Voices of Minnesota

Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II

37 INTERVIEWS

DATE: 2005-2008

INTERVIEWERS: Douglas Bekke and James E. Fogerty

This project chronicles the lives of Minnesota men and women through the World War II years. The interviews include the perspectives of war veterans, Japanese Americans, German citizens, business leaders, and minorities. Some of the subjects discussed include life in wartime Japan; Pearl Harbor; the dropping of the atomic bombs; joining the armed forces; experiences at basic training; postwar life; the real estate market after World War II; childhood activities; growing up during the Great Depression; life in wartime Germany; differences in the war effort between men and women; the GI Bill; the Army Occupation of Europe; reorientation into civilian life; economy of postwar Germany; the Army Occupation of Japan; postwar business ventures; relationships between Japanese and Americans; relationships between Germans and Americans; and the Korean War.

LENGTH OF INTERVIEWS: 115 hours 27 minutes

TRANSCRIPTS: 2,772 pages