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Description
Oral history interview of Arthur F. Dreves. Interview conducted by Perry Kochavi at home of Arthur Dreves, Winter Park, Florida.
Log
1:20 Biographical information; 2:45 Before service: worked for hardware store, enlisted in 1941, inducted in 1942; 3:29 Discusses his feeling about WWII: wanted to fight right away; 3:50 Siblings serving in military: Brothers - One in Navy, one in Air Corps, and one in Army, and Sister in Nurse Corps; 4:30 Why he enlisted in Marine Corps: wanted to do something adventurous; 5:11 Assignment after boot camp: guard detachment at Naval radio stations on the Mexican Border, sent to Point Loma in San Diego, then to El Toro, and then Camp Pendleton (was infantry instructor); 7:02 Adapting to military life; 7:39 Chosen to escort Jeanne Crain to movie premier of Guadalcanal Diary Grauman's Chinese Theatre; 9:40 Meeting Bing Crosby at El Toro; 11:00 Transferred to First Marine Division (Pavuvu); 11:45 Experiences at Peleliu: assigned to Charlies Company First Battalion, heavy losses, ran out of ammunition, had to use rocks; 15:00 Went back to Pavuvu to rest and wait for next campaign; 16:13 Caroline Islands, Naval ships docked - play baseball; 17:30 Wrote article about his experiences at Ulithi: USS Ben Franklin; 19:29 Okinawa: was to be in fourth wave; 21:38 Experience of battle at Okinawa: two-three weeks on front line at a time; 23:40 Destruction witnessed: destroyed villages - civilians taken to the north; 24:46 Response of Okinawans: thought Americans were going to kill them; 25:50 Wounded: sent to field hospital; 27:00 Sent to guard medical supplies; 28:13 Found childhood friend in the Sixth Marine Division; 29:15 Met lieutenant who was searching for souvenirs, found Okinawans in cave; 34:30 Experience of being wounded: (Wana Draw) hit by shell fire in fox hole; 38:10 Wrote letters home to mother, censorhip (could not say where you were); 39:57 Brother sent to Africa and was wounded (brothers and sisters sent letters); 41:02 Off duty activites: swimming, made outdoor movie theatre ("Rialto"); 43:00 End of war: at Okinawa, sent to China (repatriate Japanese); 45:32 Going home: released by point system; 46:22 Met brother and sister at Union State in D.C. - went back to New York; 49:20 Entire family surprised parents (returned home); 50:27 Readjustment to civilian life: did not want to talk about war experience; 51:49 Searching for work: Naval Training Device Center (35 years); 55:33 Contact with other veterans: Central Florida Chapter First Marine Division; 57:30 How the war affected his life: assertive role, joined organizations.
Date of Birth
1923-11-02
Place of Birth
New York (N.Y.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
New York
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1942-01-08
Type
Audio; Sound
1946-03-08
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Marines
Unit of Service
"C" Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division
Location of Service
California; South Pacific
Highest Rank
Sergeant; Sgt
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Battle of Peleliu; Battle of Okinawa
Medals
Purple Heart; Presidential Citation
Achievements
Guard Duty- Stateside; Rifleman, Squad Leader
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
New York
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Kochavi, Perry
Interview Date
3-30-2011
Location of Interview
home of Arthur Dreves, Winter Park, FL.
Subjects
Dreves, Arthur F.; United States. Marines; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives; World War II; Camp Pendleton; Peleliu; Guadalcanal Diary; First Marine Division; Pavuvu; Charles Company First Battalion; Ulithi; USS Ben Franklin; Okinawa; Central Florida Chapter First Marine Division
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
Kochavi, Perry
Length of Interview
62 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
audio
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, "Dreves, Arthur F. interview" (2011). Veterans Oral Histories. 41.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/41