World War II veterans residing at Hoosier Village will have their stories immortalized through a national oral history project documenting the experiences of those who lived through the war.
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans conducted extensive interviews with four World War II veterans at Hoosier Village earlier this year. The interviews were recorded and are available on the museum’s website as well as the Hoosier Village YouTube page.
Local residents Ray McDonald, Max Kelley, Craig Kleinknight and Edward Crook Jr. were interviewed by a museum historian.
McDonald served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1945-47. He was a classification specialist in the occupation forces in Japan in 1946 with the 49th Fighter Group, managing officer records.
His interview recounts being 14 years old and hearing a news bulletin on the radio about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and how many of his older friends who joined the service died in combat. McDonald joined the Army after he was offered $100 to enlist for 18 months.
He was sent to Johnson Army Air Force base north of Tokyo. It was formerly Iruman Air Base for the Japanese Air Force during the war. The base was later return...