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Description
Oral History interview of Richard Thomas. Interview conducted by Alex Kontos at Westminster Towers, Orlando, FL.
Log
0:38 Growing up in Chicago; 1:24 His parents, what they did, and being the only family member in military; 1:50 Education before joining the military; 2:00 Joined the Illinois International Guard; 2:22 Where stationed while in the Air Force, how friend wanted to swap; 3:22 Spots training received before joining the Air Force; 3:57 Military experience during the Korean War; 4:36 Types of jobs he had while in Newfoundland; 4:46 Views on the Korean War; 5:13 Military Experience during the Vietnam War; 6:16 Views on the Vietnam War; 6:44 Assassination of John F. Kennedy and how it affected military service; 0:34 Military experience during the Cold War; 1:57 Types of jobs during the Cold War; 2:25 When he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant; 2:50 When he ended his service in the military, and his post-war occupation; 3:17 Didn't keep in touch with anyone from the service and why; 3:31 How he described his entire service in the military; 4:04 Couldn't get a job with Nasa, and how his training helped him land a job; 5:28 Final description of the military; hard on the family and moving a lot.
Date of Birth
1932-11-24
Place of Birth
Chicago (Ill.)
Gender
Male
Race
Unknown
Home State
Illinois
War or Conflict
Korean Conflict
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1952-09-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1972-08-01
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
Air Communication Service, Air National Guard
Location of Service
Alaska; Newfoundland and Labrador; France; England
Highest Rank
Master Sergeant; MSgt
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
Maintained Air Traffic Control equipment
Note
Served During Korea, Vietnam, and The Cold War Era
City of Birth
Chicago
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Kontos, Alex
Interview Date
Fall 10-27-2015
Location of Interview
Westminster Towers, Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Thomas, Richard; Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Air Force
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
Kontos, Alex
Length of Interview
13 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
Semester
Fall
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Thomas, Richard" (2015). Veterans Oral Histories. 396.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/396