Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Willie Lindsey

WWII | 23rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division

When Willie Lindsey got to Leipzig, his unit had to take a huge monument complex where German soldiers had holed up. It was tough but they had help from their artillery. Another building taken in Leipzig contained a large arsenal of German small arms. (6:45)
After his friend and platoon sergeant Charlie Altmans was wounded, Willie Lindsey got a new sergeant who was from the Panama coastal artillery. This man knew nothing about infantry tactics and was bound to get get someone killed as the GI's pushed deeper into Germany. (3:57)
They could have reached Berlin easily, but the 69th Infantry Division was stopped at the Elbe River so the Russians could take the German capitol. That was OK with Willie Lindsey. It meant that they wouldn't lose any more men. After the first meeting with the Russians, patrols were started to keep tabs on the tenuous allies. (4:57)
The company commander was arrogant and rude. Willie Lindsey recalls how he humiliated a soldier needlessly, just one of the many things that made the enlisted men despise him. Three lieutenants decided to cook his goose. (4:53)
Willie Lindsey was on a troop train bound for Italy where he was going to ship out to the Pacific. When the atomic bombs were dropped, it was a train full of happy GI's. He had low points, so he stayed on in Germany, trying to learn his new job, mechanic. (5:31)
In postwar Germany, Willie Lindsey was first in a constabulary unit, then in a motorpool, where he was supposed to be a mechanic. He wasn't, really, but he tried hard and did a decent job, something that didn't go unnoticed by the colonel, who became a great friend and backed him up when it was needed. (9:16)
Willie Nelson

WWII | USS Corregidor (CVE-58)

Willie Nelson departs from his midwestern farming community to become a Navy machinist. (This interview made possible with the support of DALE GREGORY) (6:03)
Although his contact with the enemy is limited, Nelson's time aboard the Corregidor is rife with hazards. He witnesses the loss of many great pilots attempting to operate under the rigors of war. (This interview made possible with the support of DALE GREGORY) (6:28)
Life in the forward engine room is challenging. Willie Nelson and his fellow engineers make the best of the heat and the crazy hours, and form an "arrangement" with the combative galley cooks. (This interview made possible with the support of DALE GREGORY) (2:49)
Nelson takes shore leave and recounts his experiences on Pacific islands. (This interview made possible with the support of DALE GREGORY) (2:14)