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Gary Banta, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Feb. 11, 2010) Gary Banta joined the Army in 1967, well into the Vietnam War. he both drove and rode shotgun on truck convoys, delivering supplies to the hotspots where choppers and aircraft could not land. It was a year tour that certainly had it’s danger. Later he was assigned to Ft. Knox where he did indeed see the gold! And he was a chaplain’s assistant in Germany.
Gene Barber, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed May 9, 2007) Gene Barber served the people of Williamson County as its sheriff for seven years, sold cars and lumber and delivered the mail in the years before that. But that all came after his 33 year months at sea, serving aboard the carrier USS Corregidor during four major battles of World War II’s Pacific Campaign. Plus, you will not find a bigger Bob Wills fan. They were both born in Kosse, Texas.
George Cox, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed May 4, 2005) 23-year-old tank commander George Cox of rural Brazos County, was a member of the 746th Battalion when he starred the horror of the war straight in the face. June of 1944 was when George Cox was one of those who lived to tell the story of D-Day and the stand made at beaches called Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah. He recounts the final months of the war, when he earned his Purple Heart and Silver Star as a player in five major battles.
Gerald McCaskill, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed September 18, 2008) When Gerald McCaskill boarded the Battleship USS Tennessee in June of 1944, it was the first ship he had ever seen. He would see plenty of it over the next 15 months, including combat action throughout World War II’s Pacific theater. The Tennessee had already seen plenty of warfare, including on 7 December 1941, docked at Pearl Harbor alongside the ill-fated West Virginia and Arizona on that day that will live in infamy. Over HIS time on the Tennessee, it’s travels took it to Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Guadalcanal, Palau, the Philippines, back to Pearl Harbor and Saipan and within a mile of the beaches of Iwo Jima for that Marine invasion to Mt. Suribachi.. on to Okinawa, and eventually to Japan. The Tennessee was badly damaged at least twice after the attack on Pearl Harbor, an attack at Tinian and later a suicide attack to the quarterdeck.
Gerald Roop, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Oct. 4, 2006) Captain Gerald Roop is a proud Okie who lived in the Brazos Valley for more than 40 years. He was a sound officer in World War II. What’s a sound officer? You have to know about “flash and sound” to know what he did. It was not a large unit but an extremely valuable one, that put itself in harm’s way though combat at the Battle of the Bulge and other resistance in their march through France and into Germany.
Glenn Morgan, U. S. Navy, World War II (Interviewed March 16, 2005) Glenn Morgan served aboard the USS Indianapolis, he was one of its buglers. He was a board that fateful ship when it was torpedoed and sunk in the Pacific Ocean, 30 July 1945, after delivering the parts of the bomb to Tinian island. Glenn Morgan was one of 317 survivors who floated for four days and four nights floating in the Pacific, fighting off shark attack and exposure to survive. This is one of the most remarkable stories of World War II. Glenn Morgan -- survivor USS Indianapolis.
Gordon Kennedy, U.S. Army, Korea/Vietnam (Interviewed Jan. 29, 2009) Gordon Kennedy had seen a lot of the world during his 31 years of military service. Service that included a 15-month tour during in Korea during that War, and then a year in Saigon, near the end of the Vietnam War. When he left his final tour of duty, in Jamaica, he had hardly even heard of Bryan, Texas...It was his next duty assignment as an intelligence specialist. He and his wife Lucille were married some 60 years.
Dr. Gordon Pratt, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed Aug. 5, 2010) Not every World War II Veteran served overseas as they had jobs or were being trained for essential jobs stateside. Such was the case for Dr. Gordon Pratt, who joined the Navy in 1943 and was put in the V-12 program. It was a College Training Program that sent future commissioned Officers to colleges and Universities to complete their training and to help the war effort as a result of their education. Between 1943 and 1946, more than 125,000 men were enrolled in V-12. They included such servicemen as Football Coach George Allen, Sen. Howard Baker, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Johnny Carson, and Jack Lemmon.... and a dental student named Gordon Pratt from Dallas. After the war, he served as the dentist for nearly two years on board the USS President Adams, a World War II Transport Ship. And then later at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Dr. Pratt practiced for 40 years as a dentist in Bryan until he retired in 1997 and one of his five children, Gordon Pratt, Jr., has been a dentist here for nearly 25 years.
H.J. Marsh, U.S. Army, WW II/Korea (Interviewed June 25, 2009) H.J. Marsh considered his timing quite fortunate. A 1945 high school graduate of San Jacinto High School, by the time he joined the Army, World War II was over. His unit served occupational duty in postwar Korea and while he says there was not much action at that time, his service was still valuable in keeping the peace that had been hard earned in the Pacific Theater. Korea, after all, was under Japanese rule during the war -- and after the war, the split between North and South Korea was even more defined. HJ Marsh says it was then that he first heard the word communism, during his service between World War II and the Korean War, which started in 1950.
Haskell Monroe, Texas A&M Historian (Interviewed 2005) Haskell Monroe never took a class at Texas A&M but he taught a bundle of them and if there is anyone who could be considered a foremost historian of Texas A&M it is Haskell Monroe. This six part series of Bravo Brazos Valley is indeed fascinating. Haskell Monroe the encyclopedia of Aggieland.
Hazel Von Roeder, U.S. Air Force, WW II/Korea (Interviewed Jan. 27, 2010) As much as she wanted to, and even volunteered to.... Hazel Von Roeder’s tours of duty during World War II and Korea never sent her overseas. But as any veteran will tell you, stateside service was just as essential to the war effort as any other. Hazel’s skills as an Army nurse took her to Fort Bliss’ famed William Beaumont Army Hospital during World War II, an then to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio as a Flight Nurse with the 1734th MATS during the Korean Conflict. Her story of service is indeed one of courage and dedication.
Dr. Henry Dethloff, Author “Texas Aggies Go To War” Interviewed Jan. 4, 2006) It's no secret that Texas A&M's contribution to our country's war efforts have gone above and beyond those of most other universities. We have had the honor of featuring many former students on Veterans of the Valley. Well now they have a book dedicated to their service “Texas Aggies Go To War” authored by one of the foremost historians of Texas A&M, Henry Dethloff Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M, along with former student John A. Adams. Texas A&M sent more than 20,000 to serve in World War II alone, more than 14,000 as commissioned officers. It's an extraordinary account of Aggie military service.
Dr. Henry Dethloff, Author “Texas Aggies Go To War” Interviewed Jan. 4, 2006) It's no secret that Texas A&M's contribution to our country's war efforts have gone above and beyond those of most other universities. We have had the honor of featuring many former students on Veterans of the Valley. Well now they have a book dedicated to their service “Texas Aggies Go To War” authored by one of the foremost historians of Texas A&M, Henry Dethloff Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M, along with former student John A. Adams. Texas A&M sent more than 20,000 to serve in World War II alone, more than 14,000 as commissioned officers. It's an extraordinary account of Aggie military service.
Henry Hill, U.S. Air Force, Viet Nam (A&M Class of ‘56) (Interviewed Feb.7, 2008) Technically Colonel Henry Hill is retired, but actually he's never been busier. We could do a whole show on Henry Hill’s service since his military service ended. But let's meet Colonel Henry Hill, the Vietnam B–37 pilot, who flew 360 missions, including some of the most dangerous missions during the 1968 Tet Offensive.
Holly Rees, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Feb.8, 2006) Holly Rees caught the tail end of World War II, but Purple Hearts were being earned even then. It was after the Allied victory in Europe had been won but well before the battle in the Pacific was finished. June 21, 1945 -- that’s when Sergeant Holly Rees, Company 1 of the 184th Infantry, was wounded in the foot during the brutal battle at Okinawa. He had been on the ground just 32 days when he had to put down his rifle. But it was 32 days he’ll never forget.
Hugh Shockey, U.S. Marines, Korea/Viet Nam (Interviewed November 15, 2007) Hugh Shockey joined the Marine Corp in 1948 at age 17. In the fall of 1950, he was assigned to Inchon, North Korea with the Fifth Marines.
Ivo Junek, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Feb. 21, 2008) Before Ivo Junek enlisted in the Army, he was a member of the Tree Army, also known as the Civilian Conservation Corps. A member of the 91st Infantry Division in the European Theater, he spent most of his combat days in Italy. While he was serving in Europe, his three brothers served in World War II in the Pacific. Ivo was a Snook native.
Jack Currie, U.S. Army Air Corps, WW II (A&M Class of ‘64) (Interviewed July 24, 2008) Jack Currie is an Aggie, but before he ever entered A&M, there was a war to fight in World War II's European Theater. And that's where he and his B-17 crew flew some 50 combat missions in 1944 and 1945. It was a time in our history that included D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and eventually victory in Europe. He has some interesting stories to tell but none more compelling than his mission on May 12, 1944, when his Flying Fortress was shot up so badly it really had no business staying at aloft. But it did, and thus Jack Currie is here to tell that story and many more.
Jack Upham, U.S. Army, WW II/Korea (Interviewed Feb. 15, 2006) Ask Jack Upham about his nearly 15 years of military service and he will be the first to tell you that his generation simply did what needed to be done, what needed to be done by all men and women who love their country. Nonetheless, his service in World War II and then in Korea were significant slices of his life. He was a ground soldier with the 27th Infantry Regiment in Luzon that spent a record 162 consecutive days in combat without relief. Then in Korea he realized his dream to be a pilot. It was a military career well served by Jack Upham of College Station.
James Rothermel, U.S. Navy Seabees, WW II (Interviewed Aug. 3, 2005) World War II could not have been fought, much less won, had it not been for the work of the Navy Seabees, the Construction Battalion. They were builders -- airstrips, bridges, piers and everything from hospitals to Quonset Huts...even builders of bomb shelters. Company C Painter First Class James Rothermel was stationed on perhaps the ultimate hotspot of the Pacific at Guadalcanal as a member of the 14th Seabees. He’s a retired educator and a mainstay of development of the Washington County Veterans Memorial in his hometown of Brenham, Texas.
