United States. Navy

Scope and Contents This collection consists of the papers of United States Navy Admiral Richard H. Leigh. They include a 17-volume holograph diary, dating 1917-1944, containing official orders, holograph and typed letters, newspaper clippings, printed programs, maps, pictures, and other related items. Also included is a four volume set of personal papers, and a book which Leigh entitled, Whereas, which consists of newspaper clippings, family pictures, programs, doctor bills, and other materials. Many of these documents relate to the history and development of the United States Navy, World War I, and events leading to the conflict with Japan and World War II. Other...

Scope and Contents This collection pertains to Oliver “Bud” Anderson who served as a Ship Fitter Second Class aboard the USS Clifton (IX-184) during World War II. The collection contains letters Anderson sent to his mother, father, and brother Nolan while stationed in various locations in the United States, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. Anderson's letters discuss mail, his high school sweetheart, Indigenous peoples, weather, entertainment, a furlough, rationing, and training. His government documents, several menus, and reflections from 2000 on his war experiences are also included. The collection also includes letters Anderson’s brother-in-law, Boyd...

Scope and Contents This collection includes letters written to Arnold Busch, a basketball coach for Calvary Methodist Church in Lakewood, Ohio, by the students he previously coached. Whether drafted or enlisted, many of the men kept up a correspondence with Busch throughout the war years. This collection also includes Calvary Church newsletters and pamphlets, pamphlets regarding persons registered for service, ration books and other rationing documents, and letters returned to Busch because their recipients were MIA, deceased, or relocated. Also included are photographs of Calvary Church activities on the Homefront, the basketball team, and the Calvary Church’s V-J Day service as well as a copy of an...

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This collection follows Joseph T. Bannan as he served aboard the U.S.S. Panamint (AGC13). He was under the command of Admiral Arthur D. Struble. On this ship were photograph developers that obtained the picture of renowned wartime journalist, Ernie Pyle, lying dead on the island of Le Shima. Only two copies were ever made and the original was destroyed shortly after its creation to prevent a decline in American morale. This collection contains a photocopy of one of the original copies owned by Bannan.

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This collection contains a transcript provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. Benjamin Epstein was a Jewish American serviceman who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1946, and he trained at Fort Logan, Colorado. He was transported on the U.S.S. Dorchester, which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in February 1943. He described escaping from the sinking ship and swimming to one of two lifeboats. He was picked up by the U.S.S. Escambia and taken to Greenland. He remained in Greenland until January 1945 where he was transferred to Fort Totten, New York and remained there until discharged in 1946.

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This collection relates to Harold W. Benzenberg who served as a Photographer's Mate Third Class, and as a submarine spotter on the U.S. coast in New York and Maryland during World War II. This collection contains Benzenberg's certificate of fitness, honorable discharge papers, dog tags, certificate of satisfactory service, navy training course certificate, selective service system request, notice of separation service, and three photographs.

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This collection contains two oral histories; one with Dr. Philip Gilman, Jr. and one with James Izumizaki. It also includes the reprint of a letter by Pvt. Lavern Borg, Jr. written on April 2, 1945. The letter tells about his experiences with the 5th Marine Division of the U.S. Marine Corp in the battle of Iwo Jima. The next document includes a service record and medallist dated June 1967, January 1969, and August 1973. A pamphlet collected by the Pajaro Valley Arts Council, California entitled Nihen Bunka Japanese Culture: One hundred years in Pajaro Valley is also in the collection.

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This collection contains the personal papers and memorabillia of Clifford Robert Cain (United States Navy's, Aviation Radioman First Class, Chief Petty Officer Electronicsman) including his aviator's log book, discharge papers, certificate of training completion, financial records, identification card, leatherbound service record case, and various documents from the Veteran's Administration.  Cain served at Lakehurst Naval Air Station.  He supported the Blimp-Zeppelin program.

Abstract

The Calista Louise Bliler collection consists of official military papers and personal photographs, letters, and notes of the first woman to become an officer from the U.S. Naval Air Station in Dallas, TX.

Scope and Contents This collection is comprised of materials related to the military career and history of Colonel William Morrison Robinson, Jr. Much of the material deals with research and preparation for his books, The Confederate privateers, and Justice in Grey, a history of the judicial system of the Confederate States. Subjects covered by this collection include: American Legal History Society, Harvard University Press, segregation and integration, Confederate commerce, Confederate courts, Colonial national monument in Yorktown, Virginia, Georgia railroads, privateering, Cape Canaveral history, Civil War commanders, Gustavus Woods, Dr. Jonathan J. Jones, fluoridation in Quincy, Florida, Civil War...

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This collection includes seven newspaper issues, dated from June 9, 1950 to July 21, 1950. The Great Lakes Bulletin was a weekly publication exclusive to the U.S. Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois.

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Holograph letter by Cornelius Curtis to "Hon. Gideon Wells," Secretary of the Navy (1863) concerning acts practiced by civil employees of the government in regard to captured Confederate vessels in Florida. Also known as MSS 0-81.

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William David Crawford served as a U.S. Navy pilot who flew PB4Y-1's in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. This collection consists of his memoir.

This memoir was written by Crawford for his children. It describes his enlistment into the Navy, his training as a naval aviator, and his missions in the Pacific.

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This collection relates to Thomas Leo Doyle Daley, who served as a naval aviator in the American Theater of Operation. This collection contains postcards, separation paper, and photographs.

Content Description

This collection relates to Louis Dodaro who served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945 in the Pacific Theatre. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Dodaro describes his military service and life after the war.

Content Description

This collection relates to Daniel Duffy who served as a U.S. Navy executive officer in the Pacific Theater during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Duffy details his experience with the U.S. Navy, the V-12 program, descriptions of his time in the Pacific theater, and the GI Bill.

Scope and Contents Photocopies of the papers of Edward M. Tidball include letters sent to him from the U.S. Navy Dept., Bureau of Ordnance & Hydrography, Washington, D.C. granting leaves of absence as a clerk in August 1859 & July 1860; a letter accepting his resignation March 6, 1861; letters from S.R. Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate Navy, appointing him as Chief Clerk March 13, 1861 &  April 30, 1862; receipt from Tidball for sale of his property March 15, 1865; the U.S. Presidential Proclamation of Amnesty & Pardon, May 29, 1865; a letter of August 29, 1865 from U.S. President Andrew Johnson granting Tidball full pardon for having taken part in the rebellion against the U.S.; and a...

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Elmer Hubbard served as Radioman Second Class in the US Navy's 1st Naval Beach Battalion in the Mediterranean and European Theaters, as well as the Pacific Theater aboard the U.S.S. Buckingham attack ship during World War II. Hubbard participated in the amphibious landings at Anzio, Salerno, and Southern France. The collection consists of original wartime transcribed, typed, and mimeographed letters from original handwritten letters Hubbard wrote to his parents.

Content Description

This collection relates to Chief Petty Officer Luther Samuel Ely Jr. who served as an Electrician's Mate aboard the USS Ordronaux during World War II. This collection contains a manuscript titled "World War II Experiences of Luther Samuel Ely, Jr." where Ely describes his experiences in Basic Training, at Fore River Shipyard, and in England, Ireland, and the Mediterranean from 1942 to 1944.

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This collection relates to Ensign Madison D. Farnum, a staff member for the commander of the Amphibious Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II. Farnum participated in the campaigns for Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Okinawa. Farnum was assigned on the Flagship USS Eldorado under Admiral R.K.Turner in the South Pacific Theater 1944-1945. The collection includes photographs, documents, and letters.

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This oral history transcript relates to Stewart Abbott Fraser who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Fraser served aboard the USS Missouri. Fraser was also present during the formal Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945

Content Description

This collection relates to Ross Hansen who served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946 in the Pacific Theatre. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Hansen details his work for the War Department during World War II and his life upon his return to the U.S.

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This collection contains six Aviator's Flight Log Books from Captain Hilliard C. Smathers' time as a pilot with the U.S. Navy, from 1930-1951. Also included is the flag that flew in Smathers' honor over the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. and two certificates confirming this occasion. The US Naval Aviator certificate contains a picture of Smathers, as well as the date on which he was officially certified as a Naval Aviator - March 21, 1942 - and three instrument rating cards.

Scope and Contents The collection of Janet Wells contains an oral history transcript of an interview provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History, photographs and documents pertaining to her experience serving with the WAVES during World War II. Included are photographs of WAVES recreational activities, military portraits, and personal photographs of family and friends. Collection documents include letters regarding qualifications and service, receipts, certificates of satisfactory service, graduation, certificates, WAVES anniversary celebration programs, identification cards, tourist memorabilia, photographs, invitations, a booklet on transitioning back to civilian life, and uniform tickets....

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This collection consists of an oral history interview transcript of Joseph Jennings, who was enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as an aircraft radio operator during World War II and served in the South Atlantic guarding the Brazilian coastline near Rio do Janeiro. The interview covers his duties and anecdotes, like his training in Norfolk, VA, his emergency appendectomy, and his time in Dutch Guyana. The interview also describes his early years during the Great Depression in Oklahoma.

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Kenneth D. Kelly served in the 78th US Naval Construction Battalion during World War II on New Caledonia, the Admiralty Islands, and on Okinawa. Included in his collection are a number of news articles related to the Seabees, his typed memoir, and a copy of the unit's battalion log.

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This collection pertains to Evelyn King who served as a U.S.O. hostess during World War II. The collection contains letters, postcards, V-mail, and greeting cards. The collection also contains newspaper and magazine clippings, various booklets and pamphlets, numerous lifestyle magazines, Navy and Army uniform buttons, and prints.

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Maxine Newlander served as a U.S. Navy nurse during World War II. Serving in the United States as well as in Guam, Newlander wrote almost daily to her family back home describing her experiences in the Navy and the nature of her work. In letters she sent home to her family during the war, she describes her social life on the island of Guam, her life as a Navy Nurse, and her longing for the war to be over. The letters span from 1944 to 1945. The photographs illustrate Maxine Newlander's life in the Navy.

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The collection of Wayne Mixson contains an oral history transcript of an interview provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. Mixson, who would later serve as the 39th Governor of Florida, served in the United States Navy from 1942-1946 and participated in the Lighter-Than-Air Project; he worked with a crew in EP Squadron 14, a blimp squadron.

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This collection relates to Diana Naylor Morgan who served as a junior USO hostess in New Jersey during World War II. The collection includes an oral interview with Morgan, news articles, photographs, and letters sent to her from American and British soldiers deployed overseas during World War II.

In the letters, servicemen describe their day to day activities while deployed overseas, their locations, views on the Japanese, and opinions about the Atomic Bomb. A letter dated June 2, 1944, written by an American sailor Ernest Feasy was not censored; Feasy describes how he is waiting for D-Day to arrive.