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Description

Oral History interview of William Willmot. Interview conducted by Kuperman, Aubrey and Valentich, Melaine at Willmot Residence.

Log

0:16 Introduction Bill Willmot, Merritt Island, Florida; 0:23 Grew up in Linden, New Jersey; 0:24 Graduated from Linden High School in 1943; 0:29 Immediately went into Army when World War II was on; 0:37 Started educational experiences that continue through present day; 0:45 Enrolled at University of Central Florida; 0:50 Has taken classes at 35 different colleges around the United States; 0:57 Military correspondence courses, extension courses; 1:02 Press card with City News Service in Dubuque, Iowa; 1:13 Hobby amateur radio since the age of twelve; 1:18 Photography; 1:25 Active with Military Society of the Blue Badge in Viera, FL; 1:35 Tutor oriental students in reading, writing and pronunciation; 2:04 Prepare class schedule for spring semester; 2:18 Combat experiences in the Philippines; 2:28 Does not want to discuss serious ones because they will make you sick; 2:34 Humorous experiences; 2:36 Landed in Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea and found sake filled warehouse; 3:13 Guarding captured Japanese prisoners; 4:18 �Road Test� vehicle sign; 4:41 Sitting in battle; 4:57 Island of Leyte his division killed over 40,000 Japanese soldiers; 5:50 Discusses how difficult combat is; 6:08 Peace time parades; 6:18 How amateur radio played a part in Military career; 6:45 Interviewed with the Signal Corp; 7:07 Trained people for Signal Corp; 7:40 Taught international Morris Code; 7:50 Learned how to use a typewriter; 9:17 Communicating home during war; 9:30 Best friend and best friend's sister after the war, how he met his wife; 10:25 Amateur radio during depression days; 10:50 Indian River amateur radio club; 11:16 Radio Signal Corp Instructor in Japan, Japanese interaction; 11:30 Traveling, visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki; 11:56 Japanese parties, geisha girls; 12:37 Stationed on the Island of Shikoku; 12:57 When working for Pan Am at Patrick Air Force Base; 14:10 News of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; 14:45 The night the war ended; 18:14 William Verbeck information; 18:56 Verbeck Mindanao, Philippines Japanese plane crash; 19:52 Verbeck information; 20:15 Caught teenage Japanese prisoners; 21:48 Verbeck farewell party; 22:06 First landed in (Bray camp Ridge?); 23:45 Visited Verbeck every summer; 24:33 One person left from his unit; 25:00 Contact with anyone who survived after the war; 25:18 Holidays while deployed; 25:28 Standard time reminder; 26:21 NASA Alumni Group; 26:49 Family relations during war; 26:59 Father served in old Calvary with horses; 27:04 Brother joined Navy, Shanghai, China; 27:40 Nephews; 28:11 Close friend story; 28:39 South Korean Student; 28:55 Some students as close as family; 29:02 The Great Courses, Rollins; 29:40 DVD courses; 30:27 Course on writing a sentence; 31:47 Friend's son problem with calculus; 32:12 DVD collector; 33:10 Good mood, understands the human brain; 33:32 Life is an opportunity; 34:11 Difference between Community and Junior College; 35:30 Private institutions that offer certificates; 35:36 City News Service certificate for Journalism; 35:51 Educational system; 37:15 Most valuable thing in life is education; 37:58 physically worked for 47 years full time; 38:10 Worked last 10 years at NASA as a disaster control officer.

Date of Birth

1925-06-26

Place of Birth

Elizabeth (N.J.)

Gender

Male

Race

Unspecified

Home State

New Jersey

War or Conflict

World War II

Status

Veteran

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

1943-06-02

Type

Audio; Sound

1946-01-18

Entrance into Service

Enlisted

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Unit of Service

Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division

Highest Rank

Technician Fourth Grade; TEC4

Prisoner of War

No

Service Related Injury

Yes

Battles

Hollandia; Dutch New Guinea; Leyte, Philippines; Mindoro, Philippines; Luzen, Philippines; Corregidor, Philippines; Mindanao, Philippines

Medals

Combat Infantryman Badge; Bronze Star Medal; Asian Pacific Theater Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal; Philippine Independence Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Victory Medal; Army of Occupation Medal; Presidential Unit Citation

Achievements

Refer to the interview.

Note

Medal and award details: Asian Pacific Theater Medal with Bronze Arrowhead and 4 Battle Stars; Unit received the U.S. Presidential Citation and the Philippine Presidential Citation.

City of Birth

Elizabeth

Country of Birth

United States

Interviewer

Kuperman, Aubrey; Valentich, Melaine

Interview Date

11-4-2011

Location of Interview

Willmot Residence

Subjects

Willmot, William C.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; United States. Army

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

Kuperman, Aubrey; Valentich, Melaine

Length of Interview

40 Minutes

Publisher

Department of History, University of Central Florida

Type

audio

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

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