Search

This collection relates to James J. McGuire who served with the 102nd Infantry Division during World War II and was captured by the Germans in November 1944 near the Roer River. The collection includes documents related to prisoners-of-war, including special postage and protocols for sending letters to American POWs, special postage and protocols that James McGuire had to follow to send letters back to his family, and even an extremely detailed, multi-page set of instructions on how to order tobacco products for American soldiers in German POW camps. It also includes a ration book application, and a ration book itself.  Finally, it includes communications, telegrams, and letters, between the McGuire family and various government agencies and departments as they attempt to gain more information about James McGuire and his fate.

This collection relates to James M. Ryan who served as a 2nd Lieutenant Bombardier on a B-24 Bomber with the 866th Squadron, 494th Bombardment Group, stationed in Okinawa. Ryan's plane was shot down over Kyoto on July 28, 1945, and he was then imprisoned by the Japanese (declared missing in action by the United States). Ryan subsequently perished 500 feet from the epicenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. This collection contains photographs, letters, documents, and artifacts relating to the life, service, and death of James M. Ryan. His cased engraved purple heart medal is included in this collection.

The James R. Pemberton oral history interview transcript includes his time as a sergeant in the 103rd Infantry Division, 410th Regiment, Company K, 3rd Platoon, 3rd Squadron. He served as an engineer in France, Germany, and Austria from 1943-1945 and participated at D-Day and Battle of the Bulge. He documents his experiences during the war in regards to his military training, losing friends, taking German prisoners, how he earned his Bronze Star Medal, specific events in which he participated, and his pre/post-war activities.

The James T. Griffiths Papers reflect his lifelong work within the citrus field. The collection contains personal letters, notes, documents such as maps and graphs, and coursework from various citrus materials. These papers range from 1914-2006; however the bulk is from 1959-2002.

This World War II collection relates to Covieau Rohlin and Rohlin's close wartime friendship with U.S. Army Air Corps Colonel Thomas Settle Voss. Voss served as base commander of MacDill Field, FL and 1st Advanced Air Depot Area in the European Theater.  The collection includes a captured framed lithograph of Le Mans-La Cathedrale St. Julien by Barday, 1933, MacDill Field Thunderbird magazines, Liberty magazine, unpublished memoirs of Colonel Voss, photographs of Voss, and military documents.

The collection of Janet Wells contains an oral history transcript of an interview provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History, photographs and documents pertaining to her experience serving with the WAVES during World War II. Included are photographs of WAVES recreational activities, military portraits, and personal photographs of family and friends. Collection documents include letters regarding qualifications and service, receipts, certificates of satisfactory service, graduation, certificates, WAVES anniversary celebration programs, identification cards, tourist memorabilia, photographs, invitations, a booklet on transitioning back to civilian life, and uniform tickets. Publications included are a WAVES newspaper (1944), a personal letter (1944), WAVES handbooks and pamphlets, WAVES magazines (The Havelock, 1944-45), and a copy of Sounding Off (18 Jan. 1944), and Up Came a Ripple which was a book of WAVES cartoons by Dorothy J. Byerly in 1945.