Oral History Interview with Earle Soper, September 3, 2004

Oral History Interview with Earle Soper, September 3, 2004

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Track One 0:29:08

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earle Soper. Soper was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on 6 March 1928. After graduating from high school in 1945, he joined the Marine Corps. After completion of training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he boarded the USS Starlight (AP-175) bound for China. Upon arriving at Tangkou, China, he joined the 1st Marine Division, 5th Marines. There, the unit guarded coal stations and oil facilities as well as their ammunition depot. He tells of the efforts of Chinese communist forces to take over or destroy bridges used by the … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (29 min., 8 sec.)

Creation Information

Soper, Earle September 3, 2004.

Context

This audio recording 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 recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Soper, Earle

Interviewers

Publisher

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

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

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 Earle Soper. Soper was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on 6 March 1928. After graduating from high school in 1945, he joined the Marine Corps. After completion of training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he boarded the USS Starlight (AP-175) bound for China. Upon arriving at Tangkou, China, he joined the 1st Marine Division, 5th Marines. There, the unit guarded coal stations and oil facilities as well as their ammunition depot. He tells of the efforts of Chinese communist forces to take over or destroy bridges used by the Chinese Nationalist forces and the measures taken by the Marines to protect these locations. In addition to the guard details, the Marines also rounded up Japanese troops to be sent back to Japan. Soper comments that the Japanese looked upon the Marines as protectors. The Japanese feared that if afforded the opportunity, the Chinese civilians would have killed them because of past atrocities by Japanese troops. Soper returned to the United States in December 1946 and was discharged shortly thereafter.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (29 min., 8 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: OH01208
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608411

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Earle Soper, September 3, 2004, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604600

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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