Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Wilmer Roland

WWII | 1306 Engineer Service Regiment

During the Battle of the Bulge, Engineer Wilmer Roland was used as a recon driver and recalls dodging cows on the roads. He also remembers the hospitality of the people of Luxembourg and the novelty of hearing a Buzz Bomb. (3:40)
Wilmer Roland encountered Russian troops while camped in Czechoslovakia and marveled that they had women soldiers. After the European hostilities ceased, he nearly was seen fraternizing with a civilian by Gen. Patton, who was riding by on a Jeep. (4:20)
As the ship left Japan to carry Wilmer Roland home to America, the troops took up a collection for the captain of the ship, who was fined for leaving port too early. Back home, the Army engineer reflected that he was "just another soldier." (3:07)
Winfield Baldwin

WWII | USS Mellette (APA-156)

Like all his friends who graduated high school in 1943, Winfield Baldwin was eager to get into the war. He grew up around the water so, naturally, he joined the Navy, where he became a signalman. On the USS Mellette, a troop transport, he was part of the beach battalion, men who landed with the troops and managed the activity on the beach. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (5:41)
The dawn was beautiful that first day at Iwo Jima, recalls Winfield Baldwin, who was lucky he was not scheduled for the first wave. He was a signalman in the Navy's beach battalion and his turn would come soon. In the meantime, he had a front row seat from the signal bridge of the chaos and misery on shore. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (6:06)
The second day at Iwo Jima, Navy signalman Winfield Baldwin readied himself to go ashore. His job was to land with Marines and do the ship to shore communications. When he got there, he saw a surreal landscape of wrecked machinery, vehicles and weapons. Then there were the casualties. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (7:48)
Winfield Baldwin was glad to be relieved on the Iwo Jima beach and with a few dozen others on a landing craft, he headed out to return to his ship. Unable to board because of Japanese attack, they struggled to keep up with the ships heading further out to sea. After a queasy night, they woke to a startling sight. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (4:35)
Navy signalman Winfield Baldwin describes his duties and experience as a member of the beach party on Iwo Jima. He had a generator and a signal light for communicating with the boats and ships. Somehow he missed seeing the famous flag. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (3:08)
Navy signalman Winfield Baldwin would sleep on the signal bridge when he could. He was a little worried below the water line. During the run up to the invasion of Okinawa, he became a "shellback" during the equator crossing ceremony. At Okinawa, the threat from kamikazes was great and the shrapnel from the anti-aircraft fire fell like rain. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (6:26)
After the surrender, Winfield Baldwin became one of the first Navy personnel to set foot on Japanese soil as part of a landing party securing a Japanese naval base. He also went ashore at Nagasaki and saw the effects of the atomic bomb. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH DERRYBERRY.) (4:40)