WORLD WAR II VETERANS ORAL HISTORY
Five years ago, in cooperation with the Veterans Affairs division of the Secretary of State's office, I announced an oral history program intended to memorialize the accounts and experiences of Delaware's World War II veterans and those serving on the home front. By the end of 2003, the Commission on Veterans Affairs had received over 400 completed questionnaires from veterans interested in participating in this project.
In total, over seventy Delawareans have been interviewed - many for over an hour. Their entire interviews have been transcribed to written text and made available both locally through libraries and the state archives and as part of the Library of Congress's national collection of World War II oral histories.
Furthermore, these interviews were edited into a feature-length documentary that presents the recollections and living history of Delaware's WWII vets, both on battlefields abroad and on the home front. The breadth of the personal accounts of these living veterans as well as the scenes described on the home front cover every phase of the war:
- A survivor of the U.S.S. West Virginia who was anchored next to the U.S.S. Arizona when she blew up
- A member of the 506th Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne chronicled in the HBO movie "Band of Brothers"
- A member of the original Tuskegee Airman
- Survivors of the landings at Oran, Sicily, Omaha, and Utah beaches
- Survivors of the landings and campaigns at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the Philippines
- A member of the engineering team for The Manhattan Project
- Ferry pilots transporting bombers to Europe from New Castle County Air Base
These stories and recollections, however, represent just small part of the battlefield and home front experiences captured for the documentary. A number of prominent Delawareans, amongst them former Governor Dale Wolf, former Mayor Bill McLaughlin, former State Senator Andy Knox, and Jim Gilliam have also related their own personal histories in the war, with experiences ranging from fighting in Okinawa to bomber runs over the Mediterranean.
On the home front, the contributions of the DuPont Company, particularly as it relates to The Manhattan Project, are vividly told. The participation of women as pilots in non-combat roles and the replacement of men on the production line at the shipyards with actual "Rosie the Riveters" are detailed.
This history through the eyes of the actual men and women who experienced these events is unique. This project represents a once in a life time opportunity to preserve and present to unborn generations of Delawareans what actually happened - told by real people as they lived it - and not just from the text of a history book.
I am very proud of this project. I believe it is a fitting tribute to the men and the women of "The Greatest Generation" who served so bravely and gave so much.
If you have any questions about this project, please call my office at (302) 577-8787 or (302) 744-4333, or the Commission of Veterans Affairs toll-free at (800) 344-9900. Or use the link at the top of the page to find out more about the project and to preview the film.
