World War II - In Their Own Words

This picture is of Leo Forster, a Lieutenant in the German army, the Wehrmacht. The inscription in German on the back of the picture reads:

"For my friend Larry Martin,
I gave him a copy of the only war picture of myself that survived the second world war, because he is so interested in WWII history. I have told him many things of my war life. In this picture, I was 18 years old. I had just finished officer's boot camp in Oxbol, Denmark. I am the only survivor of the 75 trainees.
I hope you will give me a copy of your notes.

Your friend,
Leo Forster"

Veteran Pictures

Click on the Picture(s) for a larger view.

Fall 2008 Interviews

Pictures of Veterans Below. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Same format as 2007 with different World War II Veterans.

A description of this postcard appears below.

Programs will Include:
DVD Interviews
Q & A with a Veteran
Many Mementos, Photos, Weapons, and other historical World War II artifacts!

Programs:
Saturdays

Programs 10 am - 12 (noon)

First United Methodist Church
275 West Michigan Avenue, Jackson MI - 49201

First Program:
August 2, 2008 - Donald Brininstool - 101st Airborne
Sgt. Brininstool parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6th 1944. He also parachuted into Holland.

Second Program
September 6, 2008 - E.B. Andrews - Army Infantryman
Fought in France and Germany.

Third Program
October 4, 2008 - Dick Thelen - U.S. Navy
USS INDIANAPOLIS survivor. 10,000 ft shark infested water for 112 hours.

Fourth Program
November 1, 2008 - Leo Forster - German Wehrmacht (Army) Lt..
Lt.. Forster fought from the Battle of Cassino, Italy up into Germany. Leo's story starts with leaving revolution-torn Russia in 1921. Leo's involvement, as a 13 year old, in Crystal Night - the hanging of 200 German soldiers by the SS. Leo's interview will appear on DVD only, he will be not present at the program. Q & A after the interview will be conducted with Larry Martin, who has had over 30+ hrs. of conversations with Leo.

Veteran Interviews on DVD

1. E.B. Andrew-Infantryman, France, Jackson Resident

2. Fred Bahlau- 101^stAirborne Normandy, Belgium, Bastogne opened up concentration camp, sat in one of Hitler’s homes, Jackson resident.

3. Ms. Amy Bakker-lived under Japanese rule raising two daughters, while her husband was a POW on Burma Thailand Railroad

4. Don Bavier- Japanese POW from Corregidor, Survived the Hell Ships.

5. Don Brinninstool- 101^st Airborne machine gunner, D-Day, purple heart.

6. Richard Clark-USMC Tarawa where he lost his right leg.

7. Charles Cooke- Lt. Col. B-17 Pilot, 30 missions over Germany, Europe.

8. Ernst Floeter- German soldier captured at Normandy, POW in America.

9. Leo Forster- German Lt. mortar man in Italy, France, and Germany.

10. Don Goss- Omaha Beach June 6^th 1944 D-Day, shot by sniper in Hedgerow country.

11. Bill Ingram- POW of Japanese at age 17, weight dropped to 90 lbs, Death Railway Project. Burma Thailand Railway. Describes Hell Ships.

12. Jim Lewis- Navy Submariner in the Pacific.

13. Colin McKenzie- stationed on a Battleship at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7^th 1941, horribly burned when his ship was hit by 500 lb bomb. Also fought at Normandy, France.

14. Berwin Seitz- Ball Turret gunner on B-24, made 35 missions over Germany and other targets in Europe.

15. Leroy Stanley-Guard at Nuremburg War Crimes Trial, talked to Herman Goring as well as most of the defendants on trial. Many were hung.

16. Dick Thelen- USS Indianapolis survivor. Ship was sunk in 12 minutes in 10,000 ft of Shark infested waters. Dick was in water for 104 hrs.

17. Lyle Walworth- Army infantryman fought in battles from North Africa including the total route of the Americans at Kasserine Pass, he then fought all the way up the boot of Italy.

18. Richard Warner-Navy Corpsman stationed with Marines at Iwo Jima.

19. Walter Wieczorek- Navy Coxswain (drove Higgins boats) many landings.

20. Gene Yehl- US Marines Iwo Jima also the ceremony of Cemetery opening for the 5^th Marine Div. on Iwo Jima.

21. Lee Zimmerman- Officer on B-17, Lee was shot down in Nov. 1944.

22. Robert Black- 82nd Airborne, parachute drops in Sicily, Silarno, Normandy, and Operation Market Garden.

23. Clyde Schofield- Pearl Harbor survivor. Later a combat engineer Lt. in France and Germany.

24. Robert Paul- Naval Carrier F4F Pilot in the Pacific.

25. Mildred Leonard- African-American Naval Officer in France.

26. Verrold & Lyn Currier- Verrold was an Army medic in Gen. George Patton's 3rd Army and spent time at Buchenwald Concentration camp. His wife Lyn spent the War in England and endured many trials as well.

27. John Kohn- Army Signal Battalion, Marines, Pacific.

28. Maryon Czubko- USMC in tanks at Iwo Jima.

29. Howard Robb- B-24 pilot, flew 30 missions over Germany.

30. Patrick Finnigan- Navy Coxswain, several landings under fire in Italy and Okinawa. Saw many Kamikaze attacks.

31. Bill Gilton- 10th Marines at Tarawa. Fought in Battle of Saipan.

32. Maryon Czubko- USMC, Iwo Jima.

33. Jim Alexander- USMC, BAR man on Saipan, battle wounded.

34. Jack Bridge- Army infantry, wounded in Italy.

35. Miles Bunting- Army infantryman, POW in Germany and France.

36. Bill Russell- Air Force, flew 37 missions. Shot down in Poland and had to walk 900 miles in front of the Russians in the dead of winter.

37. Rufus McFarland- USN crewman on the USS Missouri during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, Sep. 1945.

38. George Lewis- B-29 tail gunner, flew 25 missions over Japan. Crash landed twice on Iwo Jima.

39. Earl Boyd- Army infantryman and later medic in the Pacific.

40.Dave Richardson - Civilian who lived in England, he was 10 yrs old when WW II started.

41.Col. Fred Homer - Jackson. Army Air Corp. Flew 15 missions as a B-29 Pilot over Japan.

42.Fred Miller - ARMY 36th Inf. Div. He was taken POW at Salarno Italy for 19 months.

43. Bill Russell - B-29 Gunner, 37 Missions, shot down July 1944. Forced march ahead of Russians.

44. George Lewis - USAAF B-29 Machine gunner over Japan. Crash landed on Iwo Jima.

45. Barney Cramton - USN 50 missions as a machine gunner off the U.S.S Essex Aircraft Carrier in a Grumman Torpedo Bomber. This is the same type of plane that Pres. George H.W. Bush piloted when he was shot down with the loss of two of his crewmen.

46. Armand Poirier - ARMY medic. 55 days missing in action. Opened many Concentration Camps including Dachau and Auschwitz. Also treated many of our POWs upon their release.

47. Carl Kaas - Dutch civilian. Carl served in the Dutch underground for the entire war.

48. Len Vallad - Army Artillerymen, as well as trained on the Bazooka. Fought on Okinawa.

49. Jack Levitt - USN. Aboard the Battleship USS Nevada at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7th 1941.

50.Paul Peltcs - ARMY Lt. Medic. In charge of 90 medics and 30 ambulances.

51.Roy Broesmale - ARMY personal bodyguard for Judge John T. Parker at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

52. Bob Whiting - Lt. U.S. Marine Corp fighter pilot. 68 Missions in a F4U Corsair. Shot down one day back on combat missions the next day.

53. Keith O'Connor - Lt. ARMY 94th Inf. Div.

54. Jesse Stevenson - ARMY 80 Inf. Div. Recon and Intelligence platoon.

55. Alfred Bucci - 1st Inf. Div. Fought in North Africa, Sicily, Omama Beach June 6th 1944 all the way into Germany. Out of his company of 250 men in August 1942 there were only three (3) who were not either Killed in Action, Wounded or Prisoner by May of 1945.

Don Brininstool

Leon Zimmerman Service Photo

Leo Forster Portrait

Veteran Pictures

Fall 2008 Interviews

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Don Brininstool

Leon Zimmerman Service Photo

Leo Forster Portrait

Veteran Pictures

Fall 2008 Interviews

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Postcard

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Veteran Interviews on DVD