Oral History Interview with Orval Burgess, May 24, 2005

Oral History Interview with Orval Burgess, May 24, 2005

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Track One 0:48:34

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Orval W. Burgess. Burgess was born 3 October 1924 in Harrison Township, Indiana. He was drafted soon after graduating in 1943 and sent to Camp Croft, South Carolina for basic training. He contracted scarlet fever and was hospitalized. Upon finishing basic, he took various qualification tests at Fort Dix, New Jersey after which he was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi where he joined the 69th Infantry Division and took basic training again. Upon completing basic again he was sent to New York where he boarded the SS Ile … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (48 min., 33 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 Orval W. Burgess. Burgess was born 3 October 1924 in Harrison Township, Indiana. He was drafted soon after graduating in 1943 and sent to Camp Croft, South Carolina for basic training. He contracted scarlet fever and was hospitalized. Upon finishing basic, he took various qualification tests at Fort Dix, New Jersey after which he was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi where he joined the 69th Infantry Division and took basic training again. Upon completing basic again he was sent to New York where he boarded the SS Ile de France for England and arrived 26 August 1944. After spending two months in a replacement depot he was assigned to I Company, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division as a Browning automatic rifle assistant. He participated in the Rhineland Campaign and comments on the constant rain and snow they encountered. He did not take his shoes off for fifteen days and developed a severe case of trench foot. On 28 November 1944 he was sent to the 159th General Hospital in Saint Die France where he stayed until January 1945. He was then sent to Convalescent Center E-27 where he remained until March 1945. He was then sent to Wiesbaden, Germany as a clerk in a company headquarters. In June 1946 Burgess boarded a ship for the United States. He arrived on 6 June 1946 and was discharged 13 June 1946.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (48 min., 33 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: OH01460
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608642

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Orval Burgess, May 24, 2005, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604834

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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