Oral+History

=TOPIC-Life After Wars=

After WWII the veterans were welcomed home like hero's. I am trying to figure out what it was like for veterans from other wars. After the Korean War and the Vietnam War many people did not like the war so they were not welcomed with open arms and sometimes were even looked down upon. In some instances there were instances of violence committed against them. This here is the interview of my grandfather who served in WWII and how he feels about how other veterans were treated after their wars.

**Interview of Robert G. Wilson**

 * What was your rank and full name?**

Sergeant First Class Robert G. Wilson.


 * Did you get injured on combat?**

Yes. Well, we were advancing on the enemy and we came under fire of a battery of German 88’s. A piece of shrapnel from a artillery shell went through the upper part of my arm and into my back. It went through the under side, through my armpit and into my back.


 * How were you treated after you were injured?**

I was first treated in a field hospital behind our lines and they determined that the shrapnel was too deep in my back to take out of my back at the field station. I was taken by ambulance to an ambulance train and ended up in a hospital at Nancy, France.


 * How long did you stay in the hospital?**

Well, in Nancy they cleaned my wound and put me on another train and I ended up in a hospital in Paris, France.


 * How long did you stay in Paris/France?**

A week. They closed up the wound in Paris and sent me to another hospital and they removed the shrapnel from my back. They put me on an airplane and I was flown to a hospital in Wales, England. I was doing rehab there for two weeks and then they put me on a ship and I returned to the United States.


 * How long were you in the U.S. before the war ended?**

I landed in February 1945 and the war in Europe ended in May 1945. About four months before the war ended.


 * What did you do when the war ended?**

I entered college. It was paid for under the G.I. Bill.


 * How were you received when the war ended?**

There were celebrations but nobody ever personally thanked me for my services. I didn’t take part in any of the celebrations.


 * Did you receive any pay or compensations for your injury by the Government?**

Yes, a monthly stipend of about $180 a month. It was 60% of full disability.


 * Did you think that this was enough?**

At the time yes. The cost of thing was far less than it was today.


 * What did you major in College?**

I majored in elementary education, biology and a minor in mathematics and physical education.


 * What did after college?**

I went to work as a Milwaukee Public schoolteacher.


 * Did you do any other jobs?**

In 1968 I went to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Roswell Employment Training Center. It was vocational training program for all the North American Indian Tribes. This was after I moved to New Mexico.

In Milwaukee I belonged to the Air National Guard. When I moved to New Mexico I joined the New Mexico Air National Guard. I held the same position as I did in WWII. I was a platoon sergeant.


 * What was your role in the Air National Guard?**

I was an operational sergeant. We kept track of all the pilots and the hours, times, and missions that they flew. We kept records of all of their flying activities.


 * Was the Korean War taking place?**

Yes, it was taking place when I was in the Air National Guard.


 * When the Korean War was over was the celebration as much as WWII?**

Like the Vietnam War it was not a very popular war. It was not a war where we were directly attacked. We were just supporting the Koreans. People thought we had no business being involved.


 * How do you think the Korean War veterans were treated compared after you?**

They weren’t welcomed back with a hero’s welcome. It took a number of years before their memorials were constructed. Lots of people felt sorry for the veterans giving their lives for no point at all because ultimately North Korea took over. It was a waste of money and lives.


 * How were the Vietnam Veterans received compared to you?**

They didn’t receive the same honor as us. They weren’t welcomed back as heroes as the WWII veterans were. I think people came to accept was that even though the war was very unpopular they realized that the soldiers were serving for their government. They weren’t protecting the U.S. but the accepted the call of duty and the Ultimate Sacrifice. People then later came to respect this. It is somewhat like the Confederate Soldiers from the Civil War. People respect their honor and courage for what they believed in.


 * How do you thin the U.S. government in general treated veterans over the years?**

Not as fully as the veterans deserved. These people were willing to give up their lives. In many instances they government couldn’t afford to show the respect and recognition that they deserve. I’m not even sure the American people would be willing to be taxed to show the respect that the veterans deserve. It isn’t really humanly possible to show the respect that these veterans deserve.

Reflection
I feel that this interview went very successful. I learned many things about WWII because of my grandfather before this interview because I spent a lot of time talking about this with him. I didn't however know much about life after the war. My grandfather really gave me a first hand perspective of what it was like back then. It sometimes was really hard for the veterans to return to nothing, for nothing.

My grandfather really had learned lots of thing about Europe but more importantly how lucky he was compared to other veterans from other wars. I think he feels now that he needs to support other veterans who have it worse than him. I just hope some other veterans can recover from memories of the past