Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Russell Mack Baldwin Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 551st Heavy Pontoon Bridge Battalion
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Technician Five
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/3541
Growing up in an idyllic suburb of Cleveland, Russell Baldwin had just opened practice as a licensed optometrist in October 1941 when he was drafted. The army wasn't much interested in his specialty, and he became a member of a bridge building battalion. His unit landed in the second wave after D-Day, when danger was still prevalent. Baldwin survived several close shaves only to be captured by the retreating Germans, who abandoned him after a month. Back home, he found that his parents had rented his bedroom to a college student, and the two eventually shared their own room after they were married.
Russell Mack Baldwin Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayLanding on Utah Beach just after D-Day. 00:16:09.0 - 00:18:52.0
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PlayComing under fire; believing in angels. 00:20:14.0 - 00:22:08.0
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PlayThe horrors of the Battle of the Bulge. 00:25:18.0 - 00:26:51.0
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PlayNot sharing his memories right away; meeting his future wife. 00:33:55.0 - 00:35:02.0
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PlayReadjustment after the war; working with troubled youth. 00:43:07.0 - 00:45:19.0
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Russell Mack Baldwin Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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About this Item
Title
- Russell Mack Baldwin Collection
Names
- Baldwin, Russell Mack
- Legacies: Stories from the Second World War
- Swope, Thomas A.
Home State
- Ohio
Headings
- - Baldwin, Russell Mack
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 551st Heavy Pontoon Bridge Battalion
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Technician Five
- Dates of Service: 1945
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2001-08-02; 2006-08-12)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2001-08-02)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2001-08-02; 2005-12-13)
- Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2003)
- Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2001-08-02)
- Photograph: Digital print [2 items] -- Portrait (collected unknown)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/3541
Cite as
- Russell Mack Baldwin Collection (AFC/2001/001/3541), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image
- online text