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World War I
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- Which branch did you serve in? Did you enlist or were you drafted? How did you feel about the draft? Were you opposed to serving in the military or were you proud to serve your country?
- Describe basic training. Who was your commanding officer? Who were your peers? Where and for how long were you trained? What did you learn?
- Did you have trouble getting along with anyone in your unit? Why? What became of it? How did you deal with it?
- Did you have a nickname? What were the memorable nicknames of others?
- How did you feel about sharing your space with others? Did it feel cramped at first? Was it easy to get used to?
- What was your most vivid memory of this time? Specific people or places? A certain event?
- Did basic training build up or cut down your self-confidence? Why or why not? Did you feel as if you were well-prepared for your duties? Did it turn out that you were prepared?
- Were you especially skilled at one particular task? Did it become your "specialty"?
- Where were you stationed after basic training? What were the people and the surrounding areas like? How long were you there?
- How did you keep in touch with your friends and family back home during this time? Did you save any letters you might have written or received?
- Did you become close friends with any of those you fought with? Did you keep in touch in later years? Did you save any of their lives? Did they save yours?
- Which battles did you fight in? Describe the time, place, number of participants, and what happened. How did these battles affect the war as a whole? What role did your unit play in this battle?
- World War I is often described as a war fought "in the trenches." Did you experience this type of fighting? Describe what this was like.
- World War I introduced many new things to warfare, including tanks, U-boats, poison gas, and aviation. Did you use any of these innovations during the war? What were your experiences?
- Were you injured in any way? Describe what happened. What went through your mind when you realized you were hurt?
- If you were injured, did you heal quickly or not? Did you return home because of the injury, or did you go back to fight? How did it change you in ways that you noticed years later?
- Did you ever need to take someone's life? Describe the experience and how it affected you both immediately and in the long term.
- An armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, after 10 million soldiers had been killed. Did you join in any victory celebrations? What was the mood of the soldiers?
- What did you think of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points and his treaty making capabilities? Did you think that this was a peace that would last? What did you think of the League of Nations?
- Why did you leave the service? Honorable discharge? Injury? End of active duty? Describe the circumstances and how you felt about them.
- Were you able to return to "normal functioning"? Was it easy to put it all behind you and get on with your life, or did you have to struggle? What was hardest to adjust to once you returned?
- Was there someone or something that was helpful in getting you through this period of adjustment? Could you suggest anything helpful to someone going through a similar situation?
- After all was said and done, what did you learn from your experiences in the military? Why were these lessons valuable to you? How did they change you and your ideas or values?
- How would you be different if you had never had these experiences?
- What sort of memorabilia did you save from this time? What did it symbolize to you? What memories and feelings did it bring back after the war?
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