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Robert Parks enlisted in the Marines following graduation from High School. He volunteered for the Paratroopers. He was especially interested in the extra $50 per month that was paid to paratroopers at that time. Bob eventually became a flame thrower operator. After his basic training, he was sent to the South Pacific. He participated in battles at Guadalcanal, Vella Lavella, Bougainville, and Iwo Jima. Bob describes Iwo Jima in detail. He said that after 120 days of bombing and shelling, the Japanese only lost 125 men. They were so entrenched in caves that the bombing did little or no harm. Bob mentioned that the historic flag raising took place before the Island was completely secured. He was part of a replacement unit that was sent to the other side of the island. It was there that he was shot in the leg. His buddy, Jim Cleveland carried him 150 yards to an Aid Station. His unit, as others, was happy about the Japanese surrender after dropping the Atomic Bomb. It seemed everyone was ready to prepare for the invasion of the mainland of Japan.
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Paulo Pereira was born in Passos, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He received a scholarship to go to school where he learned English. After school, he traveled to Italy where he met Americans who, in 1964, convinced him to go to the United States. In order to get a permanent resident visa to live in the U.S. he needed a job. Paulo made a connection with the foreign student advisor at the University of San Francisco. He got a job because he knew Spanish and Portuguese. However, part of his permanent visa meant that he could be drafted after living for six months in America. Paulo's job was to teach Portuguese at a Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Eventually, he was drafted into the Armed Forces. He was sent to Oakland, California for induction. In February 1967, Paulo was ordered to Georgia. A recruiter offered him the choice of his duty if he promised to stay an extra year in the service, increasing the term to three years. He agreed and chose to pursue chemical, biological, and nuclear warfare. He was approached to apply as an officer, but forgot about it. Paulo then got orders to go to Vietnam. Paulo chose to visit his family in Brazil before going to Vietnam. He decided to inform them of his tour in Vietnam after he was three months in. He then returned to Fort Hood, Texas. Upon arrival, he was promoted to Lieutenant. His orders to go to Vietnam were cancelled by President Nixon, and so Paulo missed the Tet Offensive. He was ordered to restart training with a year of service and was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Consequently, his salary went up considerably. Paulo was assigned to the Signal Corps and learned about communications. He also chose to undergo airborne training. He was given new orders to Vietnam as a tactical communications officer attached to an artillery unit. After arriving north of Saigon, a colonel recognized his ability to speak Portuguese. His orders were changed and he joined a group of Portuguese speaking officers in headquarters. Paulo became a part of a one-star general's staff and was in charge of communications. Eventually, Paulo was sent to Saigon to replace a lieutenant. There, he learned about the country and the war from the local people and became fascinated with the ideological struggle against Communism. For rest and recreation, he went to Japan. While in an Army hospital for minor health issues, Kris Kristofferson visited the facility. After about a year in Vietnam, he was sent home. Because of laws at the time, Paulo had to lose his Brazilian citizenship in order to become an American citizen. In order to work in his native country, he had to get a permanent visa. Paulo worked as an English teacher in Brazil for five years. He married an American woman and moved back to the United States. He began studying the flaws in Communism and was hired as an interpreter to go around South American governments to promote the "don't fall for Communism" ideology. He is grateful for his service in Vietnam mainly for how he learned about Communism. He lost contact with his fellow soldiers. He also used the GI Bill to get a Master's Degree in linguistics.
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Lee Peterson was born in a very small town in Iowa. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Iowa State University. After his first year, he went to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to work in the B-24 Bomber Plant in Willow Run. While there he received his draft notice. At the time they were recruiting for all branches. Lee requested and received the Army Air Corp. After basic training and Gunnery School training, he was assigned to the 8th Air Force, 92nd Bomb Group, 326th Squadron. Lee is part of the "Lucky Bastards" group. He flew 35 missions without a scratch, plus five that were not counted. His is most proud of his DFC which he earned on a bombing raid into Germany. His B-17 lost two engines, on the same side of the plane, before reaching the target. A third engine went out over the Channel. There was an emergency air strip in Dover, England, but they decided to push on their base, 15 minutes further. They made it. The ground crew replaced all four engines, tested them in flight, and had the plane ready for another mission the next morning. During the flight back to England, Lee shot down a Me109 that was trailing them. Lee related a story about a training flight in which one engine failed. The pilot feathered the engine, but when they were approaching the field to land, the pilot gave the feathered engine full throttle, against the instructions of the flight engineer, Lee Peterson. The crew had to bail out. At the inquire, the pilot blamed Lee, but all of the other officers on board did not agree. That pilot flew 20 missions with Lee and never said a word to him other than when they were in flight. Although Lee has expressed enormous respect for that pilot's skills, he also knew that the pilot prevented him from getting promotions. After that pilot was replaced, Lee received two promotions in a very short period of time. Lee returned to the U.S. before VE day and was an instructor for flight engineers. After discharge, he returned to Ypsilanti and worked at the Kaiser Frazier Auto plant. When they went out of business, he got a job at Wayne State University. He started as a one-man department and before he retired, he had three separate sections that related to the Engineering and Liberal Arts Departments. When he retired, they held two parties because the one ballroom that held 800 was too small.
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Raymond Post was born in Detroit, Michigan. After attending high school, he went to the University of West Virginia. After his third year in college, General Motors offered him a job. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Raymond enlisted in the Air Corp with the hope of becoming a pilot. The Army decided that he was not meant to be a pilot. Although that was discouraging, he felt is saved his life because practically all the people who were in training with him were killed. Raymond was sent to Virginia where he sailed for Naples, Italy. The trip over took 11 days. Besides zigzagging to avoid subs, it was stressful due to sleeping on five-high bunks, four decks below the water. There was a fire on board but they were told to stay put. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished. When they landed in Naples, they were bombed by the Germans but escaped any real damage. Raymond spent a year in Naples in an Air Operation unit. Their job was to check out the fuel and cargo, plus filing flight plans. He had a chance to go to the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg and sit in on Herman Gering's trial. Also, while in Italy he took courses from the University of Florence. Although Raymond does not have a degree, he has had extensive studies including many courses given by GM. When he left the service, he returned to GM and worked his way up to Regional Manager. Through GM, he and his wife hosted many trips to Europe, Hawaii, France and New Zealand. Raymond married his wife while he was in the service and they spent 59 and one-half years together before she suddenly died. Raymond feels that he has had a great life and is thankful for his time in the service of his country.
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Charles Reeber was drafted immediately after high school graduation. Although he was registered for the college program, he was rejected because of his eyesight. He was assigned to a mortar squad and carried the base plate. Charles was put on the line in Belgium. Things were quiet until the Germans attacked on December 16. His platoon leader was killed and left the group disorganized. His group was captured and after marching for several days they were put on trains. Eighty prisoners were stuffed into each train car and since there were no markings on the trains, Allied planes strafed them, killing several prisoners. The group was without food for several days. Charles became sick but his friends saved his life by giving him soup. Prisoners were stacked on shelves, 50 to a building. While marching to different camps, they saw stripped prisoners, Jews. One ran to them asking for help. The Brits gave him an extra uniform and he continued on with them. On April 19, 1945 the Brits liberated his camp. He was asked if he was "tortured, what was it like? "He responded, “no, however they didn't feed us for several weeks.” After being liberated, he was returned home in April of 1945 and discharged in November of 1945. He went to work at Ford where he retired after 35 years. He and his wife were married for 55 years (in 2005).
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(Ann Arbor News - June 5, 2004 - Jo Collins Mathis) Ripple was a 20-year-old kid from Monroe who had never been out of the country, and rarely been in a boat or used a gun, when he was sent to participate in the greatest invasion in history. As he headed for the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944, Ripple remembered what a general has just told them: This would be easy. By the end of the day, nearly 5,000 Americans lay dead in the surf and on the beaches. "On the morning of D-Day, I saw more dead soldiers in an hour than most soldiers see in a year," said Ripple, 80, sitting in his ranch home near Pleasant Ridge Elementary School in Saline. Ripple said he would have been killed as soon as he got off the landing craft, had he not bent over to help retrieve a machine gun that a fellow soldier had let slip into the water. That soldier was killed minutes later, as Ripple hurried ahead to the high-water mark. "It's very hard to explain," said Ripple. "But once you smell the smoke and have the bullets flying over your head, all you want to do is, you want to go kill. They train you to kill or be killed."
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Salvatore Scarpace has been an integral part of the Allen Park community for over fifty years. He has served as the Commander of Allen Park Post 409. He has supported sponsored youth baseball for many years. Scarpace is a World War II veteran who was interviewed for the Veterans History project on March 8, 2006 at the Allen Post Hall. Scarpace was working in his family business when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1942. He was drafted in February of 1942 and trained before being sent to Australia. He recalled his duties on the battlefield in Australia and throughout the Pacific Islands. One memory that stood out was when he actually felt the "whiz" of a shell go beside his head. Scarpace credits his good fortune to a lucky charm that he always had with him. He recalls VE day and remembers that those in the Pacific Islands believed, at the time, that the end of the war was near. He wasn't so sure in 1945 when his regiment was about ready to invade the island of Japan. Just prior to the attack, about a week he recalls, the United States unleashed the Enola Gay on Hiroshima. The signing of the peace treaty aboard the USS Missouri brought great relief and cheer for everyone, especially his regiment, who was about to invade Japan. Scarpace noted that he, and his fellow soldiers, realized that a mainland attack would have been extremely dangerous. The partying within his ranks was fierce after the signing. Upon returning home, Scarpace's family business wasn't doing well so he had to find another line of work. He soon married and would join the local American Legion. He tried to remain in contact with some of his wartime friends but as time went on that become harder and harder. He doesn't recall holding any racist attitudes toward Germans. It was just their job. He said that there wasn't much of a chance to exhibit racism, not at least in this area, toward Japanese people since very few were in the general area. Each year he attends a reunion of World War II soldiers. He says that it is something that he appreciates more and more every year. Unfortunately, each year the turnout is smaller and smaller due to illness or death. Scarpace believes wholeheartedly in supporting past soldiers of past and present wars. To him, it is a question of doing your duty. He doesn't know if he agrees or not with the reasons for the current war or Vietnam but a soldier's job is to free people of terror. His advice to the youth of today is to appreciate the freedoms that they have, and to appreciate those who fought to give them their freedom. He believes that young people now do not realize the sacrifice made by those in previous generations. At 88 years old, he continues to serve his American Legion Post and his community in a variety of fundraisers and youth activities. He is truly an American hero for all that he has done in his lifetime for the people of the United States.
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Ivan Schaedig was born in Rogers City, Michigan on January 28, 1932. He was drafted into the Army and after basic and specialized training, he was deployed to the Japan/Korean Theater of the war. While in Service, Ivan Schaedig obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was assigned to the Heavy Mortar Company, 21st Regiment, and the 24th Division. Ivan's Citations/Awards include the Korean Service Ribbon, the Bronze Star, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Service Citation. After leaving the service Ivan returned to Alpena, Michigan.
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Merlin Schaedig is a Veteran of the Korean War. He was born on 10/19/1930 in Rogers City, Michigan. He obtained the rank of Sergeant before he was finally discharged. Merlin was part of the 25th Infantry Division. His awards and citations include the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Medal, the American Defense Medal, the ROK Service Award, and the Combat Infantry Badge. He currently lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
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At the age of eighteen, Leonard and his buddies tried to enlist, but the government closed enlistments at that time. He was able to "convince" his draft board to draft him. Soon after he entered the service, Leonard volunteered for Jump School (an extra $50 dollars per month was given to paratroopers). Sickness prevented him from going to the South Pacific. He was then sent to demolition school, and was eventually assigned to the 542nd Regiment and sent to England. While in England, Leonard was assigned to the 101st Airborne, but missed going to Normandy because there were not enough planes. Leonard's commander had given him a choice: S2 Intelligence or machine gun training. Few people wanted to do the machine gun training since gunners were always the main target of the enemy. Despite this, Leonard chose the machine gun training. Leonard jumped into Holland and was part of the "Market Garden" offense. He was very impressed with how grateful the Dutch were for being liberated. Eventually, Leonard fought in the "Battle of the Bulge" where he was wounded and finally evacuated to an Army Hospital. When he was first sent to a Mash unit, the doctor wanted to remove his leg. An old classmate was working as an assistant and talked the doctor out of the amputation. Leonard spent more than two years in various Army Hospitals before being discharged in 1947. He returned to the Michigan area and went to Art School. He worked at various modeling jobs for all the Big Three. He talked about how many people resented him as a veteran. He returned to civilian life two years after the War had ended and peopled treated veterans differently by then. Leonard received the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Infantry Rifleman's Award, and the European Theater with two Battle Stars. Leonard feels that he had a guardian angel watching over him: once when a gunner was shot and killed right next to him; another time when in Holland, two soldiers on either side of him were shot and killed; he felt lucky that his old classmate was able to talk the doctor out of amputating his leg. Leonard finished his interview by saying: "I'm proud of my service and I'd do it again."
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Dennis was drafted after his first year in college. He trained at Fort Knox, before being sent to Vietnam. He was assigned to a Light Infantry Battalion. Their duties consisted of patrolling to engage the enemy. Coppers flew them to their destinations whether it took a few days or a month. Dennis reported feeling frustrated because they would clear out an area, only to have the enemy return the next day. Dennis described the time he was wounded. A bullet passed completely through his shoulder and he was also hit in the hip and the stomach. He was sent to a field hospital, a base hospital, and eventually to Japan. There he was given the choice of returning to his Unit, which would have shortened his time be three months, or going home. He chose home. He returned to Fort Knox where he started his military service. After returning to Ann Arbor, he went back to his job at Jacobson’s from where he retired. Since he was only 50, he took a job at the local lumber company where he stayed for eight years. Dennis and his wife have two children and four grandchildren. A letter to the editor of the local newspaper is how we found this Veteran. He had suggested that the 4th of July parade be led by a true war hero, his buddy Gary Bowen who grew up with Dennis, was drafted and trained with Dennis, and served gallantly in Vietnam.
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James Shaw was born in Detroit and grew up near the six mile/Telegraph area. He went to Redford High. After graduation, James went into engineering at a Southfield company, where he was a draftsman for two years. He was drafted, and on September 16, 1966 he shipped out. James recalls basic training being as bad as it sounds, but he says it was a neat experience. The food wasn’t very good. His drill instructor was Sergeant Davis. Basic training really turned people into fighting machines. Upon completion, he went on to advanced training for 6-8 weeks. His training was in artillery, which he says was much more interesting and less demanding. He also had an interest in helicopters and he worked with them in “air mobile.” His flight to Vietnam took 42 hours. They landed in Cameron Bay where it was incredibly hot (105 degrees). He went up to An Khe and the landing zone that was located in the middle of a rice paddy on top of a hill. The villagers nearby helped them with day-to-day tasks. He lived in an underground bunker with no electricity for seven months. They survived on B rations (canned food) which weren’t tasty but soldiers persevered. Everyday life was difficult, even simple things were hard. There was no hot water, and no bathrooms with about 100 people on the landing zone, which was under surveillance. James was ready to fly the day after he arrived. His job was a gun observer for the helicopter. James would be given coordinates and he would survey the area, and assess damage etc. On the first day out, his unit was under fire and James used a machine gun to stop it. He got two hits on his first day out. He was bothered by having killed someone, even though he realized that’s what they were there to do. They flew 9-12 hours a day, seven days a week, and did not keep track of days because they melded together. It was a very busy job even at night when James had guard duty after an exhausting day. One incident he recalls includes Major Sorensen, and Pilot Quin in the Yang Province mountains. They were flying with two scout ships into a valley about 60 feet off the ground, surveying a hostile area. They heard fire and were hit. It happened so fast, the next thing they knew they were headed toward the ground, and without control of the ship. They went down flat, hit on the skits, and broke the rotor blades. They unbuckled and ran out of the helicopter where they were shot at. They ran to the cover of large rocks and kept the machine gun with them. Their wing ship fired on the enemy and called for back-up. Within five- or six-minutes other gunships were there and took out the enemy fire. They were rescued by one of the gunships and flown back to base camp. The entire ordeal lasted no longer than 10 minutes. No one was injured. James mounted a grenade launcher on his machine gun to more effectively fight back against the system of holes/tunnels the NVA used. In mountain ranges, which were hotspots, they would call in B-52 bombers, which were silent due to their flight altitude. The whole sky would light up as they bombed. The A Shau valley was a thick jungle, and one day they went scouting after a B-52 bombing, and found nothing left but dirt. The damage was about a mile wide, and three miles long. James was bitten by a centipede, and he still recalls it as the most pain he’s ever felt. Out on a mission near a rice paddy outside of another base (LZ English) he saw movement. It was about 50 NVA soldiers in full gear. They started firing and made many hovering circles while continuing steady fire. A wing ship joined in and called for more gunships. His ship’s crew was uninjured and they managed to take out many of the NVA. They discovered later that there were hundreds more NVA in surrounding paddies, and the fight turned into an all-night battle with flares going up all night long, like daylight. It was constant fire as they shelled the whole area and the path from which the NVA came in the mountains. The US troops wiped out an entire NVA regiment that night, and some were captured. James was very shaken after that. It was his last mission as a gunner. He had logged 1200 hours of combat by this point. He said he could not fly anymore, and he became a helicopter mechanic. He was already a sergeant. He worked as a mechanic for two months to keep the helicopters in working order. He was sent home in February of 1968.