Interview with Harold R. Hamilton, November 19, 2016

Partial Transcript: Hello. It's November 18th, 2016 and we're recording in the studio of Scott County Public Library in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Harold Hamilton describes his life growing up in Sadieville, Kentucky. He talks about his family, their lives on their farm, and their awareness of the Great Depression. He talks about his brothers' military service during World War II.

Keywords: Brothers; Family; Farmers; Fathers; Great Depression; Korea; Military service; Mothers; Okinawa (Japan); Pacific theater; Parents; Raising food; Schools; Sisters; Soup lines; Stonewall (Ky.)

Subjects: Childhood; Depressions--1929--Kentucky; Education--Kentucky; Families.; Family farms; Sadieville (Ky.); Traditional farming--Kentucky; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans

Partial Transcript: So you're working on the farm, um, and then what happens af--what happens next?

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about being drafted into the Army in 1941. He talks about being at Fort Thomas with his friend Leroy Hennig but says they were separated soon after. He talks about his reaction to shipping out.

Keywords: Crowds; Feelings; Fort Thomas (Ky.); Friends; Leaving; Leroy Hennig; Military draft; Newport (Ky.); Reactions; Send-offs; Shipping lists; Shipping out

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army. Infantry; World War, 1939-1945--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.

Partial Transcript: So where did you go? Wh--when, when, when--after you were drafted?

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about his experiences at basic training around the southern United States. He talks about being in a mortar platoon and impressing a colonel and a general with his skills. He talks about his boat ride from New Orleans through the Panama Canal to New Guinea.

Keywords: "Kill or be killed"; 37th Division; Boat rides; Camp Shelby (Miss.); Colonels; Diseases; Generals; Hiking; Journeys; Lieutenants; Louisiana; Mortar platoons; Mortar ranges; Mortars; New Guinea; New Orleans (La.); Oahu (Hawaii); Panama Canal; Seasick; Shipping out; South America; Squads; Targets; Travel

Subjects: Basic training (Military education); Fort Thomas (Ky.); Military training camps; United States. Army--Military life.

Partial Transcript: Then they got us ready for the invasion of Leyte.

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about his rank during the time his division was serving in Leyte. He talks about fighting on the beach and seeing General Douglas MacArthur.

Keywords: 149th Infantry; 38th Division; Beaches; Combat; Commanders; Douglas MacArthur; Firing; Fourth Wave; Japanese; Mortars; Ranks; Sergeants

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

Partial Transcript: And so, and so where do we, where do we go from there then?

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton discusses his role in the rescue of the prisoners of war being held in Bataan. He talks about receiving a commendation for his role in the capture of Japanese collaborator Pio Duran.

Keywords: 113th Engineer Corps; Bataan (Philippines); Capture; Commendation; Corregidor (Philippines); Japanese resistance; March; Patrol; Philippine collaborators; Pio Duran; Rescue; South Philippines; Surrender; Treatment; Zig Zag Pass

Subjects: Prisoners of war--Philippines; United States. Army--Military life.; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States

Partial Transcript: Um, so that was the capture of Pio, Pio Duran.

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton tells a story about shrapnel blowing a hole in the stock of his gun. He tells several stories about his friends and fellow soldiers being killed in action. He talks about his interaction with the Filipino civilians, and talks about the rations the soldiers were given. He tells a story of how his lieutenant and sergeant were killed in action.

Keywords: Air Force; Artillery; Bacon; Civilians; Combat; Death; Eggs; Field hospitals; Filipino locals; Food; Gun stock; Holes; Injuries; Interaction; Japanese; Killed in action (KIA); Knots; Leyte (Philippines); Lieutenant Broadwolf; Losses; M1 Garand; Machine gunners; Machine guns; Manila (Philippines); Rations; Rifles; Scared; Sergeant Reed; Shrapnel; Supplies; Tanks; Trained; Training; Zig Zag Pass

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life.; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines; World War, 1939-1945--Casualties; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States

Partial Transcript: So, um, you were--the Philippines campaign goes on until August of 1945.

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about Harry Truman's order to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He talks about his reaction to the end of the war and his journey home. He talks about his brothers' experiences during the war.

Keywords: Brothers; Camp Atterbury (Ind.); Chester W. Nimitz; Discharge; End of war; Food; Generals; Harry S. Truman; Hawaii; Invasions; Japan; Jubilee; Leon Hamilton; Meetings; Okinawa (Japan); Orders; Possibility; Reactions; Rumors; San Francisco (Calif.); Second in command; Talk; Trains; Transfers

Subjects: Atomic bomb.; United States. Army--Military life.; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States

Partial Transcript: And so what, what happened, what happened then? Where do we go from there?

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about his life after the war, returning to farming in Sadieville, Kentucky. He talks about marrying, his retirement from farming, and his daughter.

Keywords: Brenda; Brothers; Children; Family; Georgetown (Ky.); Howard Hamilton; Leon Hamilton; Married; Myrtle Friedly Hamilton; Retired

Subjects: Families.; Family farms; Sadieville (Ky.); Traditional farming--Kentucky; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans

Partial Transcript: Um, so from the perspective of some seventy years later, looking back, um, what do you think about your experience during the war?

Segment Synopsis: Hamilton talks about remembering the loss of his friends and fellow soldiers during the war. He talks about the responsibility that came with his rank. He talks about his friend Leroy's path during the war, but says he never saw him again. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Affect; Captains; Contact; Effects; Friends; Germany; Honor Flights; Killed in action (KIA); Leroy Hennig; Lieutenant Broadwolf; Lieutenants; Losses; Malaria; Platoon sergeants; Promotions; Quinine; Responsibility; World War II Monument

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life.; World War, 1939-1945--Anecdotes; World War, 1939-1945--Casualties; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans