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Description
Oral History interview of george kleven. Interview conducted by Thorp, Alex at Leesburg, FL.
Log
0:24 Birthplace and Childhood; 1:29 Siblings; 2:15 Parents and Norwegian Heritage; 4:34 Trying to Join the Navy, Merchant Marines; 6:06 High School Education; 6:27 Merchant Marines Basic Training; 7:36 Home on Leave; 8:18 Risden Tyler Bennett Ammunition Ship; 8:51 Stationed In Boston; 10:24 Father's Advice, Becoming a Man; 11:04 Halifax (Nova Scotia), Barroom Brawl, Stab Wound; 12:25 Leaving Halifax, Crossing the Atlantic, Training Exercises; 15:20 German Submarine Approaches, First Combat Experience; 17:15 Hull (England); 18:14 Watching Damaged Plane Crash, Plane Still Able to Land; 21:06 German Buzz Bombs; 22:26 Leaving Hull, Tanker Convoy, Home on Leave; 23:44 Brazil Converted Luxury Liner, Taking Charge of the Boat Deck; 24:49 Le Havre (France), Unloading Equipment; 25:54 Meeting French Resistance, Tour of French Tunnel System; 28:32 Home on Leave, Charles Sunder Rolling Stock Ship; 30:41 Marseilles (France), Winning $1500, German Submarine Approaches; 33:20 Germany Surrenders, New Orleans, Enlists In the Navy; 35:38 Why the Navy, Payment; 38:28 Navy Basic Training, Left-Handed Monkey Wrench; 40:49 Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Seeing the USS Arizona; 42:54 Okinawa (Japan), LCT Squadron, Japanese Caves; 47:03 War Ends on the Way to Okinawa; 48:06 Return to the States, Transferred to LCS, Seabee Unit; 51:12 Coronado (California), Top Hat Club, Discharged; 55:07 Differences Between Merchant Marines and Navy; 56:04 Civilian Life, Hitchhiking Home; 1:01:47 General Motors, Electro-Motive Diesel; 1:02:50 First Wife Mary Ann (1954-2007), Second Wife Jean-Marie; 1:04:14 Mechanics School, Finance Companies; 1:10:25 Becoming a Car Salesman, Highest Return Rate; 1:13:35 Looking Back at Military Experience; 1:14:31 American Legion Boys State Program; 1:17:50 Jean-Marie Comments, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars; 1:19:43 End of Interview.
Date of Birth
1927-09-12
Place of Birth
Chicago (Ill.)
Gender
Male
Home State
Illinois
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1944-07-20
Type
Video; MovingImage
1945-05-01
Begin/End date of Service - 2nd
1945-06-05
1947-11-04
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Merchant Marine
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
S.S. Brazil
Location of Service
Howe (England); Lahare (France); Marseille (France); New Orleans (La.); Okinawa (Japan)
Highest Rank
Fireman 1st Class
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Battle of Dover
Medals
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
Achievements
"…Steward department; discharge came from the Coast Guard." - The Veteran.
Note
Daylight raids in England in Dover; On the way to Okinawa when the atomic bombs were dropped.
City of Birth
Chicago
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Thorp, Alex
Interview Date
Fall 9-29-2016
Location of Interview
Leesburg, FL.
Subjects
Kleven, George; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Marines; United States. Navy
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
80 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, "Kleven, George interview" (2016). Veterans Oral Histories. 515.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/515