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Description
Oral history interview with John N. Harbilas. Interview conducted by Jabez Coggan IV and Rafael Cruz at Westminster Towers, 70 W Lucerne Cir, Orlando, FL on November 9, 2018.
Log
1:21 Talked about where he was born and when; 1:55 Talked about graduating high school; 2:10 Talked about his brother military career; 2:40 Talked about brother being his hero/John Starts military career; 3:00 Talks about his start of joining the Army Air Corp; 3:49 Stated when he was called into active duty; 4:07 Pilot/ Reclassification tail gunner; 4:45 Talked about volunteering for the Post band; 4:55 Reclassified again to go to B-29 mechanics school; 6:00 Talked about his friend/ reenlistments; 6:35 Orders to go to Germany as a Trombonist/ 686th Air Force Band; 7:00 Talked about his station in Germany/ Band duties explain; 8:24 Reenlistment no ended career after his first reenlistment; 9:31 Coming home; 9:45 Horticulture Degree/Florist Career; 11:05 Talked about Becoming a Teacher/ Getting Married; 11:48 Moving to Orlando/ Interviewing for First teaching job; 12:11 Talked about first teaching job; 12:45 Getting into School Administration; 13:19 Became assistant and then Principal of Robert E. Lee Middle School; 13:57 Become Principal at Several Elementary school in his career; 14:14 Retried School 1991 talked more about teaching career; 15:10 Talked more about his experience in Germany; 16:36 No combat but heard and talked about it; 17:05 Glenn Miller Music/ Talked about Glen Miller More; 17:52 Music Career; 19:13 Free time while on duty; 20:10 Type of food in Germany; 21:30 Military Service Shaping Teaching Career/ Be on Time; 23:48 His Kids; 30:30 Hobbies after military service golf; 32:27 Hobbies after military service clock repair; 34:15 More Hobbies; 34:58 Favorite Music; 36:33 Friends in contact after service; 37:59 Feel about his service; 39:40 His siblings; 40:57 His Parents; 49:44 Technology and grandkids; 52:28 Picture he brought explains what each one is; 56:32 Switzerland trip vs. his duty in Germany; 1:01:30 He Thanks us/ Closing statement.
Date of Birth
1926-12-08
Place of Birth
Holoke (Mass.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Massachusetts
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1945-04-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1947-02-01
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
686th Air Force band
Location of Service
Wiesbaden (Germany)
Highest Rank
Private First Class; PFC
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
See interview for details.
Note
Post military band, replacement of Glenn Miller Members from England.
City of Birth
Holoke
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Coggan, Jabez; Cruz, Rafael
Interview Date
Fall 1-8-2019
Location of Interview
Westminster Towers, Orlando, Florida
Subjects
Harbilas, John N.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives; 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
Coggan, Jabez; Cruz, Rafael
Length of Interview
63 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, "Harbilas, John N. interview" (2019). Veterans Oral Histories. 619.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/619