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Description
Oral History interview of Paul Finn, Jr. Interview conducted by Langham, Timothy at Thomas Residence.
Log
0:01 Introduction; 0:30 Educational background and family; 1:30 Early expectations of the Navy; 2:00 Joining the Navy and early career summary; 2:38 Boot camp and training; 3:20 Time stationed in Japan; 5:00 Mine sweeping school Charleston, NC; 6:00 Ranking goals in the Navy; 7:24 Time on the U.S.S. Oriskany aircraft carrier; 9:55 500 pound bomb accident and death of a friend - Korean War; 11:45 Shanghaied from the U.S.S. Oriskany to the U.S.S. Yorktown; 13:05 Receives orders to Alameda Air Force base, California; 14:10 Assigned to U.S.S. General Mann transport; 15:10 Ordered to U.S.S. Epping Forest mine countermeasures - Vietnam War; 15:48 Transferred to Great Lakes Academy, Illinois; 16:53 Receives the Navy Times Helm Award; 17:53 Assists with establishing ROTC camps in Orlando, Florida; 22:02 Working at Orlando General Hospital and Retirement; 23:35 Elaboration on duties at Great Lakes Academy, Illinois; 27:32 Staying in touch with old shipmates and the Oriskany museum; 30:22 Personal opinion on changes that should be implemented; 33:10 Makes E-8 Senior Chief rank; 33:40 Training recruits; 36:23 No dull time in the Navy, common accidents and rescuing pilots; 41:27 Feelings on the modern media's portrayal of the Navy; 43:30 Opinions on nuclear powered ships; 45:30 Conclusion.
Date of Birth
1929-05-30
Place of Birth
Springfield (Mass.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Massachusetts
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1940-09-15
Type
Video; MovingImage
1974-09-15
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
Retired eight ships
Highest Rank
Senior Chief Petty Officer; SCPO
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Good Conduct Medal; China Service Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Army of Occupation Medal; United Nations Service Medal for Korea for Korea; National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Korean Presidential Unit Citation; Korean Service Medal
Achievements
Highest score ever cut mine sweeping score (98.1), 1960; Company Commander, Great Lakes, Il., 1964 (Navy Times Helm Award)
Note
30% on Military Duty Disability. Won Good Conduct Medal (3 awards); China Service; World War II Victory; World War II Occupation (Japan); UN Korean Service; National Defense; Armed Forces- Expeditionary (Vietnam); Korean President Unit Citation and Korean Services Bronze Stars (2 awards).
City of Birth
Springfield
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Langham, Timothy
Interview Date
Spring 3-23-2012
Location of Interview
Thomas Residence
Subjects
Finn, Paul T., Jr.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; 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
Langham, Timothy
Length of Interview
47 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, "Finn, Paul Thomas, Jr. interview" (2012). Veterans Oral Histories. 115.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/115