Green, James Leonard
Item
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Title
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Green, James Leonard
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Performer
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James Leonard Green
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Interviewer
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William Vollano
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Description
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James Green was drafted in October 1943. He applied for pilot training but was turned down and was assigned to a B-29 crew, in the 505 Bomber Group, at Tinian Airfield. Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and is about 5 miles (8km) southwest of its sister island, Saipan. During a mission, when James was a replacement gunner, he was shot down over Tokyo. He did not know the names of the other crew members, and this irritated his captors when he was being interrogated. The prisoners were badly mistreated by the Japanese soldiers during their imprisonment. However, James feels that this made him a stronger person, and he has no animosity toward the Japanese people. After the war, James attended Western Michigan University, and earned a B.A. Degree. Later, he was awarded a master's degree from Central Michigan University. In 2005, when he was being interviewed, he indicated that he has 6 children, all boys He also has 13 grandchildren, and his wife was still teaching.
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Date Span
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1943-1946
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Dates of Service
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Subject
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Enlisted; United States Army Air Forces/Corps; 482nd Bomb Squadron, 505th Bomb Group, 313rd Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force; World War, 1939-1945; Second World War - Pacific Theater; Sergeant; Prisoner of War
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Collection Location
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2/14
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https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.38810
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Spatial Coverage
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Second World War - Pacific Theater
