Ohio Narratives
These stories are from the Northwest Ohio Narratives oral history project. The total project includes more than 100 interviews that the Northwest Regional Library System and its member libraries have been collaborating on since the summer of 2006. |
Logan County District Public Library, Bellefontaine
Patrick Henry School District
Public Library, Deshler
Wood County District Public Library, Bowling Green
Evergreen Community Library, Metamora
Claymont School District Public Library
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| Mr. Spangler talks about how his service was deferred so that he could help on the family farm. He then joined the Army Air Corps and trained to become a gunner. A bout of rheumatic fever interrupted his training & so he was still in Arizona when the war ended. Karen Sunderman is the interviewer and this excerpt is 7:28. | ||||
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| In the third excerpt from Claud Woodring’s interview, he talks about meeting a member of the Belgian underground, while waiting for Patton’s fuel supplies to catch up with them in Liege. Then he talks about how he got his “million dollar wound” in the Battle of Aachen, and his treatment, recovery and release from the service. The excerpt is 18:50 long; Cheryl Geer is the interviewer. | ||||
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| Edward E. Aring, Jr. served with the 3rd Marine Division in the Philippine Islands. He left high school early and became a Marine because he refused to become a member of the army, and because he liked the Marine philosophy. He took basic training in San Diego, and thought it was pretty easy, compared to working on the farm. He then trained to become a munitions handler for heavy artillery. He shipped out for Hawaii on a new aircraft carrier called The Wasp. After some additional training on the island of Hawaii, his unit traveled to Midway, which had already been taken by the Allies, then Guam. On Guam, Mr. Aring became “the chief booze maker” for the group. From there, they went to the Philippines, arriving in mid October 1944 to take part in the battle of Leyte Gulf. Aring relates a curious incident that happened when his ship was bombing the beach after arriving. He saw a Japanese kamikaze pilot flying overhead, and could even make out what the man was wearing. Aring waved and the pilot waved back before flying on. In another incident, he helped a machine gunner take down a Japanese bomber. Mr. Aring vividly recalls the hunger and suffering of the children on the islands. He spent two months on Leyte, then returned to Guam, traveling through a typhoon to get there. His unit stayed on Guam, preparing for the invasion of Japan, until the war ended. He was discharged as a PFC in March of 1946. Dale Bruning is the interviewer; this excerpt is 54:45 | ||||
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| Arthur Avery Alexander was working for the railroad in 1941. He was on a double date with his future wife and his brother and sister-in-law at a hotdog restaurant on Main Street in Toledo when news of the Pearl Harbor bombing was broadcast on the radio. Avery had seen a lot of newsreel footage of soldiers slogging through the mud in Europe, so he decided to enlist in the Air Force so he wouldn’t have to do that. He was inducted in November, 1942 and took basic training in Fresno, California. From there, he trained as an armorer in Denver. His girlfriend traveled to Denver and, with a lot of help from kind strangers, they were married on New Year’s Eve in a church that was decorated for another couple’s ceremony. In the spring of 1943, he was sent to Richmond, Virginia to become part of the newly formed 374th Fighter Squadron of the 361st Fighter Group. His squadron flew P-39s. This discussion includes a fair amount of information about the capacities of the P-39s. Alexander transferred into the mechanics section of the squadron, which shipped out for England on the Queen Elizabeth in November 1943. The squadron, stationed in Cambridge for most of the war, flew escort for bombers, raids on German held territory, and provided cover for the D-Day invasion. Their base was subjected to a certain amount of shelling from German V2 rockets and buzz bombs. During the interview, Mr. Avery briefly discusses his impressions of the English people and their relations with the American soldiers. He also recalls a trip to Dover he took while on a three day pass, and some of the safety precautions the British took to hinder a possible German invasion. After the Allies took France and Belgium, Avery’s group was stationed in Belgium to provide air cover for the Battle of the Bulge. Afterward, they returned to a base in England for the duration of the war. Alexander received six bronze stars for meritorious service, and was discharged as a Corporal in November, 1945. He returned to the US on the Queen Mary. Dale Bruning is the interviewer and this excerpt is 1:06:44 | ||||
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