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Description

Oral history interview of James Cruse. Interview conducted by Michael Richardson at University of Central Florida on October 4th, 2021.

Log

1:44 Early life and family; 2:00 Enlistment in Navy; 2:56 Basic Training experience; 4:00 Transition to Naval Officer; 4:51 Additional basic training memories; 5:31 Advanced training received; 5:51 Navy diving school experience; 6:56 Equipment used; 8:03 Additional diving qualifications; 8:30 Assignments within career; 9:42 Responsibilities during service; 10:48 Experience with additional roles as naval officer and impact on career; 12:15 Transition from active duty to the reserves; 12:38 Unit in Naval reserve; 13:07 Diving salvage operation; 14:01 Second diving salvage operation; 15:08 Anchor recovery operation in Haiti and experience; 16:30 Assistance in exercises for destroyers; 17:18 Impact of assignments on family life; 18:17 Most challenging experiences as a diver; 19:13 time with friends; 19:44 Most important medals and badges; 20:06 Interaction with family while overseas; 20:14 Changes seen in Navy over 22 years of service; 20:42 Camaraderie; 21:00 Last day of service in active duty and reserves; 21:30 Life after hte military; 22:03 Thoughts on service and military experiences impact on civilian life; 22:42 Most memorable diving experience and diving after the Navy; 23:06 Advice to younger people considering joining the military; 23:14 Final thoughts on wanting to stay in the Navy

Date of Birth

1948-09-09

Place of Birth

Detroit (MI)

Gender

Male

Race

White - Non Hispanic

Home State

Michigan

War or Conflict

Vietnam Era

Status

Veteran

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

1968-09-23

Type

Video; MovingImage

1992-11-01

Entrance into Service

Enlisted

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Unit of Service

USS Edenton ATS-1 for active duty; Main unit in Naval Reserve was Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Mayport Naval Station, Jacksonville, FL

Location of Service

Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia

Highest Rank

Lieutenant Commander

Prisoner of War

No

Service Related Injury

No

Medals

National Defense Medal; Qualified for 45 Cal. Pistol; Qualified Navy deep Sea Diver in Scuba, Hard Hat, Jack Brown Apparatus, Kirby Morgan Apparatus, and The Mark II Diving System

City of Birth

Detroit

Country of Birth

United States

Interviewer

Michael Richardson

Interview Date

1-31-2024

Location of Interview

University of Central Florida

Subjects

Cruse, James William.; Vietnam Era, 1968-1992, 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.

Contributor Affiliation / Organization

RICHES University of Central Florida

Contributors

Richardson, Michael.

Length of Interview

31:07:00

Accessibility Status

Closed captioning is available for the embedded video.

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

ZoomTranscription_JamesCruse_accessible.pdf (98 kB)
Transcript - J. Cruse

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