Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Jon Oplinger, Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 1, Jon Oplinger

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Jon Oplinger, interviewed by Laura Tucker in Farmington, Maine on June 8, 1999. Oplinger tells about enlisting with the Army after receiving his draft notice; being assigned to the infantry; basic training, infantry training; enlisting in Officer Candidate School; going to Primary Helicopter School as executive officer of a headquarters company; receiving his orders to go to Vietnam in January 1968 but not departing until May of 1968; hoping the Tet Offensive may have signaled an end to the war; attending Jungle School for two weeks in Panama to acclimatize to tropical weather; being assigned to the 9th Division before …

Jon Oplinger, Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 2, Jon Oplinger

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Jon Oplinger, interviewed by Laura Tucker in Farmington, Maine on June 8, 1999. Oplinger tells about enlisting with the Army after receiving his draft notice; being assigned to the infantry; basic training, infantry training; enlisting in Officer Candidate School; going to Primary Helicopter School as executive officer of a headquarters company; receiving his orders to go to Vietnam in January 1968 but not departing until May of 1968; hoping the Tet Offensive may have signaled an end to the war; attending Jungle School for two weeks in Panama to acclimatize to tropical weather; being assigned to the 9th Division before …

Jon Oplinger, Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 3, Jon Oplinger

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Jon Oplinger, interviewed by Laura Tucker in Farmington, Maine on June 8, 1999. Oplinger tells about enlisting with the Army after receiving his draft notice; being assigned to the infantry; basic training, infantry training; enlisting in Officer Candidate School; going to Primary Helicopter School as executive officer of a headquarters company; receiving his orders to go to Vietnam in January 1968 but not departing until May of 1968; hoping the Tet Offensive may have signaled an end to the war; attending Jungle School for two weeks in Panama to acclimatize to tropical weather; being assigned to the 9th Division before …

Jon Oplinger, Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 4, Jon Oplinger

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Jon Oplinger, interviewed by Laura Tucker in Farmington, Maine on June 8, 1999. Oplinger tells about enlisting with the Army after receiving his draft notice; being assigned to the infantry; basic training, infantry training; enlisting in Officer Candidate School; going to Primary Helicopter School as executive officer of a headquarters company; receiving his orders to go to Vietnam in January 1968 but not departing until May of 1968; hoping the Tet Offensive may have signaled an end to the war; attending Jungle School for two weeks in Panama to acclimatize to tropical weather; being assigned to the 9th Division before …

Ms-287: Whitney Family Civil War Letters, Danielle S. Russell

All Finding Aids

The Whitney Family Civil War Letters collection contains 46 letters from the Civil War Era, 2 Freemason dues notices for Mariner T. Whitney, and four empty letter covers. 37 of the letters, written by Hiram R. Whitney, pertain to his military service and daily life with the 132nd New York Infantry Regiment. Two other letters, written by Henry J. Manning and John Marsh Young relate to their military service with the 11th New York Volunteer Cavalry and the 124th New York Infantry, respectively. John Marsh Young was the nephew of Ruhamah Irwin Whitney, the wife of Mariner T. Whitney. The …

Manly Mud: Portrayal Of Masculinity In Infantry Units In World War Two As Seen In The Comics Of Bill Mauldin, Aren G. Heitmann

Student Publications

This essay will explore the comics of Bill Mauldin published during World War Two and how masculinity in the infantry was portrayed. Current studies on masculinity in World War Two have focused on soldier’s accounts of the war as well as depictions of soldiers in propaganda. Some work on the effects of comics during the war has also been done but nothing as of yet has combined the two. This paper aims to look at how the comics of Bill Mauldin supported or rejected the model masculine archetype that was developed through propaganda and became a privileged figure in conceptualization …

Cives Arma Ferant: Reconstructing Infantry Combat And Training In The European Theater Of Operations, Phil R. Kaspriskie

Student Publications

A common theme in memoirs, oral histories, and other sources dealing with servicemen in World War II seems to be a focus on the experience of combat. Training, particularly individual training, is rarely discussed beyond a cursory mention, and if it is discussed at all, the overwhelming tendency is to paint a picture of half-trained cannon fodder, at best.

This paper’s goal is twofold: First, explore methods of instruction at the individual and unit levels, and explain the reasoning behind the evolution of training as the Army Ground Forces’ understanding of contemporary warfare changed; second, provide a case study at …

Thompson, Douglas (Sc 1265), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1265. Paper, described as a report from “an average American Joe,” written by Douglas Thompson for a WKU history class. He writes about his interview with Joe Neil Blair, who recounted his experiences in the Vietnam War. Includes Blair’s service record and his Bronze Star citation.

Burns, Roger D. (Sc 866), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 866. Transcription of interview with Vietnam veteran Bobby Lewis concerning his military experiences in 1964. Interview was completed by Roger D. Burns for a Western Kentucky University United States history class in November 1990.

Randolph, Andrew W., 1839-1895 (Sc 57), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 57. Letter written by A.W. Randolph, while serving with the 6th Kentucky Infantry (C.S.A.) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to his parents in Kentucky describing the Battle of Chickamauga and mentioning General Breckinridge, General Ben Hardin Helm, Lieutenant Colonel Hewitt, and the heroism of Chaplain Pickett of the 2nd Kentucky. He also mentions seeing family friends in Mississippi.

Ginther Collection (Sc 464), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 464. Photocopies of typescripted letters written by brothers William A. and Joseph Ginther to their father, George Ginther, brother David, and sister of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while serving in the Union Army with the Department of the Potomac.

"The Regiment Bore A Conspicuous Part": A Brief History Of The Eight Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Gibraltar Brigade, Army Of The Potomac, Brian Matthew Jordan

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

On April 10, 1850, a sixteen year-old from Xenia, Ohio named Samuel Sexton copied a stanza of Epes Sargent’s poem, “A Life on the Ocean Wave,” into his notebook:

A life on the ocean wave! A home on the rolling deep!

Where the scattered waters rave, and the winds their revels keep!

Like an eagle caged I pine, on this dull unchanging shore.

Oh give me the flashing brine! The spray and the tempest roar!

Before his death in New York City, July 11, 1896, Sexton would serve as the Assistant Surgeon of the Eighth Ohio Volunteers, his entire service …

0715: Zophar Dean Ramsdell Papers, 1861-1865, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of copies of quartermaster reports for the 5th Regiment, West Virginia Infantry, including monthly property accounts, clothing, stationery, hospital supplies, ordnance materials, animal return and acquisitions, food and fuel receipts, issued supply registers, and correspondence. Due to the nature of copied materials, the legibility and completeness of materials can vary, but is overall high.

United States Tactical Doctrine, 1855 To 1861: The Mismeasure Of Technology, Marion Vincent Armstrong Jr.

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis illuminates the state of United States Army tactical doctrine at the beginning of the Civil War. In 1855, the weapons available to the United States Army left much to be desired in terms of firepower. Their limited range and lack of accuracy meant that they could not be relied upon to render the final decision in battle. The tactical system of 1855, however, blended this firepower with the shock action effect of bayonets and sabres, permitting the capabilities of the weaponry to be maximized on the battlefield while at the same time minimizing the deficiencies.

This harmony between …

1944, Phillip To Family, Philip A. Lathrap

Phillip A. Lathrap Second World War correspondence

No abstract provided.

1918-07-01, Robert To Mother, Robert Lindstadt

Lindstadt Brothers First World War correspondence

No abstract provided.

Treaty With The Arikara Tribe (Ricara), 1825, Charles J. Kappler, Henry Atkinson, Benjamin O'Fallon

US Government Documents related to Indigenous Nations

This 1904 reprint of Ratified Indian Treaty 133: Arikara (Ricara), titled the Treaty with the Arikara (Ricara) Tribe, 1825 was transcribed and published in vol. II of Charles Kappler’s Indian Affairs. Laws and Treaties. Signed on July 18, 1825, this treaty was the first major treaty between the US Government and representatives of the Arikara Nation. Also known as the Atkinson and O'Fallon Trade and Intercourse Treaty of 1825, this document was part of a series of friendship treaties between Henry Atkinson and Benjamin O’Fallon’s Indian Peace Commission and the Indigenous Nations beyond the Mississippi River. In this treaty, …

Letter Reporting Military Engagement, From William J. Hardee To Braxton Bragg, April 4, 1862., William J. Hardee

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

Hardee describes an attack on Confederate forces by Union cavalry and infantry, just before the Battle of Shiloh.

General Orders, No. 14, Issued By (C.S.A.) Major General Leonidas Polk And Signed By George Williamson. Columbus, Kentucky, October 26, 1861., Leonidas Polk, George Williamson

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

General Orders, No. 14, issued by (C.S.A.) Major General Leonidas Polk and signed by George Williamson, detail the arrangements to be made regarding pickets and guard duty at the Headquarters First Division (C.S.A.), Columbus, Kentucky, October 26, 1861.

1861-10-07, Nathaniel To Mariah, Nathaniel E. Douglas

Nathaniel E. Douglas Civil War correspondence

No abstract provided.