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The Changkufeng And Nomonhan Incidents - The Undeclared Border War And Its Impact On World War Ii, Tobias Block

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nomonhan and Changkufeng

Immediately following the Mukden Incident in 1931 and the founding of Manchukuo, the Japanese supported puppet state in northeastern China, the Imperial Japanese Army found itself again face to face with their old enemy Russia, now the Soviet Union. The border disputes between these two countries would soon become armed conflicts. The Japanese Korea Army as well as the Kwantung Army, stationed in Manchuria, would soon follow a policy of limited war against the Soviet Red Army, here in particular during the battles of Changkufeng, in 1938, and Nomonhan in 1939.

These two battles proved to be …

From The Other Side Of The River: The Mexican Revolution In El Paso Collections, Claudia A. Rivers

Mexican Revolution Resources

The Mexican Revolution affected El Paso and the surrounding border region in many ways, and some of its first important events occurred right across the border in Ciudad Juarez. Reporters flocked to the area to photograph and report on the events, and members of Mexican political factions came to El Paso to publish and publicize their points of view. The El Paso Public Library, El Paso County Historical Society, and the University of Texas at El Paso participated in a collaborative project to make many of the historical resources relating to the Mexican Revolution on the border available in digital …

Interview No. 1640, Thomas Edward Dent, Mary Helen Dent Trammell

Combined Interviews

He describes the schools growing up, and how they were all named after famous Texans, such as Davey Crocket and James Bowie. Mrs. Trammell describes how her mother was forced to work because of her father’s age and failing health. Her father had asthma and eventually suffered a stroke. The family lived in a rural area, where they kept chickens, cows, and other animals. Mr. Dent describes the fear that existed when WWII broke out, as he was still in elementary school. Both siblings describe the process of making phone calls at this time, and dealing with operators. There were …

Interview No. 1630, James L. Hayden

Combined Interviews

As a career soldier, Hayden spent the better part of his life in the Army; in this interview he recalls his experiences as a fourth-generation West Point graduate, his service both in the Army Constabulary in immediate post-World War II Germany and in Korea during the Korean War, his responsibilities at White Sands Missile Range under Wernher von Braun, and his recent volunteer work as a West Point admissions advisor. Born in 1923 in New York, Hayden was expected from birth to attend West Point; indeed, his father was an instructor there at the time. Although he applied in 1940, …

Interview No. 1622, Michael Fushille M.D.

Combined Interviews

He describes the process of getting into medical school, and trying to keep his G.I. benefits. Dr. Fushille enlisted in the Navy before the war and was accepted, but was told to remain in school because they had no place for him. He eventually served on an aircraft carrier during WWII, where he faced hurricanes, fires, and kamikaze attacks by the Japanese. Dr. Fushille served in the combat information center on the carrier as a radar technician. He finished his medical exams in 1957, before returning to New Jersey to complete his internship; by this time he and his wife …

A History Of El Paso's Company E In World War Ii, Jorge Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For the most part, Hispanics in the U.S. military were not segregated into separate units, but there was, at least, one known exception. It is this particular story of a National Guard unit from El Paso, Texas designated as Company E that has received minimal attention by historians. This unit was unlike any other unit of the National Guard in that it consisted only of Mexican-Americans.

Interview No. 1639, Itzhak Kotkowski

Combined Interviews

Itzhak Kotkowski is an author that wrote about his experiences in the Holocaust during World War II; he was born in Warsaw, Poland on December 25, 1921; his family was Jewish, attended private school; Mr. Kotkowski addresses anti-Semitism among Polish people, personally never experienced it; he lived in the Jewish section, enjoyed life there until the German invasion on September 1, 1939; he recalls being at home when Warsaw was occupied, had always respected German culture; he explains his father worked hard to give them an education; he describes his three sisters, one was in Mexico, one immigrated to the …

Interview No. 1635, Sheldon Hall

Combined Interviews

Although Sheldon Hall (b. 1917) grew up in Ohio and lived most of his early years there and later, in Snyder and Van Horn, Texas, he became a pivotal figure in the preservation and recording of El Paso’s Spanish colonial history. After a childhood spent in Columbus, Ohio, Hall attended college, earning a degree in Investment Management. Before he was able to use his education, however, the United States entered World War II, and the United States Army called upon him to join its Army Air Corps, where he worked first as a test pilot on A-31 bombers and then …

Interview No. 1634, Granville M. Green

Combined Interviews

As one of the “greatest generation,” Granville “Bill” M. Green witnessed first-hand many of the twentieth century’s historic events, including the Great Depression, World War II, and the country’s explosive post-war growth. He reminisces about his experiences working on the ground floor of the nascent airline industry, as well as El Paso’s early auto sales and banking businesses. Born in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, Green had a rosy childhood, but the Great Depression forced him in 1936 to leave Northwestern University before graduating after his father lost his job. Fortunately, Green managed to secure a position the very next day …

Interview No. 1624, J. Halbert Gambrell

Combined Interviews

In this interview, J. Halbert (“Hal”) Gambrell shares his memories of his colorful family, early El Paso, and his military experiences during both World War II and the Korean War. Born in El Paso in 1920, Gambrell entered this world in the family home due to his physician father’s decision to avoid local hospitals overflowing with Spanish Influenza patients. His father had recently returned from service in France during World War I; earlier he had served under General Jack “Black” Pershing during the latter’s 1916 punitive expedition into Mexico in Pershing’s ill-fated attempt to capture Pancho Villa. Gambrell continues to …

Interview No. 1637, Louis B. Mckee

Combined Interviews

Louis B. McKee is the son of Robert E. McKee, founder of the R. E. McKee General Contractors in El Paso, TX; he was born in El Paso in 1933; and graduated from Austin High School; he explains why he went to University of New Mexico, and studied civil engineering; he mentions completing Navy ROTC, being a Marine Corps Officer a few years; he recounts his family, working for the family’s construction company; he reveals why he later quit the company, disagreed with the direction of new non-family leadership that didn’t have the experience; he mentions the company was moved …

Interview No. 1628, Ariel Rodriguez

Combined Interviews

Dr. Rodriguez recalls time while in the Army, went to Vietnam to work in a field hospital for a year, also worked in civilian ones; he describes later duties at Ft. Bragg, NC, then Puerto Rico; he mentions service during the invasion of the Dominican Republic; he recalls coming to El Paso in 1969, describes the conditions at William Beaumont Army Hospital during its building. He recounts how he became the Associate Dean at Texas Tech Medical; he goes over the interview process and his office; he describes the programs he developed, setting up clinicals for students; he states that …

Interview No. 1655, Newton P. Matthews

Combined Interviews

Newton P. Matthews was born in North Carolina, in January of 1941; grew up in Goldsboro, NC, site of Seymour Johnson Air Base; he graduated college at Wake Forest University in Winston- Salem, NC in 1962; he describes the cold war tension in the early 1960s, he joined the U.S. Air Force to avoid being drafted into the Army; he says he was selected for Officer Training School as a navigator, he wanted to be a pilot but at the time needed 20/20 vision; he mentions being in training during the Cuban Missile Crisis; he recalls navigator bombardier training and …

Interview No. 1656, Robert W. Pitt

Combined Interviews

Robert Pitt was born in Detroit, MI on November 20, 1933; his family relocated a lot, he first remembers living in Portland, OR, later moved to Phoenix, AZ where he remembers the bombing of Pearl Harbor and followed the progress of World War II at home; he recounts moving to Los Angeles, CA for a year, his time as a batboy for the Los Angeles Angels and his love of baseball; he moved again to Chicago, IL to attend Morgan Park Military Academy, his father died when he was fifteen. Mr. Pitt describes time at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL …

Interview No. 1654, Emmet E. Cook Sr.

Combined Interviews

Emmet E. Cook, Sr. was born in Fort Worth, TX, on March 5, 1918; he became interested in aviation following Charles Lindberg’s flight across the Atlantic, he lived near Meacham Air Field; he attended Texas A&M and majored in mechanical engineering; he was failing so a took test for aviation cadet and attended Alan Hancock School of Aeronautics in Santa Maria, CA; he revealed that he was dismissed due to lack of facilities; he mentions he applied for the British Royal Air Force; he says he went back to Fort Worth to fly planes and got his commercial license; Mr. …

Interview No. 1631, Cornelia Love Owen

Combined Interviews

Ms. Owen recounts the various physicians her father knew like Dr. Holman, his work at Hotel Du Catholic Hospital, Masonic, Southwestern General; she recalls going to Sullins College in Virginia with friends; she explains why she decided to go to Texas College of the Mines now UTEP; she gives information about her husband, sold oxygen and acetylene supplies for mining use; she describes living on Federal St. with her husband and son Dale, her son went to Southern Methodist University and later UTEP for his master’s. She provides background information on her father, born in Arkansas in 1868; she explains …

Interview No. 1629, Robert M. Hardaway

Combined Interviews

In this interview, retired Brigadier General Robert Hardaway shares details of his remarkable life as an army surgeon, in particular his memories of World War II and the Korean War, as well as his continuing life-saving research. Hardaway entered military life in 1916, the year of his birth, as his father was the post surgeon at Camp John Hay in the Philippines. He spent his childhood traveling extensively as the army transferred his father successively to Paris, France, Denver’s Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and St. Louis, Missouri. Eventually, Hardaway left home in order to pursue his medical …

Interview No. 1623, L.A. Gladstone

Combined Interviews

He describes professors that influenced him during these early years, as well as his adaptation to speaking English. He returned to El Paso in 1956 to practice medicine. He worked as an intern at Thomason Hospital for several years. He also discusses being interview by Steven Spielberg in association with the movie Schindler's List and a museum built in Hollywood to house the stories of Holocaust survivors. Dr. Gladstone also discusses his courtship with his wife during his med school years in Dallas, and life in the fraternity. After returning to El Paso, Dr. Gladstone served as physician for a …

Interview No. 1625, John Hick Johnstone, Lady Ruth Johnstone

Combined Interviews

In this interview, conducted primarily with Dr. John Hick Johnstone (b. 1909), he discusses his World War II experiences as a physician traveling with the Advance Command Corps; in addition, he speaks at length on El Paso’s mid-twentieth-century medical scene, including the state of the hospitals and the practices of the medical community. At the start of the interview, both John Hick and Lady Ruth share memories of their early years and courtship in Eldorado, Illinois. On their 1940 honeymoon the couple passed through El Paso where they encountered some trouble at the international border due to the narcotics in …

Mexico And The Southwest: Microfilm Holdings Of Historical Documents And Rare Books At The University Of Texas At El Paso Library, Cesar Caballero, Susana Delgado, Bud Newman, W.H. Timmons

Guides to Microfilm Collections

Guide to periodicals, archives, and rare books on microfilm in the UTEP Library.

Interview No. 11, S. L. A. Marshall

Combined Interviews

Viet Nam; discussion of his military career; books he has written on military matters; political and military leaders he has known.