Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Ed Parker

WWII | M Company, 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division

It's terrible at first, but the longer you are in combat, the more callous you get. Like being keyed up at the beginning of a football game, but settled in by the half. That's how Ed Parker describes his experience. He also reveals how his wife could keep up with who had died, even though the mail was censored. (3:03)
Ed Pepping

WWII | 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

He had a deferment from his job, but Ed Pepping wanted to join the war effort. When he saw the Airborne recruiting table, he didn't even make it to the others. "Do you dare?" read the poster and he dared. Training in Toccoa, GA was rigorous and difficult, but he loved it. Wondering if he was a killer at heart, he decided to become a medic. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (5:21)
Medieval history had been of interest to him in school, so when Ed Pepping got to England, it was instantly comfortable, a slice of history. It was the run up to the big invasion, and the Airborne medic felt privileged to be part of the elite group of paratroopers. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (3:31)
Just before his plane took off for the D-Day drop, Airborne medic Ed Pepping was ordered onto a different plane. This proved to be most fortunate. He suffered a hard landing, though, injuring his neck. Still, he persisted in the battle for 15 days, caring for the wounded until his luck ran out. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (5:38)
The first he time saw a German soldier, the two of them just passed each other on the road and kept going. The Airborne medic was part of the massive jump into Normandy. When one of the officers was hit by a sniper, he went to his aid. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (4:40)
With a commandeered German jeep, Airborne medic Ed Pepping evacuated wounded men to the church in Angoille-au-Plain, where the blood stains can be seen to this day. Despite the heavy fire, the medics did their jobs, so busy there was no time for fear. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (4:14)
Some of the snipers were French girls. Ed Pepping explains why this was so and reflects on some of his other astounding experiences in the Normandy invasion. Evacuated after being wounded, he joined in a plot to escape recuperation and rejoin his unit. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (6:25)
Recovering from his wound in England, medic Ed Pepping worked on a ward for seriously injured men from the front. That was Airborne for you, getting the job done. It was no different off the battlefield, as related by him in several humorous stories. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN J. FITZGERALD.) (6:55)
Ed Price

Korea | 68th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (90MM)

After he was drafted, Ed Price was surprised to hear he was going to the 101st Airborne. He wasn't going to jump out of any plane! But it was just a training unit so he got the regular basic training and then went to anti-aircraft artillery school. (6:08)
Ed Price was stuck in Seattle. While other troops boarded ships for Korea, he and several others had to wait for records to catch up with them. After a couple of false starts, he was finally headed across the Pacific. When he got to his anti-aircraft unit, he was asked a fateful question. Can you type? (4:32)