Oral History Interview with Thomas Jeter, February 20, 2010 Page: 2
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current text.
Oral History Interview with Thomas Jeter, February 20, 2010 (Sound)
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Jeter. Jeter was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He found boot camp to be tough, and some men committed suicide there. Jeter attended fire-control school in Bainbridge and then boarded USS New York (BB-34) as a fire controlman, working with highly classified computers and gyroscopes. Because his commanding officer was a childhood friend, Jeter turned down promotions to avoid misperceptions of favoritism. He instead served as the telephone man and orderly for the captain. In combat, Jeter served as the main battery director, witnessing the bloody aftermath of friendly fire from his battle station at Iwo Jima. After a kamikaze attacked the ship at Okinawa, Jeter saved the rising sun emblem from its wing as a souvenir. Upon returning to the States, Jeter guarded German prisoners at Norfolk. After his discharge, he earned a degree in physics on the GI Bill, later befriending several Japanese colleagues through his work.
Reference the current page of this Text.
Oral History Interview with Thomas Jeter, February 20, 2010, text, February 20, 2010; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1605739/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.