Oral History Interview with William Garbo

Oral History Interview with William Garbo

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with William Garbo. Garbo was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 10 November 1924. Drafted in 1942 he was sent to Camp Lee, Virginia for fourteen weeks of basic training. He recalls sparring with Joe Louis there. Upon completing basic he went to San Carlos, California and became a dog trainer. Upon completion, he was placed in the 26th Quartermaster Corps War Dog Platoon, composed of thirty men and sixty dogs. On 14 May 1944 the unit went to Papua, New Guinea. When they entered the combat zone, they were … continued below

Physical Description

44 p.

Creation Information

Garbo, William Creation Date: Unknown.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Garbo, William

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with William Garbo. Garbo was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 10 November 1924. Drafted in 1942 he was sent to Camp Lee, Virginia for fourteen weeks of basic training. He recalls sparring with Joe Louis there. Upon completing basic he went to San Carlos, California and became a dog trainer. Upon completion, he was placed in the 26th Quartermaster Corps War Dog Platoon, composed of thirty men and sixty dogs. On 14 May 1944 the unit went to Papua, New Guinea. When they entered the combat zone, they were assigned to work with the 112th Cavalry. Garbo participated in the battle of the Driniumor River. He recalls missions and explains dog handling and patrolling with canines. Leaving the K-9 unit, he was assigned to the 112th Cavalry as assistant gunner with a machine gun squad. The unit boarded the Frederick Funston (APA-89) and landed during the invasion of Leyte. Recalling kamikaze attacks on the transports Garbo tells of one narrowly missing his ship. Garbo describes the sights and sounds of combat and tells of the loss of fellow soldiers and his hospitalization after being wounded. Not long after he returned to his unit the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan sued for peace. He was aboard the USS Lavaca (APA-180) during the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Bay. After spending some months with the occupation forces in Japan, Garbo returned to the United States and was discharged in January 1946.

Physical Description

44 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH01250
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1604640

Relationships

Oral History Interview with William Garbo - ark:/67531/metapth1608452

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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