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Title
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Russell Woinowsk, Oral History
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Performer
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Russell Woinowsk
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Interviewer
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William Vollano
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Description
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Russell Woinowsk was born on 8/8/1915 in Debut, Iowa. His father moved to Texas when Russ was young. Russ was in the ROTC in high school and eventually joined the National Guard in order to get help with his college expenses. He was able to complete two years before entering the Army. He wanted to be a pilot but "flunked out." His training turned to Bombardier School. Russ became a trainer. He was never assigned as a permanent member of a team. When he was sent to England, he was assigned to a B24 and completed 21 missions before the end of the war. Before V-E Day Russ was returned to the United States where he began training with a B29 group. The War ended before he was able to complete any missions. When the Korean Ward started, Russell was flying with B29's and completed 16 missions. He remained in the Air Corp retiring as a Lt. Colonel. During his service he received 2 DSC's and 4 Air Metals. He spent time in Turkey, the Philippines and many different States. Upon discharge, he returned to college and eventually received a Master's Degree in teaching. He spent 21 years teaching math (20 years in Romulus High School) before retiring because he was 70, the maximum retirement age. For a time, he and two friends owned and flew a Piper Cub. He and his wife had two children. He has four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. He was married for 51 years before his wife died. He lives with his son in Ann Arbor.
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Subject
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Enlisted; United States Army Air Forces/Corps; Strategic Air Command (SAC); World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953; Second World War - European Theater; Korea; Lieutenant Colonel
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Publisher
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American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
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Run Time
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51 minutes, 3 seconds
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Language
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English
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Spatial Coverage
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Second World War - European Theater; Korea
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Date
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Dates of Service: 1934-1963
Woinowsk Video