill. He graduated a year and a half later and became a pharmacist in Ann Arbor.