1 50 3 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 https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/76fd47b969219c60684b8305728c4fcb.pdf 834cacc22a04e20e51ce29e7e6a1dbf6 PDF Text Text 10/15/2012 1:02:00 PM Transcript of Oral History Interview with Kenneth Robert Miller. October 14th, 2012 Boone, NC Thomas Miller: Today is Sunday, October 14, 2012. 6:25PM. Currently in a Lowe's parking lot conducting this interview via phonecall. Kenneth Miller: Did you say 14th7 Thomas Miller: I believe so. October 14th. Kenneth Miller: Yeah, you got it. Thomas Miller: Ok. Kenneth Miller: Yep. Thomas Miller: So grandpa, if you could state your name and your birthdate. Kenneth Miller: Alright. My name is Kenneth Robert Miller. My birthdate is August 6th, 1940. Thomas Miller: Thank you very much and the people attending this interview are myself, Thomas Miller, and my grandfather Kenneth Miller. Ok ... Grandpa ... Kenneth Miller: Yes. Thomas Miller: First question: Which war and branch? Which war did you serve in and which branch of service? Kenneth Miller: I served in the Cold War. And that really took place following World War II all the way up until the Berlin Wall fell. And those dates are kind of considered the Cold War. And I served ... in the United States Army 3rd Armor division as a tank driver. �Thomas Miller: Awesome. What was your rank or what is your rank? Kenneth Miller: My rank ... My departing rank was Specialist 4 th Class. Thomas Miller: Thank you. Where did you serve? Kenneth Miller: Well I took my basic training in Fort Hood, Texas. And that lasted for 16 weeks. I went in the Army in June and so that Fall of 1958 I was sent to Germany at a place called Gelnhausen. G-E-L-N-H-A-U-S-E-N. And that was kind of... It's on the full gap, which is the main route that the .Russians would have taken if they were going to attack Europe. And so the 3rd Armor Division had the responsibility of guarding that full gap and stopping the Russians from doing that if we could. But we were outnumbered considerably and I'm glad they didn't try to do that. So I was in Germany for two years and in the Fall of 1960 I was transferred back to the States and I finished up my tour of duty in ... at Fort Devens Massachusetts. Which is right outside Boston. And that tour of duty lasted something like six or seven months. And ... the night President John F. Kennedy was elected President in the Fall of 1960 I was there in Boston, which is more or less his hometown, and people went crazy and they were watching it on television. It was a late election before it was really known but people kind of had a feeling that he was gonna get elected. And, well I got to see all that. Thomas Miller: That's really cool Grandpa. Personally why did you join? Kenneth Miller: Well. ..We finished up high school and several of us guys really did not want to go immediately on to college nor did we want to waste the next two or three years. So, I guess about five or six of us joined the Army and pretty much we stayed together or close to each other throughout our tour of duty. Mostly in Germany. It was just a question of we didn't want to waste time, we wanted to be productive during that period of time. When I got out of the Army that's when I went to college. �Thomas Miller: ...Why did you choose the Army? Why did you choose to go the Army ... route? Kenneth Miller: (laughs) I really don't know. (laughter) One reason, I think at that time the Airforce required a four year enlistment and so did the Navy. The Marines were a little too rough for us. And so that kind of left the Army and that's the way we went. Thomas Miller: (laughter) You said you went to Germany. Kenneth Miller: Yes . Thomas Miller: Do you remember kind of what it was like? Kind of like the overall atmosphere? The environment? Kenneth Miller: Sure. When I was in Germany from the Fall of 1958 to the Fall of 1960. In that two year period I spent nine months of each year out in the boondocks on manuevers. It was quite the thing at that time because noone was really sure what the Russians were going to do. So we took our tanks and we were always on manuever. And .. . while I was there I did get to go, we had three months back at our base in Gelnhausen each year. I was able to go to Holland for a while and England and France just to visit. And ... That was interesting. The German people at that time, some of them liked us and some of (them) didn't like Americans. If you can remember some of the things that occurred during World War II, Americans and the British carpet bombed a lot of Germany, and the Germans never did forgive America for doing that. But, those times are gone now, that was over fifty years ago. And the bomb damage that I saw, a lot of it, what they did was just build up fences so you couldn't see it. They more or less just hid the bomb damage. Although they were rejuvinating as a nation real quickly, at this time they were still making early progress. What people would do, the younger people at that time, what they did, the Germans to go on some time off. (coughs) Excuse me. They would take motorcycles and camping equipment and travel throughout Europe on motorcycles and camping equipment. There was no such thing as a beach, or anything like that. Or a Disney World, that just didn't exist. And that's how they kind of entertained �themselves. But a lot of Germans when I was there really didn't like Americans and some areas were put off limits to us because of that. But by and large I met some very good people there. And I got to go into some homes of some of the Germans and have meals with them and enjoy being with them. Thomas Miller: That's really cool Grandpa. What are some of your ... You already kind of touched on a couple of those kinds of memories, but what were some of your most memorable experiences? Kenneth Miller: In Germany, the memory that will never leave me was how cold it was. When we were out in the field at best we hadn't... The tanks that we had to stay in to stay warm. We had tents on occasion and if we were real lucky we had some temporary barracks to stay warm. But the temporature would get down to something like thirty below zero at night throughout the winter and there was always snow on the ground. It was just very miserable and that's my most vivid memory was that weather. I really did not like it. During the summer time it was okay, but even at that it was just an awful way to make a living. Thomas Miller: I think I saw you upload a picture on Facebook of you a while back. Of you in Germany I believe. Do you know which picture I'm talking about? Kenneth Miller: Say what Tommy? Thomas Miller: Do you know which picture I'm talking about? It's of you and I think you're at a campsite of some sort. There's snow on the ground everywhere. Kenneth Miller: Yeah, that was two locations. One of them was Vielfleckin, the other name kind of escapes me. But...where I was in Gelnhausen, as the crow flies it was forty miles to the Soviet border. East German border actually. So we were forty miles away from five divisions of Russian armor. And Vielfleckin was in one direction and this other site that we went to was in another, but both of them were up toward the East German border. And �we stayed within two or three miles of the East German border and did our manuevers. And they watched us as we did them. (cough) Thomas Miller: How did you feel? How did you personally feel doing those manuevers with Russians so close? Kenneth Miller: How did I feel about what? Thomas Miller: Just in general, about doing those manuevers and knowing that the Russians were so close. Kenneth Miller: Well ... We tried our best not to think too much about it. I was seventeen, eighteen years old and we didn't think the Russians would come after us. (cough) As it was I mean we're talking full-time nuclear war if they would have done that. And there were a lot of NATO troops there along with us. So they would have had a difficult time entering central Europe to begin with ... even though we were greatly outnumbered. But we never really thought about that, day to day. It was only something we thought about when we were called out on full alert, which is something like three or four times a year. We'd get a midnight phonecall, everybody had to run to their tanks and go to designated spots. You had so long a time to get there. And it was only during those times that you would really think about the Russians and what was really going on. Thomas Miller: Were you awarded any medals or citations? Kenneth Miller: Well, the only medal I got was a good conduct medal. I did get some medals for being an excellent rifleman. But no medals because I was not actually in a war. I ultimately also got the Cold War medal but no shooting war. Thomas Miller: While you were stationed in Germany how did you stay in touch with your family? Kenneth Miller: The only way I could and that was by mail. U.S. mail. I'd write letters to them, and they would write letters to me. It would take, oh I �don't know, two to three weeks to ... for my letter to get to them and for them to respond another two to three weeks. It was a slow process, and we always did look forward to mail call hoping that we'd have a bunch of mail. Sometimes we'd get a couple of letters, sometimes none. But U.S . mail was the only way. There was no such thing as telephones to call home or iPads (laughs) or computers, facetime and all that. None of that existed. Thomas Miller: What did you guys do to entertain yourselves? Or to pass the time? Kenneth Miller: Well. .. (laughs) Sometimes we would visit a local guesthouse, which were what we called the bars. The beer was excellent. We did travel around locally when we had the chance, but you got to remember when you're out on manuevers like I was, so much of the time you had no opportunity to go anywhere. So, it wasn't... We just didn't get to entertain ourselves very much. (cough) Thomas Miller: (Pause) Umm ... Kenneth Miller: I got another vivid memory which is part of that too. The music that we listened to included The Platters musical group back then was very popular. And they had this song "When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." I remember that song playing over and over and over. And it would make us so homesick, that it was pathetic. Thomas Miller: I'm sorry to hear that Grandpa. Kenneth Miller: That's right. (laughters) Thomas Miller: What did you think about your officers or your fellow soldiers. Kenneth Miller: Back when I was in the Army, there was also a draft. Now I volunteered, and me and my friends all volunteered. But most people, probably most, were drafted. So you had no choice about who were your �bunkmates or (coughs) who you associated with or whatever. And there were truly all types of people. There were some I'm sure were told to get in the Army or jail. They had no choice. Some had never finished highschool, that wasn't necessarily a requirement either. Well, you know, you met all types of guys. Most were really great guys, a few of them were not. Thomas Miller: After your term ended did you keep in contact with any of those people? Kenneth Miller: I kept in contact particularly with a fellow down in Tennessee, who was in my outfit. (cough) Now he was a little older than me. Four or five years older. And he was drafted. But he and I became very close friends and he had his wife over there. We had a good time all of us together. And I kept in touch with him until he died about three years ago of Parkinson's Disease. He was from Athens, Tennessee. Now, in addition to him, the guys that went in the service with me, most of them are still around here. Most of them are still living even if a couple of them aren't in great health they're still around. But the fellow down in Tennessee was the only one I really kept in close touch with over the years. Thomas Miller: Do you remember the exact day that your service ended? Kenneth Miller: Yeah. It was May the 10th, 1961. Thomas Miller: Where were you at the time? Kenneth Miller: Fort Devens, Massachusetts. I was in a small outfit there that was really a military police outfit. And my responsibility was to keep their weapons. I was a weapons expert, small arms .... And keep their weapons safe and clean and whatever. (cough) Thomas Miller: Weapons expert. Kenneth Miller: Yeah. Thomas Miller: Sounds pretty cool Grandpa. �Kenneth Miller: Yep. Thomas Miller: What did you do the days or weeks after your service ended? Kenneth Miller: Well, I'll tell ya we all received a special bonus pay when we left the Army. Wasn't much, but it was I don't know fifteen hundred dollars or something like that. And me and a couple of buddies, I don't even remember them, we went to New York City and we spent it all about a week, maybe less than that. Then I came on home. I had a car at the time and I just drove back to Frankfort (KY) after that. Thomas Miller: And you said that you went to school afterwards? Kenneth Miller: Yeah I uhh .. . That summer I got back in Frankfort somewhere at the end of May (cough) maybe a little sooner. And met up again with an old girlfriend. She and I got married that summer and then she was going to Eastern Kentucky University and I went to that school because she was there. And then I went through that university and got my degree in three years to try to make up for some lost time. And so that's kind of what I did, you know after I got out of the Army. Thomas Miller: Did you join any veteran's organizations or anything like that afterwards? Kenneth Miller: I don't think so Tommy, I uhh .. We at that time in the 60's or whatever, we kind of had our fill of the military. When I was in the Army the officers lived pretty well. Like your dad (cough) he lived okay compared to the enlisted people. We didn't have a very good time necessarily, we were on kind of the bottom of the food chain, so I don't know. I just had enough of military and for ten or fifteen years I just, you know on rare occasions will I even talk about it. Thomas Miller: I guess that kind of ties into one of the last questions. Did your military experience influence the way that you thought about war, politics or about the military in general? �Kenneth Miller: Yes, very much so. I saw how soldiers really lived and what sacrifices that soldiers make to serve ·this country. Even in peace time the sacrifice is tremendous. And I got every admiration for them. Today we have an all-volunteer Army, and I would say that the guys in the Army from the Private to the General are much better troops than we were back in my day. And they're better educated, better trained, have better equipment, live better, eat better, but still it's a sacrifice because they don't.. .much. I've met many of the families of those who have been killed in Iraq and Iran . Iraq and Afghanistan, not Iran. (cough) And they .. .Several of these families, they got nothing. They got nothing. And they're very poor people. You want to reach out and help them some way. You just... The need is overwhelming. Thomas Miller: Just overall, how has your service and experience affected your life in general? Kenneth Miller: My service? Thomas Miller: Yes sir, and your experience. Kenneth Miller: (cough) Well, I certainly grew up in a hurry while I was in the military. I became a much more mature and responsible person and that stayed with me my entire life. You learn how to do things for yourself. You learn how to be a man, what most people would consider to be a man. Things that come to you sooner (cough) than probably you would have received them had you not gone into the military. So it gives you an appreciation for other cultures, and other ways of life that you come into contact with. It was a big benefit to me. I 'm glad I did it, I'm glad that I went in, I'm glad I served. I 'm glad that Kenny went in and I was so proud of him and what he had done. You just can't say enough about that. Thomas Miller: Is there anything else that you would like to add? That we haven't really covered in this interview? Kenneth Miller: Well, not.. .not so much. It was a hard life for three years in the military. It wasn't easy, but there were exciting times, exciting moments. We try to forget the hardest of the times, I think all of us in the �military do that and remember the better times. But it's something that I'm extremely proud of. Anything else? Thomas Miller: I think that may be it. I'll have plenty of questions for you whenever I see you next time. Kenneth Miller: Ok. Thomas Miller: Actually, is there anything while you were over in Germany ... any kind of experience that. .. is the most memorable to you that you just reflect back on? Kenneth Miller: While I was in Germany? Thomas Miller: Yes sir. Kenneth Miller: Tommy, not so much. I think the combination of times that we were called out on alert was the times that we were most on edge and probably will stay with me forever. And they have for this day. Those were memorable times, even then you know some of your friends didn't come back because of accidents that can very well happen as you're driving these big armor vehicles around on snow and ice and everything else. That kind of sticks with you a little bit. But ... I don't know Tommy, that's kind of about as memorable as it gets. Thomas Miller: Yes sir. Alright well thank you Grandpa. Thank you for your service Grandpa. Kenneth Miller: Okie dokie. I 'm gonna sign this paper here and I'll get it back to ya in a few minutes. Thomas Miller: Yes sir. But thank you so much for everything really. Kenneth Miller: Ok. Thomas Miller: I appreciate it. �Kenneth Miller: You take care Tommy. Thomas Miller: You too Grandpa. I love you. Kenneth Miller: Love you. Thomas Miller: Bye. Kenneth Miller: Bye. � https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/270f51fb23b622c9676cc27f42bf218c.mp3 d617b6ac701f14c80a808907b1f2a46a 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 986 KB 23.8 MB Format, digital MP3 Military Branch military branch (U.S. Army, etc) U.S. Army Officer Rank Officer rank (major, private, etc) Specialist 4th class Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Miller; Thomas Miller; Kenneth Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Miller, Thomas Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Miller, Kenneth Interview Date 10/14/2012 Number of pages 11 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:26:01 Date digitized 2/10/2015 Checksum alphanumeric code b7aba978dcace17e89007a4a11ce22a3 d617b6ac701f14c80a808907b1f2a46a Scanned by Leah McManus Equipment Epson Perfection V600 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 Document 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_Miller_Kenneth_20121014_transcript_M 5018_Miller_Kenneth_20121014_audio_A Title A name given to the resource Interview with Kenneth Robert Miller [October 14, 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 Miller, Thomas Miller, Kenneth 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 Kenneth Miller, born in 1940, enlisted in the army in 1958 because he did not want to go straight to college after high school. However, he still wanted those in-between years to be productive. He was stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany for two years during the Cold War. He never saw combat, but worked as a tank driver. Subject The topic of the resource Miller, Kenneth Robert Veterans Cold War United States Interviews 1958 3rd Armor Division Cold War Fort Hood Gelnhausen Germany specialist tank driver US Army https://omeka-test.library.appstate.edu/files/original/f5c9e384e497735c6b7e6823c97b0ee0.pdf cccaafb0594269350e40efa7b0879936 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/4b955a967c6e303b8ca76712d592b26a.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. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Hoover, Lloyd L. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Reynolds, Brandon Interview Date 10/8/12 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:21:59 File name 2013_063_Hoover_Lloyd 2013_063_Hoover, Lloyd_transcript 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 Interview with Lloyd Hoover, 8 October 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reynolds, Brandon Hoover, Lloyd L. 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. Extent The size or duration of the resource. 7 pages Language A language of the resource English English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Subject The topic of the resource Hoover, Lloyd L. Veterans Korean War, 1950-1953 Personal narratives, American United States Interviews 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. Army Finance Department Artillery Battalion Corporal Lloyd Hoover Fort Hood Korean Conflict