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Description
Oral History interview of Sam Mula. Interview conducted by Bradfield, Daniel at Veteran's home in Winter Springs, FL.
Log
0:01 Introduction; 0:42 Early Family Life/ Parents' occupations; 1:45 Education and Employment before joining the Marine Corps; 2:22 Pearl Harbor/ adjustment to Marine Corps life from civilian life; 3:15 Induction into the Marine Corps/ Reason for joining; 4:43 Training in the Marine Corps; 6:00 Assault Engineer's role in Pacific theater/ Equipment used; 8:10 Memorable Experience on Tinian; 9:35 Role with the Assault Engineers/ Organization of the Engineer teams; 10:15 Travel to the pacific theater/Lack of food on the transport; 12:55 Training in New Zealand/ Training with dynamite and explosives; 15:32 Landing at Tarawa; 17:51 Beliefs about Tarawa and reason for the battle; 18:53 Physical Environment of Tarawa; 19:28 Training in Hawaii following the Battle of Tarawa/Marine Corps' Censorship of Marines' movements and training; 22:38 Personal anecdote about leaving Dog Tags in Hawaii; 24:45 Differences between Tarawa and Saipan/ Experience on Saipan; 27:31 Contact with Japanese civilians on Saipan/ Combat Role in Saipan; 33:24 End of combat on Saipan/ Landing at Tinian; 34:49 Machine gun strafing on Tinian/ Combat Role on Tinian; 36:19 Encountering Japanese boy on Tinian/ Cave fighting; 37:54 Living conditions on Tinian/ building quarters on Tinian; 41:39 Unit's role on Okinawa/ Friendly fire incident on a small boat near Okinawa; 45:14 Feelings toward Japanese civilians; 46:04 Anecdote about Tsunami while in Japan; 49:26 Communication with home/ Processing out of the Marine Corps; 52:29 Transition to the Civilian Life/ End of service in the Marine Corps; 53:05 Personal anecdote about surviving a bullet hitting his helmet; 53:42 Employment with the department of Veterans' Affairs/ PTSD symptoms/ Post- Marine Corps employment; 55:04 Employment with the Post- Office; 55:30 How he should have used military experience/ contact with other veterans; 56:08 Beliefs about the futility of war; 57:08 Promotion to acting Platoon Sergeant in the Marine Corps; 58:18 Anecdote about shorter man in the platoon; 58:55 Advice to prospective soldiers/ ways to improve the military; 59:35 Conclusion.
Date of Birth
1923-07-14
Place of Birth
Cambrook (Pa.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Pennsylvania
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1944-02-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1945-02-28
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Marines
Unit of Service
2nd Marine Division
Location of Service
Pacific Area; New Zealand; Tarawa (Kiribati); Saipan (Mariana Islands); Tinian (Northern Mariana Islands)
Highest Rank
Corporal; Cpl; Sergeant; Sgt
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Battle of Tarawa; Battle of Saipan; Battle of Tinian
Medals
Purple Heart
Achievements
Assault Engineer
Note
Wounded in wrist- possible shrapnel in chest. Served as Acting Platoon Sergeant.
City of Birth
Cambrook
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Bradfield, Daniel
Interview Date
10-23-2014
Location of Interview
Veteran's home in Winter Springs, FL.
Subjects
Mula, Sam J.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; United States. Marine Corps
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Bradfield, Daniel
Length of Interview
61 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
video
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Mula, Sam J. interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 309.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/309