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Description
Oral History interview of Gerard P. Maxfield. Interview conducted by Orleman, Andrew; Wiggins, Leanne at Veteran‘s home in Maitland, FL.
Log
0:01 Introductions/Biographical Data; 1:14 Parents Occupations/Growing up during the Depression; 3:18 Early Education/Speaking French; 4:30 Deciding to Enlist in the Navy/Asking his Parents for Permission; 5:50 Being Homesick during Training/First Few Weeks in the Navy; 8:30 Ford's Navy School - Dearborn, Mich. - Built by Henry Ford; 9:39 Staying on the U.S.S. Constellation while in Newport, R.I.; 11:16 San Diego - December, 1941; 13:00 Reactions to the Bombing of Pearl Harbor/Witnessing the Devastation; 13:42 U.S.S. Pelias - Submarine Tender; 15:07 Discussing Work on a Submarine Tender/Working with a Lathe; 16:45 Going Back to San Diego; 18:00 Getting Thrown in the Brig after Going on Leave for too Long; 19:18 Shipping out to Australia; 22:37 Working as a Mechanic during the Second World War; 22:58 Meeting his Wife in 1944; 24:24 Hitchhiking and Working after the War; 25:00 First Impressions of Australia/Interacting with Australians; 27:30 Asking his Wife's Father for his Daughter's Hand in Marriage; 28:00 Typical Day Working in the Garage as a Wrecker; 29:52 Going to the Pub/Wood Working; 30:49 His Thoughts on "Having it Made" during the War; 31:24 The End of the War; 33:42 The Turning Point in the War for Australia - the Battle of the Coral Sea; 36:16 Transitioning to Civilian Life - Moving to LA; 40:49 Joining the Air Force; 43:38 Being Sent to Washington State - Moses Lake; 44:49 Becoming a Technical Sergeant - Working at the Wood Shop; 46:14 Going to Hartford, Conn. as a Recruiter; 48:31 "Shading the Truth" to Attract Recruits; 50:22 Recruiting Duty during Korean War; 51:18 Serving in Japan - Different Types of Work; 52:20 Stationed in Illinois; 52:49 Stationed in Libya - Travelling to Rome; 55:57 Stationed in New Jersey - Retiring after 24 years; 57:43 Moving to Orlando - Working at Sears for 19 years; 1:00:03 Retiring from Sears in '86/Working Part-Time/Travelling the South; 1:03:00 Volunteer work/Missionary work - "The Prison Angel"; 1:08:30 Receiving a Papal Cross.
Date of Birth
1923-06-15
Place of Birth
Leominster (Mass.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Massachusetts
War or Conflict
World War II; Korean Conflict
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1941-02-28
Type
Video; MovingImage
1946-07-21
Begin/End date of Service - 2nd
1949-02-09
1967-07-30
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
U.S.S. Pelias; U.S.S. Birmingham
Location of Service
Naval Station Great Lakes; U.S.S. Pelias; U.S.S. Birmingham; U.S.S. Harris - Pearl Harbor
Highest Rank
Machinist 1st Class Petty Officer; MACH1; Senior Master Sergeant; SMSgt
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Letter of Achievement
Achievements
Helped construct parts for the U.S.S. Pelias.
Note
Was Stationed in Hawaii in December 1941; Transferred to a submarine base in Fremantle, Australia.
City of Birth
Leominster
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Orleman, Andrew; Wiggins, Leanne
Interview Date
6-11-2014
Location of Interview
Veteran‘s home in Maitland, Fla.
Subjects
Maxfield, Gerard P.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Navy; 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
Orleman, Andrew; Wiggins, Leanne
Length of Interview
76 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, "Maxfield, Gerard P. interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 308.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/308