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Description
Oral History interview of Charles Wiles. Interview conducted by Thorpe, Alex at Veteran's Residence.
Log
0:32 Birthplace; 0:53 Siblings; 1:41 Childhood; 3:03 Education; 3:37 Training; 3:58 England, POW; 5:24 Enlisting In the Air Force; 6:00 Basic Training; 6:20 Drill Sergeants; 6:43 Advanced Training; 7:28 Arriving In England; 7:52 Flight Engineer; 8:28 Training Personnel; 9:39 Shot Down; 11:40 Prison Camp; 13:36 Russians, Starvation; 14:41 Other Soldiers; 15:54 German Reactions; 16:19 Passing the Border; 16:54 Other Prison Camps; 17:36 Reenlisting In the Air Force; 18:47 Korean Involvement; 20:04 Coming In on Runs; 21:22 Correspondence; 21:57 Stationed In Japan; 22:46 Never Landing In Korea; 23:14 Maintenance Work; 24:14 Stationed In Orlando; 24:55 McCoy Air Force Base; 25:27 Retirement, Real Estate; 25:54 Changes In Orlando; 26:30 Air Force Life; 27:15 Medals and Citations; 27:48 Chief Master Sergeant; 28:09 Responsibilities; 30:23 No Regrets; 30:53 Military Advice; 31:57 Closing Comments; 33:26 End of Interview.
Date of Birth
1929-11-11
Place of Birth
Shamokin (Pa.)
Gender
Male
Race
Unknown
Home State
Pennsylvania
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1942-01-15
Type
Video; MovingImage
1966-04-01
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
351st Bomb Group; 8th Air Force
Location of Service
McCoy Air Force Base (Fla.)
Highest Rank
Chief Master Sergeant; CMSgt
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Battle of Lechfeld
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
See video for details.
Note
The contact information given belongs to Charles daughter, Karen Clement. She supplied the VHP with a letter detailing a bombing mission, POW Experience, and Charles career. Charles Wiles was initially discharged from the Air Force on 7/29/1945. He re-enlisted 1/15/1948.
City of Birth
Shamokin
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Thorp, Alex
Interview Date
Fall 11-17-2016
Location of Interview
Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Wiles, Charles L.; World War, 1939-1945 -- 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
Thorp, Alex
Length of Interview
34 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 & University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Semester
Fall
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Wiles, Charles L. interview" (2016). Veterans Oral Histories. 508.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/508