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Description
Oral History interview of Leo Birch. Interview conducted by Cannon, Joan at Village on the Green in Longwood, FL.
Log
0:01 Introduction; 0:45 Childhood; 2:00 Education & Musical Interest; 3:40 Employment Prior to Being Drafted; 4:23 Pre-War Draft; 5:38 Personal & Family Feelings on Service; 6:52 Marching Band Unit Ft. DuPont, Delaware; 8:29 Pearl Harbor; 9:15 Unit Activated Sent West to LA Rail Yards; 10:40 Officer Candidate School; 12:12 Orders to California/Mojave Desert Training; 13:20 Marriage; 13:30 Ft. Monroe Bell Computer Anti-Aircraft Course; 14:26 Assignment to Coast Artillery Board Assistant Training Officer; 16:30 Chesapeake Bay Target (Bell/155mm); 20:02 Ft. Crockett, Texas Artillery Shoot; 23:34 End of World War 2; 24:37 Reserves & Returning to Work for Western Electric; 25:28 Inspiration While at Rutgers University & Leaving Western Electric; 28:35 Harbor Defense Course; 29:34 GTE Employment; 31:28 Korean War Activation; 33:14 Orders to Japan; 35:28 Planning Landline Service in Okinawa; 37:31 Impressions of Japanese People; 39:42 Memory from Tokyo; 41:07 Requesting Richard Nixon's Help in Resigning Commission; 42:51 Returning to Civilian Life & Work with GTE; 45:02 Various Positions in GTE & World HQ Position in New York City; 46:07 Keeping up with Others Who Served; 46:51 Eldest Son's Career; 50:54 Younger Son's Career; 51:36 Grandchildren; 52:14 GTE International & Iran; 55:08 London Personnel Acquisition; 58:02 Retirement in Florida; 59:09 Assessment of Military Service; 59:59 Conclusion.
Date of Birth
1919-09-14
Place of Birth
Elizabeth (N.J.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
New Jersey
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1941-04-22
Type
Video; MovingImage
1953-10-23
Entrance into Service
Drafted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
Battalion - Coast Artillery Board; Signal Corps; Aviation Battalion
Highest Rank
First Lieutenant; 1LT
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
Anti-Aircraft training officer; Computer Artillery Test Officer.
Note
Coast Artillery Board - Worked with Bell Laboratories on their development of Computer Associated with SCR-584 Radar to direct fire of 155mm Mobile Seacoast artillery at Ft. Monroe, VA; In Japan during Korean War with team of technicians: gave communications support to Gen. MacArthur‘s headquarters in Tokyo; Lent support to communications needs at Kadena Airport in Okinawa - land line replacement of Radio -was transferred to Signal Corps from Anti-Aircraft Artillery prior to Korean War.
City of Birth
Elizabeth
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Cannon, Joan
Interview Date
6-25-2014
Location of Interview
Village on the Green, Longwood, FL.
Subjects
Birch, Leo A.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; Post World War II; 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
Cannon, Joan
Length of Interview
60 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, "Birch, Leo A. interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 246.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/246