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Description
Oral History interview of James Krajicek. Interview conducted by Stillman, Pat at Village on the Green in Longwood, FL.
Log
0:01 Introduction; 0:40 Family Life/Father's Political Life; 2:44 Pre-Military Life/ Enlistment into the Military; 4:09 Boot Camp; 4:44 College Training Detachment; 6:16 Pilot Training/ Equipment for Pilot Training; 7:36 Graduation/B-25 Training/C-47 Training; 9:08 Assignment in Operation CBI (China/Burma/India); 10:09 Mission in India/Support from British 14th Army; 11:05 Mission in Burma/Transportation of Chinese into China/Flying over Himalayas; 13:17 Plane Crash in China; 14:40 Assignment in Chongqing/Leave in Chongqing; 16:13 Ending Assignment in China/Leaving China/Sailing Home from India; 17:38 Leaving the Service/Graduating from Nebraska; 19:03 Service with Strategic Air Command during the Korean War; 20:32 Navigator for B-29/Training in Newfoundland; 23:07 Test Director with Lockheed, NASA, U.S. Air Force NASA Recovery Vehicle; 26:10 Role within the Project/Description of the Equipment and purpose of the project; 28:22 Simplicity of the Operation/Completion of the Project; 29:59 Assignment to Hawaii/Role with NASA Recovery; 32:05 Description of Recovery Operations; 35:20 Assignment to the Philippines/Support for Vietnam War; 36:23 Family Life in the Philippines; 38:16 Command of the 3rd Aerospace and Recovery Group/Rescue of a Lindbergh from the Philippines; 42:23 Conclusion.
Date of Birth
1923-08-21
Place of Birth
Omaha (Neb.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Nebraska
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1942-11-16
Type
Video; MovingImage
1974-01-17
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
2nd Combat Cargo Squadron; New Jersey 58th Air Transport Squadron (59-63); 67th Air Rescue Squadron (60); 41st Aerospace Rescue (67); 3rd Aerospace and Recovery Group (72)
Location of Service
Santa Anna (Calif.); Columbia (S.C.)
Highest Rank
Lieutenant Colonel; LtCol
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Operation CBI (China-Burma-India Theatre)
Medals
Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal; American Campaign Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation; Bronze Star Medal
Achievements
Flew the “Hump“ from China into Burma; Participated in Gemini-Apollo Rescue Missions; Was named the Assistant Personnel Services Directorate at HQ Northeast Air Command: Pepperrell Air Base, St. Johns Newfoundland (52-54); Was named the Personnel Service Directorate HQ, Sports Branch: Department of the Air Force, Washington D.C (54-58); Was named Operations Officer at C-118 Flight Transition school: West Palm Beach Air Force Base and at the McGuire Air Force Base in N.J., 58th Air Transport Squadron (59-63); Was named Operations Officer: Prestwich AB, Scotland (60); Was named Deputy Test Director of the HC H Test Team at Air Force Flight Test Center: Edwards AFB, CA (63); Was Mission Commander of the Deployed Air Force Resources during Apollo missions 8,9 and 10; Was named Director of Operations, 3rd Aerospace and Recovery Group: Nhut Air Base, Vietnam (72-73).
Note
Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Medal was awarded with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded with 2 Bronze Service Stars; National Defense Service Medal was awarded with 1 Bronze Service Star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was awarded with 1 Bronze Service Star.
City of Birth
Omaha
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Stillman, Pat
Interview Date
6-26-2014
Location of Interview
Veterans Academic Resource Center at the University of Central FL.
Subjects
Krajicek, James; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; China-Burma-India Theater of Operation (CBI); United States. Air Force
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
Stillman, Pat
Length of Interview
42 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, "Krajicek, James interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 304.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/304