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Charles Fitts

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The POW's were told there was no work detail because the factory was bombed by Allied planes. The next day, the prisoners were told they were free and Charles Fitts and the others set off towards the West. They were quickly found by a British unit and evacuated. In London, he recovered and celebrated VE Day with throngs of war weary English in Piccadilly Square. (7:21)

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After recovering in London from his POW experience, Charles Fitts celebrated VE Day with throngs of war weary British in Piccadilly Square. He shipped back to the United States and was on his way to his assigned Army base when his parents tracked him down and met him on the way at a train station. Only a short assignment as an MP stood between him and home. (5:14)

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Charles Fitts reads from his Episcopalian prayer book, which he was allowed to keep as a prisoner of war in Germany. He also preserved the Stars and Stripes edition from VE Day, a very happy day for him. (3:45)

Charles Harris

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Charles Harris was very much interested in aviation, so he volunteered for the Army Air Corps during the patriotic wave that swept the country after Pearl Harbor. He never got to be a pilot because he suffered a freak accident during physical training in sub-zero weather. He endured, however, determined to contribute to the war effort. (This interview made possible with the support of DONALD G. STEWART.) (4:34)

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Hampered by an accident suffered in training, Charles Harris still found a role to play as an instructor on the Norden bombsight. Eventually, he grew tired of the classroom and asked to be put on the line, training crews departing for the Pacific theater. (This interview made possible with the support of DONALD G. STEWART.) (4:35)

Charles Kelly

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At seventeen, Charles Kelly joined the Navy Reserve. He had three cruises under his belt before he went active. His training on those meant that, unlike almost every other service member, he had no boot camp. Life aboard a carrier was not to his liking, so he requested a destroyer. (5:44)

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The Navy said he had mechanical aptitude, so Charles Kelly worked in the engine room on the destroyer. When he deployed to Korea, he first stopped in Japan, a country and a culture which he grew to love. (4:42)

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The destroyer was off the coast of Korea when, down in the crew quarters, Charles Kelly heard a muffled explosion and felt the ship lurch. Turns out it was not the enemy. His ship, the USS Cowell, participated in the siege of Wonsan, as well as patrolling the coast looking for supply trains. (3:43)

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As a destroyer in a carrier group, the USS Cowell had to sometimes pick up pilots who had ditched in the ocean on their return from missions over Korea. Charles Kelly recalls those incidents as well as a couple of odd occurrences. (4:25)

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After seeing action off the coast of Korea, the USS Cowell resumed its around the world cruise, which had begun in Norfolk. From Korea, the ship headed south. Charles Kelly recalls the delightful liberties he had in many ports on his trek from Singapore to Ceylon and up through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean. (7:26)