Republican Congressman Harold (Hal) Sawyer represented Michigan's Fifth District in the U.S. Congress from 1977 to 1984. The California native worked in Grand Rapids law firm Warner, Norcross & Judd, and served on the Michigan Law Revision...
Gordon Olson, historian and researcher wrote a series of biographical essays for Grand Valley State College. Materials include taped and transcribed interviews, drafts of publications, copies of articles and personal and career related information...
Jeanne was raised in Atlanta, Michigan. She is a successful business women in the West Michigan area. She discusses how she became the successful woman that she is today.
Helen Grahius was born and raised in Haren, Groningen, Netherlands. Later in life, she moved to West Michigan to be with her siblings. She discusses her life in the Netherlands and in the United States.
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); Michigan--History, Military; Veterans; United States. Navy; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings;
Lyle Perschke was born in Wisconsin in 1922 and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925 when his father's job was transferred. Lyle played the trumpet and drums in high school and so he became a bugler when he joined the Navy. During a fight he...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Civilian; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings;
Theobald Metzger was born in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1936. He describes his memories from his childhood in the Netherlands during WW II. His father spent most of the war in hiding and worked with the underground. He discusses...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Civilian; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings; Women
Peggy Stolk was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up during the Depression. Her family never ran into any major problems during that time, but afterwards her father left her mother with six children to raise on her own. Peggy worked during...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Civilian; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings; Women
Jane Williams was born in Indiana in 1915 and was the wife of a man in the service during World War II. Bob and Jane had been seeing each other for seven years before they got married. Because Bob was in the service, their relationship was not...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Construction worker; Iraq War, 2003--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings
Mark Couturier, of Greenville, Michigan, graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2006 and worked as a volunteer in Kabul, Afghanistan, helping to build a dental clinic there. He describes daily life in Kabul, the attitudes of the Afghan...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American; United States. Air Force; Veterans; Video recordings;
Richard Keberle was born in Ohio during the beginning of the Depression. His family did not have very much money and he joined the National Guard in eleventh grade. After graduating from high school, Richard spent more of his time in the Air...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American; United States. Army; Freemasons; Veterans; Video recordings;
Glendle Callahan served in the Korean War in the United States Army from February 1951 to November 1952 in Alabama and Korea. In this interview, Callahan tells of the day he received his draft letter and why he volunteered to go to Korea after...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American; Veterans; United States. Army; Video recordings;
Daniel John Morley served in the United States Army from 1987 to 1993, earning the title of 2nd Lieutenant. In this interview, Morley discusses his four years at West Point Military Academy; the rigors of the program and the intense training that...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American; Veterans; United States. Army; Video recordings;
Robert Darrell Burton is a Grand Rapids native and a resident at the Coit Street VA Facility. Burton spent the majority of his army service (1976-79) as a military policeman at a base in New Mexico. Burton did not see any combat during his term of...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; United States. Air Force; Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American; Veterans; Video recordings;
Ronald Seigel served in the United States Air Force as an Air Force Security Specialist at the Kelley Air Force Base in Texas starting in 1979. Although technically serving during peacetime, his personal account of his time in the service is very...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; United States. Army Reserve; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American; Veterans; Video recordings;
Richard Devries joined the Army Reserve after high school and worked on a mortar crew to plot coordinates. Richard trained in Missouri during the Vietnam War but was never called to duty. Richard enjoyed his time in the service and made lots of...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; United States. Marine Corps; Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American; Veterans; Video recordings;
Daniel Conover enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school. Conover served in the 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marines from 1981-1985. In the interview he talks about life in the Marine Corps, some memorable training including...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Veterans; African-American soldiers; United States. Air Force; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings;
John Heflin was born in Bellevue, Michigan and after high school enlisted in the Air Force. He was assigned to be a mechanic and trained in Columbus, Ohio. John was deployed in January 1968 to the Philippines during the Tet Offensive. After the...
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Veterans; African-American soldiers; United States. Navy; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American; Video recordings
Lyn Lee served in the US Navy from 1972 to 1974. He was a crewman on the USS Navasota (A0-106), a large tanker. His ship served in the South China Sea, and supported ships cruising off the coast of Vietnam in the later stages of the war there.
Oral history; Veterans History Project (U.S.); United States--History, Military; Michigan--History, Military; Veterans; Iraq War, 2003--Personal narratives, American; United States. Army; Video recordings
Jonathan Richard Bates is a Veteran of the Iraq War and has been serving in the United States Army since 1983. In this interview, Bates discusses his recent tour of duty in Iraq. As an Army Advisor for the Iraqi Army, Bates has unique insight into...
