Oral History Interview with Neal Gillingham, September 16, 2007

Oral History Interview with Neal Gillingham, September 16, 2007

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Track One 0:40:03

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Neal Gillingham. Gillingham joined the Navy after high school. He attended boot camp and medical corps school in Farragut, and was sent to Hawaii for jungle training before deploying to Saipan as a medic for a naval construction battalion. Although the island had been taken, he still had to worry about snipers and Japanese attacks at night. During Okinawa, he was assigned to a ship in the harbor which was struck by a kamikaze just after he and his Seabee unit went ashore. On the island, Gillingham set … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (40 min., 3 sec.)

Creation Information

Gillingham, Neal September 16, 2007.

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

Gillingham, Neal

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 Neal Gillingham. Gillingham joined the Navy after high school. He attended boot camp and medical corps school in Farragut, and was sent to Hawaii for jungle training before deploying to Saipan as a medic for a naval construction battalion. Although the island had been taken, he still had to worry about snipers and Japanese attacks at night. During Okinawa, he was assigned to a ship in the harbor which was struck by a kamikaze just after he and his Seabee unit went ashore. On the island, Gillingham set up a field hospital in a tent and was stationed there until the war ended. He received a promotion and was recognized as the top medic in his unit. On V-J Day, parties and pranks were enjoyed by all. Gillingham returned home and was discharged. Over time, he was able to let go of feelings of resentment toward the Japanese that he had developed during the war; he came to realize that they, too, were following orders. Gillingham joined the Army Reserves in 1949 and was called into active duty for the Korean War. Fortunately, he was stationed in Europe and never returned to another combat zone.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (40 min., 3 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: OH02028
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609063

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Neal Gillingham, September 16, 2007, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1605253

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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