Interview with Kenneth Earl Engler, October 21, 2011

Partial Transcript: Today is October 21, 2011.

Segment Synopsis: Engler is introduced as being born in Ohio County, Kentucky. He was born on July 23, 1920. He was drafted into the United States Army during World War II. He went to the island Leyte in the Philippines in 1945 when the war was almost over.

Keywords: Drafts; Leyte (Philippines); Library of Congress; Ohio County (Ky.); Oldham County Historical Society (Oldham County, Ky.); United States Army; Valley Station (Ky.); Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Drafts; Leyte (Philippines); Library of Congress; Ohio County (Ky.); Oldham County Historical Society (Oldham County, Ky.); United States Army; Valley Station (Ky.); World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines

Partial Transcript: And when you were at Leyte, uh, where did you stay?

Segment Synopsis: Engler lived in a tent in Leyte and worked as a medical corpsman and took care of whoever would get hurt. He was not in the war for long and, from Leyte, took a ship back to the United States. The hospitals were housed in tents as well.

Keywords: Hospitals; Leyte (Philippines); Medical corpsman; Medical corpsmen; Soldiers; Tents; United States Army; United States.; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Leyte (Philippines); United States.; United States. Army.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines

Partial Transcript: Well when you came back to the States, what did you do in the service, when you came back to the States?

Segment Synopsis: Engler worked as a medical corpsman for three years. Then, he was a military policeman in Texas where he guarded prisoners. The prisoners were Japanese and German. The base was in Hereford, Texas.

Keywords: Germans; Hereford (Tex.); Japanese; Medical corpsman; Medical corpsmen; Military policemen; Texas.; United States.; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Germans; Hereford (Tex.); Japanese; Military police.; United States.; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Did you all get off the base?

Segment Synopsis: Engler says he did not do that many recreational activities while he worked as a military policeman in Texas, but he would go to a ship nearby and eat food and sleep.

Keywords: Corpsman; Corpsmen; Foods; Hereford (Tex.); Leyte (Philippines); Military bases; Military jails; Recreation; Sleep; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Hereford (Tex.); Leyte (Philippines); Military prisons; Recreation; Ship; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines

Partial Transcript: Were you real close to some of the soldiers?

Segment Synopsis: Engler says he was close friends with some of the other soldiers, but he didn't keep in contact with them much after the war.

Keywords: Friendships; Relationships; Soldiers.; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Interpersonal relations.; Soldiers.

Partial Transcript: When you came home and the war, you know, everything was, uh, behind you, what did you do when you got home?

Segment Synopsis: When Engler came home from the war, he worked in a machine shop in Michigan for several years. Eventually, he retired from Ford Motor Company.

Keywords: Ford; Ford Motor Company; Home; Machine shops; Michigan; Veterans

Subjects: Ford Motor Company; Michigan; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: When you came back, did you take advantage of the G.I. Bill?

Segment Synopsis: Engler took advantage of the G.I. Bill by attending a farming school, which taught him how to farm. He rented land and grew corn and soybeans. When asked, he says he does not remember whether he joined veterans associations when he got out of the war.

Keywords: Agriculture; Corn; Farming; Farms; G.I. Bill; Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944; Soybeans; Veterans; WWII; WWII Veterans; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Agriculture.; Ohio County (Ky.); Veterans.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: If someone, uh--if you were to go to the high school and talk to some young folks and they said, you know, "Do you think we ought to sign up for military experience?" What would you tell them?

Segment Synopsis: When asked what he would tell high school students interested in signing up for the military, Engler says he would tell them to do their best to help out. When asked whether joining the military would help young people, he says it would.

Keywords: Military recruitment; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: High school students.; United States--Armed Forces--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.; Veterans.; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Uh, is there anything specific that you remember when you were in the service that, that you think about a lot?

Segment Synopsis: When asked if there is anything he thinks about a lot from when he was in the service, Engler says the military can help you out. He says he doesn't remember anything funny from the military. He ran into his brother on Leyte in the Philippines when they were playing baseball on the beach. His brother had already been playing baseball when Engler came up and started talking to him.

Keywords: Baseball; Brothers; WWII; War memories; War stories; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Baseball.; Brothers.; Families.; Leyte (Philippines); Recreation; War stories.; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Well, we didn't stay there long because had we went from Leyte to, uh--gosh, I forget what the, the island was.

Segment Synopsis: Engler says he did not stay in Leyte long and went from there to another island that might be called Telalu in the Philippines. The island was very rocky and rough. While there, a Japanese soldier turned himself in to Engler and his crew. Engler's brother went to Japan after he was in Leyte. Engler says people took care of food for him so he didn't have to worry about it. Eventually, Engler made his way home on a ship.

Keywords: Islands; Japanese soldiers; Japanese.; Leyte (Philippines); Rocky; Rocky islands; Ships; Telalu (Philippines); Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War Two

Subjects: Islands.; Japanese; Leyte (Philippines); Ocean travel; Veterans.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines

Partial Transcript: Did you--when you came back home, were you married already?

Segment Synopsis: Engler met his wife between 1946 and 1948 and the two of them had four boys and two girls.

Keywords: Children; Families; Marriage; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Children.; Families.; Family life.; Marriage.; Veterans.; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Well, I will thank you so much for talking to me today, and I want to thank you for all your sacrifices for the American people.

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer thanks Engler for his service. Engler then talks about a Japanese soldier who surrendered to him. The soldier was a captain, and he was very small and looked to be starved. He confirms this was the only time he had contact with the enemy besides when he was a military policeman.

Keywords: Japanese; Leyte (Philippines); Prisoners of war; Starvation; Surrender; Veterans; WWII; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Cooperation.; Military police.; Prisoners of war.; Soldiers.; Veterans.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Japanese