Oral History Interview with Charles Clevenger, July 16, 2001

Oral History Interview with Charles Clevenger, July 16, 2001

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Track One 1:54:05

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Clevenger. Clevenger was born in Fulton County, Indiana in May 1925 and enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 1944. Following boot camp and communications training in January 1945, he embarked aboard the USS Meriwether (APA-203) in San Diego and sailed to Pearl Harbor. He boarded another troopship in Hawaii and sailed to Saipan. Clevenger then boarded USS LST-641 bound for Okinawa. During that transit the LST sailed through a typhoon. He was assigned to the 1st Provisional Anti-aircraft Artillery Group of III Amphibious Corps and landed … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 54 min., 5 sec.)

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 an oral interview with Charles Clevenger. Clevenger was born in Fulton County, Indiana in May 1925 and enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 1944. Following boot camp and communications training in January 1945, he embarked aboard the USS Meriwether (APA-203) in San Diego and sailed to Pearl Harbor. He boarded another troopship in Hawaii and sailed to Saipan. Clevenger then boarded USS LST-641 bound for Okinawa. During that transit the LST sailed through a typhoon. He was assigned to the 1st Provisional Anti-aircraft Artillery Group of III Amphibious Corps and landed on Okinawa on 5 April 1945. His group operated 90mm artillery and he describes the features of the radar system. His duties included communicating by radio and telephone with other anti-aircraft batteries on the island. He frequently heard Tokyo Rose broadcasting American music. He had several close calls with Japanese bombers and was on Okinawa when Japan surrendered. He was transferred to the First Marine Division and embarked on the USS Randall (APA-224) on 30 September bound for China. His convoy encountered nearly 1,000 mines in the Yellow Sea. He was badly burned while in China, but soon recovered and remained for nine more months. His duties involved repatriating surrendered Japanese troops and assisting the Chinese Nationalist Government in occupying key areas. He embarked on the liberty ship SS Deborah Gannett (1944) on 30 June 1946 for transit back to the US. The ship arrived in Norfolk on 14 August 1946 and Clevenger was discharged a week later.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 54 min., 5 sec.)

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

Sound

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH00297
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607609

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Charles Clevenger, July 16, 2001, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1603644

Collections

This recording 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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