Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Jack Van Keuren

WWII | 36th Tank Battalion

As his tank crew moved inland following D-Day, Jack Van Keuren had some unusual experiences including finding a bank full of German money and liberating a Mercedes convertible from a garage. (7:05)
Jack Van Keuren jokes about the test drive of an ill-fated experimental jeep that was designed to operate in water as well as on land. (3:00)
Though he commanded a tank crew in WWII, Jack Van Keuren was reclassified as infantry and sent to fight in the frigid cold of Korea. (8:01)
Jack Wall

WWII | Multiple Units

The Marines didn't want him but Jack Wall found a place in the Navy. In 1942 he joined and began his training as a Corpsman and Pharmacist's Mate. He had a brief setback from an illness which required some painful treatments. (4:59)
The men were packed in like sardines on the troop ship and Jack Wall was glad when it got to New Caledonia. He was a Navy Corpsman and Pharmacist's Mate and served in the hospital there before he went aboard ship to participate in the upcoming invasions. (5:05)
The USS Pinkney was an evacuation transport. It was designed to deliver troops to an invasion site and then evacuate the wounded. The ship participated in three memorable landings, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Pharmacist's Mate Jack Wall recalls an episode that unfolded in the psych ward regarding a suicidal sailor. (3:56)
The USS Pinkney had a dual role. The ship delivered troops to an invasion and then waited to evacuate wounded. At Okinawa, the troops were already ashore when a kamikaze plane struck it amidships. Pharmacist's Mate Jack Wall describes the incident and how he was almost a victim of it. (9:15)
As the ship approached San Francisco, Jack Wall was up on deck straining to catch the first sight of land. Everyone was thinking of liberty on shore. As they walked through the gate onto Market Street, all of a sudden there were horns and whistles and a loud noise of celebration. What happened? (5:59)
Jack Wall's final rank would have been one tick higher except for the one time he was late returning from liberty. He's just lucky he never got in trouble for the wild parties in the dental ward aboard ship. They had a monthly allotment of alcohol which never went to waste and once they decided to make some applejack. (7:05)
His ship was in dry dock in New Zealand when Jack Wall missed the last boat that would get him back in time from his liberty. Would he be able to sneak on board? Several guys were already busted that night. (1:46)