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Oral History Guidelines
Veterans often think that
they do not need to provide an oral history because they
did not serve in combat, or they do not feel that what
they did was of great importance. That is not the case,
because the history of World War II continues to be written
today. In the coming decades, historians will be asking
new and different questions about the Second World War.
Many of those questions will probably relate to the contribution
of those who did not directly participate in combat. So
now, more than ever, it is of crucial importance to preserve
the history of all who served during World War II.
The following guideline questions will assist you in preparing
your own oral history. You can also use the following
guideline questions to conduct an interview.
- What is your full name?
- When & where were you born?
- What were you doing before the
war?
- Were you married or single?
- Where were you when you found
out about Pearl Harbor?
- Did you enlist or were you drafted?
- What was your branch of service?
(USA? USN? USMC? USCG? USMM?)
- When did you enter service?
(month-day-year)
- Where did you enter service?
- Where did you receive your basic
training?
- Describe basic training.
- What weapon(s) did you qualify
on during basic training? (M1903 rifle? M1 rifle?)
- What qualification level did
you achieve? (Marksman? Sharpshooter? Expert?)
- What was your military specialty?
(Infantry? Artillery? Airborne? Armor? etc.)
- Describe the people you trained
with in basic training.
- When did you deploy overseas?
- What theater of operations were
you in? (ETO? PTO? MTO? CBI?)
- What was your port of embarkation
for deployment? (New York? San Diego?)
- How long did it take for you
to reach your theater of operations?
- Did you receive any training
after you were deployed overseas?
- What type of equipment were
you issued before you were deployed overseas?
- Were you involved in any invasions?
(If ‘yes’ please describe)
- Were you ever taken under enemy
fire? (If ‘yes’ please describe)
- Did you return fire? (If ‘yes’
please describe)
- What was the food like?
- Did you admire your commanding
officer?
- Did you admire the people you
served with?
- Were you wounded? (If ‘yes’
please describe)
- Did you get enough sleep?
- Where were you on VE-Day?
- Where were you on VJ-Day?
- When did you return to the US?
- How long did you serve overseas?
As you collect your oral history,
remember that cassette tapes are inexpensive. Turn on
your tape recorder, relax & start talking. Be sure to
elaborate as much as you wish. It is especially helpful
if you have someone to talk to like a friend, spouse,
son, daughter or grandchild. A thorough oral history interview
will probably take more than an hour to complete, so you
will need to set aside a sufficient amount of time to
get the job done. It may be necessary to complete the
interview over the course of more than one interview session
to capture all of the information on tape. It may be helpful
to have old photos, maps or service records close by during
the interview.
| How
to Share Your Story: |
Click
here for Share Your Story guidelines and tips on how to put together
your WWII story. |
| Terms
and Conditions: |
Read all terms
and conditions applicable to this registry. |
| Oral
History Guidelines: |
Questions you
should ask when collecting a WWII story. After submitting a story
to Share Your Story, you may want to complete a full oral history
to preserve for your future generations. |
|
Tell Your Story:
Contact: Stacy Peckham
Telephone: 504-527-6012 EXT 270
Fax: 504-527-6088
Email:
stacy.peckham@ddaymuseum.org
Download and Print the
"Share Your Story" Form.
The National World War II Museum is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Your contribution is tax deductible within the limits
prescribed by law. |
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