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Richard Peterson, POW processing photo, 1942

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: 30th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group
  • Location of Service: Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles, Hamilton Field and Fresno Air Base, California; Clark Field (Philippines); Pacific Theater
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/5829

View full service history

"I'm not proud of all my actions, but when fighting for survival, one's morals are secondary to basic instincts." (Memoir)

Richard Peterson was stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked in December 1941, but for nearly six months he managed to stay one step ahead of the invaders. At one point, he could only watch in dismay as General MacArthur loaded a plane with VIPs to escape the islands. After a sojourn in Manila's notorious Bilibid Prison, he was shipped off to the Kawasaki Prison Camp outside Yokohama, Japan, and went to work at a steel plant, ten hours a day, with one day a month off. When American planes began flying overhead, Peterson was moved to an iron mine, where his living conditions actually improved.

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About this Item

Title

  • Richard Henry Peterson Collection

Names

  • Peterson, Richard Henry
  • Peterson, Richard H.

Headings

  • -  Peterson, Richard Henry
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 30th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group
    • Location of Service: Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles, Hamilton Field and Fresno Air Base, California; Clark Field (Philippines); Pacific Theater
    • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1941-1945
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [2 items] -- Photograph (collected 1942-1946)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/5829

Cite as

  • Richard Henry Peterson Collection (AFC/2001/001/5829), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Peterson, Richard Henry, and Richard H Peterson. Richard Henry Peterson Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05829/.

APA citation style:

Peterson, R. H. & Peterson, R. H. (1941) Richard Henry Peterson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05829/.

MLA citation style:

Peterson, Richard Henry, and Richard H Peterson. Richard Henry Peterson Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05829/>.