Oral History Interview with Howard Sweeney, December 12, 2007

Oral History Interview with Howard Sweeney, December 12, 2007

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Track One 1:56:26

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard J. Sweeney. Sweeney was born in Eureka, Kansas 17 December 1917 and graduated from high school in 1937. He tells of hopping freight trains and working as an iterate worker until drafted into the US Army 21 February 1941. He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for training and joined the 6th Armored Regiment. He participated in maneuvers in North and South Carolina using broom sticks for guns and telephone poles for artillery pieces due to the acute shortage of weaponry. He trained as a tank driver … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 56 min., 25 sec.)

Creation Information

Sweeney, Howard J. December 12, 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

Sweeney, Howard J.

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 Howard J. Sweeney. Sweeney was born in Eureka, Kansas 17 December 1917 and graduated from high school in 1937. He tells of hopping freight trains and working as an iterate worker until drafted into the US Army 21 February 1941. He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for training and joined the 6th Armored Regiment. He participated in maneuvers in North and South Carolina using broom sticks for guns and telephone poles for artillery pieces due to the acute shortage of weaponry. He trained as a tank driver in medium tanks and was assigned to Company A, 27th Artillery, 1st Armored Division. In April 1942 the company boarded the SS Sea Train Texas landing in Belfast, Ireland. The company, equipped with M4 Sherman tanks, went to Oran, North Africa and two weeks later traveled to Algeria by LST. He tells of being in a night attack and his tank being hit by artillery fire, killing the gunner and putting the tank out of commission. Later, during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, his tank was disabled as it ran out of fuel and ammunition. The crew abandoned the tank and walked until they came to a secured area. The 1st Armored Division landed at Naples, Italy and Sweeney tells of participating in the assault of Monte Cassino. He discusses incidents involving friendly fire while at Anzio and recalls conversations he had with Ernie Pyle. After the surrender of Germany, Sweeney returned to the United States by plane and was discharged 14 July 1945.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 56 min., 25 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: OH02123
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1609147

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Howard Sweeney, December 12, 2007, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1605337

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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