Oral History Interview with Milford Lee, October 10, 2014

Oral History Interview with Milford Lee, October 10, 2014

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Track One 1:48:21

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milford Lee. After high school, Lee performed in a traveling big band. Once the war started, he became a draftsman at Boeing and took the aviation cadet exam. In January 1943 he began flight training, earning his wings that fall. He served as a P-38 fighter escort and group leader over Ploiesti. He details the protocol for conducting large raids, from briefing to debriefing, describing intense antiaircraft fire over the target. In Southern France, his plane was experimentally modified to carry 3,000 pounds' worth of bombs. In the … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 48 min., 20 sec.)

Creation Information

Lee, Milford October 10, 2014.

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

Lee, Milford

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 Milford Lee. After high school, Lee performed in a traveling big band. Once the war started, he became a draftsman at Boeing and took the aviation cadet exam. In January 1943 he began flight training, earning his wings that fall. He served as a P-38 fighter escort and group leader over Ploiesti. He details the protocol for conducting large raids, from briefing to debriefing, describing intense antiaircraft fire over the target. In Southern France, his plane was experimentally modified to carry 3,000 pounds' worth of bombs. In the fall of 1944, Lee was recruited for an Army big band that traveled to remote bases and emergency landing strips. While performing in the Balkans, he was captivated by a Partisan commander, later revealed to be Tito. After 56 missions, Lee was rotated to the States and in November 1945 was discharged. He went on to earn a doctorate in nuclear physics and joined a small research team that revolutionized fiber-optic communication.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 48 min., 20 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: OH04213
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1610389

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Milford Lee, October 10, 2014, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606739

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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