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Description
Oral History interview of Alonzo Roberts. Interview conducted by Andrew Ortiz at Veteran's Residence.
Log
0.01 No audio; 2:37 Audio is turned on; 2:40 History of Winter Park, FL; 5:25 His Grandfather one of the first men to settle in Winter Park, FL; 6:05 Settlers of Winter Park; 7:05 History of outside cities of Winter Park; 8:14 Grandfather's property; 09:30 Other property owners of Winter Park; 10:10 First church started in Winter Park; 11:55 His parents separating; 13:11 People in the community helping one another; 13:30 Grandfather built his home; 14:11 His birth inside the home; 14:28 Development of Winter Park; 16:11 Getting his Social Security Number at age 17; 17:30 Working on an orange grove; 18:25 Working at Lake mount Dairy; 21:25 Shining shoes on park avenue; 22:45 Difference in currency from growing up and now; 23:10 Being a waiter at a restaurant; 24:15 Drafted into the military during World War II; 24:35 Listening to the radio when war was declared on Japan; 25:45 Drafted into the US Army at the age of 19; 27:25 Inducted into the Army February 7th 1943; 28:16 Praying he would not be sent to Mississippi or Georgia; 28:44 Segregation in Mississippi; 29:30 African American troops told not to go outside without an MP present; 30:57 Transferred to Camp Shelby; 31:25 Being a cook at Camp Shelby; 33:20 Transferred from cook to Quarter Master; 34:30 Injured his knee and put in the hospital for 39 days; 36:40 Shipping out to the Pacific by boat; 40:55 Transferring from ship to shore; 41:45 Living conditions on the beach; 43:10 Marines training on the island; 43:39 Transferred to a Marine Unit; 44:00 Sent to Guadalcanal with the Marine Unit; 44:50 5 battle stars for being in combat zone; 45:00 Combat situation on Guadalcanal; 45:30 Marines situation on Guadalcanal; 47:43 P-51 and P-61 landing on air crafts; 48:45 Marines boarding ship; 49:50 Taking what Marines left on the island; 51:55 Black Marines were used as stretcher carriers; 53:00 Guadalcanal preparations; 54:45 Battle of Guadalcanal; 58:35 Lucky that he was sent to Guam; 1:01:55 In Cebu, Philippines; 1:04:30 Build up to the Atomic Bomb dropping; 1:07:00 Aftermath of atomic bombs dropped; 1:08:55 Loss of life at Guadalcanal; 1:09:55 Discusses how Marine are trained and the effect when they come home; 1:12:55 Why Black men were not trusted to be in an infantry role; 1:13:10 President Eisenhower one the best Presidents ever; 1:14:40 Shipping back home from the Pacific; 1:18:15 Discusses how he doesn't want to be on ocean water gain; 1:20:10 Date of discharge from the Army; 1:21:15 His occupation after leaving the Army; 1:25:45 House Phone Rings/ Interview is paused; 1:25:57 Interview starts again/ Working for a family; 1:27:19 Being a barber; 1:27:35 Being a school bus driver for 27 years; 1:28:00 Barbershop that he used to own is still a barber shop today; 1:29:45 People come ask him about the history of Winter Park; 1:30:50 His book that he is writing about his life and Winter Park; 1:32:00 Wants no part of the ocean, wants to stay on land; 1:34:10 Enjoying life; 1:35:13 Conclusion.
Date of Birth
1922-10-29
Place of Birth
Winter Park (Fla.)
Gender
Male
Race
Black or African American
Home State
Florida
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1943-02-07
Type
Video; MovingImage
1946-02-08
Entrance into Service
Drafted
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
733 Medical Corps
Location of Service
Unspecified
Highest Rank
Sergeant; SGT
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Good Conduct Medal
Achievements
"Cook at Shelby; Quartermaster at Guadalcanal; 5 battle stars but never saw combat." -- The veteran.
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
Winter Park
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Ortiz, Andrew
Interview Date
Fall 8-31-2017
Location of Interview
Veterans Residence
Subjects
Roberts, Alonzo; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives; 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
Ortiz, Andrew
Length of Interview
95 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
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Roberts, Alonzo interview" (2017). Veterans Oral Histories. 564.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/564