Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Donald Whipple

WWII | 28th Combat Team, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 13th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division

Donald Whipple had to get back to his unit. The wounded Marine was off shore on a hospital ship and he couldn't stand the thought of sitting on Guam while his buddies were under fire on Iwo JIma. He saw a sailor working on a landing craft and asked for a lift back to the beach. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (2:45)
Donald Whipple had fled the hospital ship and returned to his unit on Iwo Jima. He was targeting artillery when he encountered a soldier who said he was looking for a pipe to use as a flagpole. The pipe was found and they watched as a foreign flag was raised over Japanese territory for the first time in centuries. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (2:24)
He knew that being a replacement was a difficult thing, so Donald Whipple took the new guy who joined the unit at the last minute under his wing. Then, in a foxhole on Iwo Jima, the kid raised his head up a little too high. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (3:39)
The demanding physical conditions during the battle for Iwo Jima are recalled by Donald Whipple. Not being able to get any sleep was probably the worst but there was also a strange, low fog which the mind filled with enemies who weren't really there. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (3:07)
Donald Whipple explains how his unit could suffer a 200% casualty rate in the battle of Iwo Jima. He also recalls a moment of panic when there was a gas attack alert and the gas mask he'd found had a bullet hole right through it. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (2:47)
After the surrender, Donald Whipple's unit entered Sasebo, Japan, where they were tasked with rounding up and destroying military gear. As they sat and watched the bonfires, children came up and made fast friends. The unit moved to Nagasaki, where the soldiers marveled at the devastation. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (4:03)
As Donald Whipple walked guard duty in postwar Japan, he could hear the mothers and the babies wailing and crying in the adjacent refugee camp as a lonesome train whistle blew. To this day, when he hears a train whistle, he is taken back in his mind to that sad place and time. (Provided by LifeCairn, Inc.) (2:06)
Donna Lowery

Vietnam | Women's Army Corps

After she graduated, Donna Lowery joined the Army in 1965 with no sense of the conflict in Vietnam. After getting orders to deploy, she landed in Bien Hoa and had to adjust quickly to what she found there. (7:52)
Donna Lowery learned how to live around base and take advantage of the surroundings. Rules were strict but they managed to still find time for some fun. (6:45)
Deciding to re-enlist after Vietnam, Donna Lowery deployed to Germany where she had a nice deployment there and found readjusting to post-war life easy. She ended up spending 26 years in the military and retired a sergeant major. Donna also has some thoughts on the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington D.C. (4:17)