Oral History Interview with John McAllister, April 11, 2007

Oral History Interview with John McAllister, April 11, 2007

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Track One 0:40:26

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John McAllister. McAllister joined the Army Reserve at Texas A&M and was called to active duty in February 1943. He received basic training at Camp Sibert and learned to fire a 4.2-inch mortar. He then studied chemical engineering at MIT under the Army Specialized Training Program. Upon completion, he was assigned to Fort Shelby as an acting sergeant. He then attended OCS in Edgewood and graduated as a second lieutenant. There he processed 643 German prisoners of war that had been flown in from the Battle of the … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (40 min., 26 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 John McAllister. McAllister joined the Army Reserve at Texas A&M and was called to active duty in February 1943. He received basic training at Camp Sibert and learned to fire a 4.2-inch mortar. He then studied chemical engineering at MIT under the Army Specialized Training Program. Upon completion, he was assigned to Fort Shelby as an acting sergeant. He then attended OCS in Edgewood and graduated as a second lieutenant. There he processed 643 German prisoners of war that had been flown in from the Battle of the Bulge. He was transferred to the 71st Chemical Mortar Battalion as a platoon leader and sent to Okinawa. After the war ended, he went ashore for guard duty and discovered that the island, though secure, still had tens of thousands of Japanese holdouts. He was assigned to a POW camp, where he found the prisoners to be cooperative and in good spirits. McAllister then returned home and joined the Reserves. He earned a degree in chemical engineering and got a job with DuPont. During the Korean War, he was called to active duty and sent to Edgewood to study atomic, biological, and chemical warfare. McAllister returned to civilian life and retired from DuPont in 1980.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (40 min., 26 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: OH01804
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608910

Relationships

Oral History Interview with John McAllister, April 11, 2007, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1605102

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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