1 50 1 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/ed4482511c116295a2ac66225ed4597a.pdf 741a45f0a32b28beab0186ed7cd5cdb5 PDF Text Text Transcript of Oral History Interview with CPL. Lloyd L. Hoover, Jr. October 8, 2012. Boone, NC Brandon Reynolds: It is Monday, October 8, 2012. I am interviewing Corporal Lloyd L. Hoover, Jr. of Charlotte, North Carolina at his home here in Boone, North Carolina for American Military History Course at Appalachian State University. The oral history will begin now. Reynolds: Now, Corporal Hoover, can you tell me about where you’re from?…When you were born? Hoover: I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on June the 18, 1929. Reynolds: All right and can you go over your military service? Were you originally drafted or were you enlisted into the Army? Hoover: …I was drafted on…April the 26, 1951. Reynolds: How did you feel about being drafted? What was the process that you went through? Hoover: Well, I didn’t have any option. I…I had to go and…a lot of my friends had already been drafted to…prior to me being drafted and…so, …I…I knew my time was up and…I…reported to…to the draft board on the morning I was…by the time I was supposed to. Reynolds: Now, where was your first duty station? Can you go over your first unit of assignment and where you attended basic training at? Hoover: Well after I reported in to the draft board they…marched us…down the street to…to the recruiting center…at the…corner of…Church Street and…North Church Street and…West…West Seventh Street. …Spent most of the day…going through different…parts of the…the process and procedures and then about…I think around 3:30 or 4:00 that afternoon they loaded us on buses and took us to…Fort Jackson, South Carolina where we were to…do further processing. …The…we got there…on…it was a Thursday night…and…the next day they…processed us in different…different…things that needed to be done and…two or three days later they began to…get us in formation and we’d call out names and those men would fall out and…they would…tell them they were going   1   �to different…stations through…throughout the United States for their basic training. It was on a Friday a week after…I…I was drafted, on Friday they told…those of us that remained there at Fort Jackson that…we would leave on Saturday morning to go to Fort Hood, Texas for our…basic training. So, on…Saturday morning…they…we fell out with our duffel bags and I think we had duffel bag inspections for probably two or three times…while we were waiting for…for the train, troop train to get there to that we got on and…later that day we went through Atlanta, Georgia and…on Sunday morning we were…I woke up…in…in the…car that I was in and pulled the shade up and looked out and saw that I was in Meridian, Mississippi and…I said, Muuur goodness where am I going? (Reynolds laughs). But, …that…we continued to travel…all day Sunday and then…Monday morning…we found we were in Dallas, Texas and…later Waco and on down to…Killeen, Texas where Fort Hood was located…and they…took us…by bus over to…a theatre where the Commanding General came in and…talked to us and after he finished his talk, they began to…go down the…the rows and…stop at…a different row and say, “Everybody from…front to this row… file out,” and… they’d go outside and put them on a bus and take them to wherever they…they were headed. …So, when they got to…my row, I was on the first row of our group and they took us and…I wound up in the barracks and found out it was in the 91st Armored Field Artillery Battalion. And…so I took basic training with the…91st and…until…the…at lunch…lunch one day they…took…called out names and told us to fall out that the…Battery Commander the Captain wanted to talk to each one of us individually about going to…Officers Candidate School…and…I had passed the Officers…OCS Test that…at Fort Jackson and…so, when my time came…I reported in…went in to the…Captain and reported in to him and he began to talk to me about going to Officers Candidate School and…wanted to know if I was interested in it and I told him, No, I don’t believe I was, that I didn’t…want to go to Officers Candidate School, that I had been drafted for twenty-one months and I’d been in four weeks and they’d transfer…they extended our…term to twenty-four months, that I’d already lost my…some more time and that going to Officers Candidate School I’d be in another…another…year. I believe it was a year and a half or two years, and I wanted to get out to…as…as soon as I could. And…he looked at me and smiled said…, “Well…when you came into the Army there…in…in civilian life there wasn’t any demand for cannoneers and anyone was experienced as a cannoneer and I assure you when you get out and go back to civilian life there wont be any…demand for cannoneers,”…and asked me what I did in…civilian life and I told him I was a…bank teller and…that I’d like to…get in finance if I could and that…that might help me in my…my future if I…I…I had that…experience of being in the…Army Finance…Department. So, he had the First Sergeant call   2   �the…finance Officer and…the Captain talked to…the… finance Officer told him that he had a young man that was interested in getting into the finance office if…he had an opening. The finance Officer said he did have an opening and he’d like for him to send me up for an interview that afternoon. So, the Captain told me to… go change my uniform and… told me how to get to the finance office. I went up for the interview. …Had a good interview with the…finance Officer and he…wanted to know when I could come and I told him, “Well, as soon as I finish my basic training I…I hope,” and…he said, …“Well, we’ll get in touch…you need to go by the replacement center and we’ll call down and have you put on orders to…be transferred from the 91st to…when you finish basic training to the…Headquarters and Headquarters Company, so that you can…come to work in the finance office.” So, …that’s how I got in to…to…to…in the finance office and…they made…a cashier out of me, where I was paying…the…Army’s funds to the soldiers that were…going overseas, or travel pay, …or…or been redlined on payday and came in to…get… paid when they came back from furlough, or whatever reason they missed…being paid on payday. So, …then…the…the Captain in the finance office and myself, we…on…when payday came around we’d get the…pay orders from the different…sections for the…all the different units in the 1st Armored Division and we had to make up the payrolls to give to the pay Officer that…would come in on payday and…pick up…their…their bag of…money to distribute to the soldiers that were under their command. And…then they would bring it back…later that day and we’d…I’d have to…verify what they were bringing back and what they’d paid out. And…during the…time that I was cashier in…in the finance office…I...handle…millions of dollars of…of money and paid out quite a bit and I was only short one time. I was short eighteen cents. I’d given somebody two dimes for…for two pennies. I made a transposition and…so, …that was the only time that…I was short…in…in my funds. Reynolds: That’s pretty incredible in itself handling millions of dollars and only coming up eighteen cents short. Can you go over…your military history, maybe with your family? Hoover: Well, after…I...I got to Fort Hood and was assigned in…in to the finance office, …I spent…my time there and…the rumor was that…1st Armored Division was going to Germany to replace the 3rd Armored Division at some time in…around February, March, or April of 1952. …Found that out…my fiancé and I…I decided that…I’d come home on furlough in February and…be married and…I’d gone overseas…probably. But, …we were married on February the 9, 1952 and…went back to Fort Hood and found that…well, after I got back that the word was that we were not going to Germany, that we were going to make a   3   �replacement center out of…the 1st Armored Division. So, …I…we stayed at Fort Hood…the…rest…of…the time except for three months when I was sent to…Fort Benjamin Harrison in…Indianapolis, Indiana to Army Finance School there. I was there…a…a…a little over three months and then…transferred back to…went back to Fort Hood. But my wife Joan met me…in Indianapolis and we took a train back to Dallas, Texas where she stayed with her Aunt and Uncle until I could get an apartment…in Killen, Texas, which was…just outside of the Fort Hood and…reservation. And…we lived in Killeen…moved into another apartment…several months later. But, we stayed there until I was discharged on…on April the 25, 1953. Reynolds: How did you feel about finally being discharged from the Army? Hoover: Well, I…I felt…some relief that I was going back to…to…to Charlotte and…my…back to the bank that…that I’d worked at and…now having a wife and looked forward to going back where my family lived and…that it was…it was a good thing…I…I…I can’t say I enjoyed all parts of…of…of my military service, but…it was…it taught me a lot about life and a lot about how to live and how to do things. And…I think it made me…a better person. Reynolds: Will you go over some…some of your memories while you were at Fort Hood? Whether they were funny memories or kind of scary memories. Maybe being out in the field experiences with that. Hoover: Well, …we got to…Fort Hood around May the 7th I believe it was and…it…turned out that after we started our basic training it turned out to be a rainy…rainy part of the season. The…heat was usually…over a hundred…a hundred degrees and with the rain and…crawling around on the ground and…out in the field. …Different things that just…it…it was tough, but…to me it…basic training was to see…how much the…human body and mind could…could…could…could withstand. And…I remember going to…through the infiltration course…at…at night. And it rained…torrential rain about an hour before we…we got there. So, the...the course was…was muddy and full…full of water. But crawling under that barbed wire with…weapon in…in your…arms and hands and shooting tracers above your head and setting off charges that threw water and mud up (laughs)…up in the air all over you (laughs) (Reynolds laughs)…it was…that was a…that was a real experience. …Going through the…gas chamber…and take…taking off the gas mask and…having to get everybody in line. Some of them were crying and yelling and…stumbling around, but…several of us got them…had to get some of them, grab them and put them in   4   �line before the Sergeant would let us leave to get out into the fresh air. Well, we didn’t do it exactly right, so they made us do it again (Reynolds laughs). So, …that…that wasn’t very pleasant either. Reynolds: Not at all. Hoover: But it was…it was…it was a good experience. Reynolds: Are there any moments in particular that stick out in your mind while you were at Fort Hood? Any…maybe any awards or activities you did on base? Hoover: Well, being the cashier in the finance office there was one thing that…I believe it was the…United Way Drive…at…at Fort Hood. …I would receive the money that was coming…coming in from…from different areas to go to the United Way. And…I would have to count the money…make a…make a…make a record of it and so forth and turn in a report. And after it was over, …I received a letter of commendation from…General Bruce Clarke, who was the Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division, …commending me for the work that I had done…in helping the…the United Way Drive. Then one that was…sort of comical was…I played baseball…two years…both years I was there. And…we had the…post championship baseball team both years. And…the first year…it was the World Series…at Fort Hood and…we…when we won the…the game championship game, General Clarke was there to…give the…the players of the winning team…a sweater that had the initials…FH on it for Fort Hood. Then we could wear it around the base…after duty. And…then he gave us a…a medal to recognizing that we were the…post champions. Well, the…one of my teammates Joe Wade…worked in the finance office as well, so we’re in the same barracks and the next morning when we fell out for…for…for inspection, we had put our…medals…on…on…onto our shirts. And when the inspecting Officer came down the…the line and got to…to me and he…looked at…looked at me and said, …“What in the world is that?” I said that’s my medal Sir (Reynolds laughs). He said, “Medal for what?” Medal for winning the…being the post…championship baseball team. I was on the team. “Well, who gave it to you?” I said, …General Clarke did Sir. “When?” I said last night. (laughs) He looked at me and he said, “Hmmm, that is a nice looking medal, but I don’t believe it’s appropriate on your shirt. I think it may be better to take it off and leave it in the barracks (Reynolds laughing). So, …that…that was a humorous thing that…that took place and…I didn’t get…any extra duty of detail for doing that either.   5   �Reynolds: Well that’s…that’s not too bad either. I know those details can be quite…quite painful sometimes and not everyone… Hoover: Yea. Reynolds: …wants to do them. Is there anything else that sticks out in your mind during your time at Fort Hood? I know you were drafted during the Korean War. Is that correct? Hoover: Well, it wasn’t a Korean War because…war…if I remember correctly, war was never declared. And it…I think as…it’s mostly referred to as the Korean Conflict. And…I remember that…that…word came back that some of the troops…that…that…that we had known through basic training at Fort Hood…had gone on to Korea and some of them lost their lives…in…in Korea. And…that hurts to…know that someone that was close to you to at one time had…had lost their life. And…I did have a cousin from down in Florida that…was…in…in Korea…and…his…mother…he was in a…a news reel in a movie theatre. Mother saw…saw his picture and…saw her son. Reynolds: Oh wow. Hoover: …And it was at during a real cold part of winter and…he suffered some frost…frostbite…bite and other things from…from that. Now my father, he was in the…First World War. But, …he was a drafted…late…late in the war and was sent to…France and to Germany…in the Occupational Forces and he was over there about eight months I believe it was before…he was sent back to the states and was discharged and went back to his home. Reynolds: Well, upon that note…is there anything you would like to mention right now that I haven’t asked so far in the interview that you would like to state? Hoover: No…I think that…if more young men would…serve…have to go through basic training and serve some time in the service, whatever…area of service they…they would be in, then it might make…make…make…our…our people better to…to find out what…devotion to…to duty and…to be able to take orders and to…have responsibility and be…be held accountable for…for what they…what they do. That…we…our…our nation would be better off.   6   �Reynolds: Well CPL Hoover, I want to thank you for your time with this interview and once again I’m Brandon Reynolds conducting an interview with CPL Lloyd L. Hoover, Jr. …United States Army. I want to thank you for your time. Hoover: Your welcome. Reynolds: Thank you. Bye.   7   � https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/74a4f1ab15debbe101d72a4d49f53345.mp3 a1cbd4df2543951463b94f5b330a4323 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Appalachian State University American Military History Course Veterans Oral History Project Description An account of the resource Each semester, the students of the American Military History Course at Appalachian State University conduct interviews with military veterans and record their military experiences in order to create an archive of oral history interviews that are publicly accessible to researchers. The oral histories are permanently available in the Appalachian State University Special Collections. The project is supervised by Dr. Judkin Browning, Associate Professor of History at Appalachian State University and all interviews are transcribed by the student interviewers. Copyright Notice: Copyright for the Veterans Oral History Project’s audio and transcripts is held by Appalachian State University. These materials are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Veterans Oral History Project, University Archives and Records, Special Collections, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC). Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. File size 41.3 KB 25.1 MB Format, digital MP3 Military Branch military branch (U.S. Army, etc) U.S. Army Officer Rank Officer rank (major, private, etc) Corporal Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reynolds; Brandon Hoover; Lloyd L.; Jr. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Reynolds, Brandon Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Hoover, Lloyd L., Jr. Interview Date 10/8/2012 Number of pages 7 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:21:59 Date digitized 10/15/2012 Checksum alphanumeric code 970d5c985c5d0e6cda8407d860eea525 a1cbd4df2543951463b94f5b330a4323 Scanned by Leah McManus Equipment Adobe Acrobat XI Pro Resolution 300 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the Veterans Oral History Project's audio and transcripts is held by Appalachian State University. These materials are available for free personal; non-commercial; and educational use; provided that proper citation is used. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived UA.5018. American Military History Course Records Recording rate A/V rate (48,000kzh x 16 bit) 48000kzh x 16 bit Format, original Electronic File Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 5018_Hoover_Lloyd_20121008_transcript_M 5018_Hoover_Lloyd_20121008_audio_A Title A name given to the resource Interview with Corporal Lloyd L. Hoover, Jr [October 8, 2012] Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Language A language of the resource English English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reynolds, Brandon Hoover, Lloyd L., Jr. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a title="UA.5018. American Military History Course Records" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/167" target="_blank">UA.5018. American Military History Course Records</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright for the Veterans Oral History Project's audio and transcripts is held by Appalachian State University. These materials are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that proper citation is used. Description An account of the resource Corporal Lloyd Hoover was drafted in the early 1950s and served in the Army Finance Department managing millions of dollars. He served during the Korean War, what he calls the Korean Conflict, and saw his military years as a good and formative experience. Subject The topic of the resource Hoover, Lloyd L., Jr. Veterans Korean War, 1950-1953 Personal narratives, American United States Interviews 1951 Army Finance Department Artillery Battalion Corporal Lloyd Hoover draft Fort Hood