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Description
Oral History interview of Charles Wert. Interview conducted by Mathis, Sam at Wert Residence.
Log
0:17 Opening Bio; 1:17 Joining Navy; 2:00 Family; 2:55 First day in Navy; 3:43 High School credit for military service; 4:48 Pearl Harbor attacked; 5:12 Why he joined the navy; 5:24 Basic Training; 6:10 KP duty; 7:00 First day in basic; 8:36 Graduate basic; 9:01 Electricians training at Perdue; 10:55 Volunteers for sub school; 11:45 Talks about destroyer escorts; 12:10 Hearing damage; 12:30 DE training facility; 12:58 Crew of DE 32; 13:14 DE mock up; 14:04 Waiting for commission; 14:19 DE 32 Fleming; 17:25 Weapons of DE; 19:12 Hedgehog weapon; 20:17 Shakedown crew; 20:28 18th Birthday in Pearl Harbor; 21:00 Pearl Harbor 2 years later; 21:45 Anti sub patrols; 22:17 Gilbert Islands; 22:30 DE Division set up; 23:23 Tarawa; 24:00 Shell Back; 25:06 Screening Marshall Islands; 26:00 Radar and Sonar; 27:00 Ulithi Atoll; 28:00 Doctor; 28:24 Convoy detail; 28:48 Resupply; 29:30 Brother in Marine Corps; 30:18 Mail censored; 31:05 Meet Brother on troop transport; 32:40 Movies; 34:11 Guam invasion; 35:20 Screen landing ships; 36:40 Pearl Harbor refit; 37:20 Gyro Compass; 38:50 Royal Hawaiian stay; 40:10 Return to Ulithi; 40:50 Convoy duty; 41:11 Back to states; 41:56 30 day leave; 42:00 return home; 42:22 replacement duty; 42:40 assign to Anchor section Philippine Sea HQ; 43:30 Transport to Manila; 43:40 Land on Samar; 44:00 killing time on Samar; 44:34 Watching bombers at Samar; 45:35 Sailors joyride on bombers; 46:22 Moved to Manila; 46:46 Lived in tent; 47:00 Built up base; 48:42 Philippine people; 49:19 Starving kids in Navy trash; 50:06 Purpose of Base; 50:40 Local bars; 51:58 People abused by Japanese; 53:04 Joyriding in aircraft; 53:40 Flying in P-61; 55:30 Taken to wrong base; 57:00 METS; 58:16 Bomb dropped; 58:42 Homeward bound; 59:30 mustered out; 1:00:00 sign up for school with GI bill; 1:00:30 Married; 1:01:12 Life after war.
Date of Birth
1925-11-20
Place of Birth
Newton (Iowa)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
Iowa
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1943-01-18
Type
Audio; Sound
1946-03-05
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Unit of Service
USS Fleming (DE 32) (Anchor Section) Philippine Sea Frontier Headquarters (7th Fleet Hdqs.)
Location of Service
Gilbert Islands (Tavarra); Marshall Islands (Kwajalein); Marianas Islands (Guam, Saipan, Tinian)
Highest Rank
Electrician's Mate Petty Officer 3rd Class; EM3
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Medals
World War II Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic Pacific Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal
Achievements
Maintain Electrical Systems on ships and ashore
Note
Not applicable
City of Birth
Newton
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Mathis, Sam
Interview Date
3-24-2012
Location of Interview
Wert Residence
Subjects
Wert, Charles A.; 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.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Mathis, Sam
Length of Interview
67 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, "Wert, Charles A. interview" (2012). Veterans Oral Histories. 91.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/91