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Description
Oral history interview with John Leier. Interview conducted by Karen Kelly in Winter Springs, Florida on April 13, 2017.
Log
0:30 Birthplace, siblings, parents occupation, childhood, mother's education; 3:25 Story from childhood; 5:17 Story about Booker T. Washington that means a lot to him; 10:22 Story of Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, AL that he recalls; 16:04 Booker T. Washington as advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt; 17:11 Education prior to the his military service, family in the military; 18:04 Taught woman machine shop training: Riveting; 18:38 Enlisted, influenced to join the Navy; 19:33 Basic training at Norfolk, VA, different between South and North; 20:38 In California, made binoculars and repaired periscopes on submarines; 21:24 Woman's contribution to the war effort; 22:33 His ship was a converted Liberty ship: USS Guadalcanal; 23:16 Introduced to 'liberals', selling candies on ship, experience with Officer; 26:08 'Atheist in Foxholes', experience with atheist in the military; 27:55 Going through the Panama Canal; 29:18 Running into the roughest storm and injury he sustained on deck; 34:08 First assignment: binocular repair and construction; 34:30 What it was like being aboard the USS Guadalcanal & experiences; 36:10 Assigned to a submarine to repair periscopes; 37:32 Average day like on a submarine, potato story; 40:24 Stay in the family: first born and his name; phone call; 42:15 Duty while on board his ship, chasing down enemy aircraft and subs; 43:00 Operation ship participated in capturing a U-boat, enigma and code book; 44:21 Reactions to dropping of the Atomic Bomb, dropping pamphlets to leave; 47:48 Remembering the greatest picture of WWII: Iwo Jima; 50:36 Three monuments that changed his life; 52:17 Passionate for helping other veterans; 53:28 Writing a book "They Did It, So Can You", story of inspiring people; 55:20 Writing a book, can not see well, able to see with help of technology; 57:25 Non-profit organization: Vets Legacy Trust helped with his publication; 58:00 Length of time in the Navy, last day in the Navy, wife; 59:41 Readjusting to civilian life, jobs after the military, working all his life; 1:03:15 Created his own business, went into remodeling dry cleaners; 1:06:15 Going into the asphalt business; 1:08:10 Going to Florida with the family, set up business in Florida; 1:10:38 Various businesses he's been in, health is most important, vitamins; 1:12:20 Very experienced at his age, in court for his business, business partner; 1:14:58 Frank D. Roosevelt son in law, talking about the government, his property; 1:18:40 Wife stayed with him after everything, living with daughter, IRS; 1:19:15 Explaining how he can related to people and help them, Dr. Carson; 1:22:23 Ending the interview.
Date of Birth
1920-12-06
Place of Birth
Brooklyn (N.Y.)
Gender
Male
Race
Unknown
Home State
New York
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1942-05-23
Type
Video; MovingImage
1945-05-23
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
USS Guadalcanal
Location of Service
Norfolk (Va.); Panama Canal (Panama); Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands)
Highest Rank
Petty Officer 1st Class; PO1
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
See video for details.
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
Brooklyn
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Kelly, Karen
Interview Date
Spring 4-13-2017
Location of Interview
Winter Springs, FL.
Subjects
Leier, John; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Navy
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.
Transcript
Available
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Kelly, Karen
Length of Interview
83 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 & University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Semester
Spring
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Leier, John interview" (2017). Veterans Oral Histories. 536.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/536