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World War II
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- Which branch did he serve in? Did he enlist or was he drafted? How did he feel about the draft? Was he philosophically or politically opposed to serving in the military or was he proud to serve his country?
- Describe basic training. Who was his commanding officer? Who were his peers? Where and for how long was he trained? What did he do?
- Did he have trouble getting along with anyone in his unit? Why? What became of it? How did he deal with it?
- Did he have a nickname? What were the memorable nicknames of others?
- How did he feel about sharing his space with others? Did it feel cramped at first? Was it easy to get used to?
- What was his most vivid memory of this time? Specific people or places? A certain event?
- Which weapons was he trained to use? How did he feel about using weapons? Was he comfortable with one in particular?
- Was he especially skilled at one particular task? Did it become his "specialty"?
- Did basic training build up or cut down his self-confidence? Why or why not? Did he feel as if he was well-prepared for his duties? Did it turn out that he was prepared?
- Where was he stationed after basic training? What were the people and the surrounding area like?
- How did he keep in touch with his friends and family back home during this time? Did he save any letters he or they might have written?
- Did he become close friends with any of those he fought with? Did they keep in touch? Did he save any of their lives? Did they save his?
- Which battles did he 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 his unit play in this battle?
- Was he injured in any way? Describe what happened. What went through his mind when he realized he was hurt?
- If he was injured, did he heal quickly or not? How did it change him in ways that he still noticed years later?
- Did he ever need to take someone's life? Briefly describe the experience. How did it affect him both immediately and in the long term?
- Why did he leave the service? Honorable discharge? Injury? End of active duty? Describe the circumstances and how he felt about them.
- Was he able to return to "normal functioning"? Was it easy to put it all behind him and get on with his life, or did he have to struggle? What was the hardest to adjust to once he returned?
- Was there someone or something that was helpful in getting him through the adjustment of returning home? What was their role? What did they do?
- According to the history books, when the U.S. dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan, the war was over. From his personal point of view, was this true? If not, describe what still had to be done.
- After all was said and done, what did he learn from his experiences in the military? Why were these lessons valuable to him? How did they change him and his ideas or values?
- How would he have been different if he had never had these experiences?
- What sort of memorabilia did he save from this time? What did it symbolize to him? What memories and feelings did it bring back?
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