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Description
Oral History interview of John Ciesko. Interview conducted by Kittel, Carly at University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
Log
0:36 Early life - family - growing up in Chicago; 2:24 Describing home life in South Chicago/sleeping arrangements; 5:20 Describes the careers of his family members; 7:01 Education - choosing to go into ROTC; 8:30 Meeting a lot of good friends in high school ROTC; 9:22 University of Illinois - working towards a commission; 10:28 Graduated May 1958 - in the military in November 1958; 10:57 Advanced training at Fort Belvoir; 14:45 Keeping sane during training/mind games during training; 17:15 Classroom training/Engineer training; 17:50 First impressions of Vietnamese counterparts; 20:45 Expectations of training/testing; 23:00 January 1959 - Shipping out to Panama; 25:20 Reasons for being in Panama - protecting the Panama Canal; 26:55 Discussing the duties of a combat engineering company; 29:13 War games with the 101st Airborne; 29:40 Relationships with others in the unit - living while in Panama; 32:00 Pranks with artificial vomit; 33:10 A non-typical day while in Panama - Riots in Panama; 35:21 Panamanian National Guard - breaking up the riots; 37:14 Meeting with higher ups regarding the riots; 39:41 Atomic demolition training; 41:36 Security measures, demolition training; 42:45 Leaving Panama September 1960 - end of active duty; 43:10 Reserve obligations - Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; 44:25 Civilian work - Lockheed Martin; 47:27 Coming to Florida - 1988; 49:06 Thoughts on military and post-military career; 49:41 Universal military experience; 50:21 Advice for future service members; 51:51 Mr. Ciesko discusses several incidents from his time in Panama; 57:26 Gaining an appreciation of the United States; 59:10 Final thoughts; 1:02:06 End.
Date of Birth
1935-01-05
Place of Birth
Chicago (Ill.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Illinois
War or Conflict
Cold War Era
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1958-11-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1960-09-01
Entrance into Service
Commissioned
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
518th Engineer Company
Highest Rank
First Lieutenant; 1LT
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
Atomic Demolition Zone
Note
High School ROTC; University of Illinois ROTC; Trained at Fort Belvoir, VA. In Panama during the riots in 1959-1960.
City of Birth
Chicago
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Kittel, Carly
Interview Date
6-16-2014
Location of Interview
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Ciesko, John F.; Cold War -- 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
Kittel, Carly
Length of Interview
62 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, "Ciesko, John F. interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 216.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/216