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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: 456th Bomb Group, 304th Bomb Wing, 15th Air Force
  • Location of Service: Italy; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/8199

View full service history

"Ever since that trip I get a disturbing tightness in my 'nether regions' whenever I'm asked to volunteer for anything." (Memoir, page 58)

In his colorfully written memoir, Joseph Shuster details his World War II experience as a co-pilot aboard B-24s over Europe. Shuster was determined to be in the air during the war, applying for Air Force Reserve pilot training at the age of 18. After some setbacks, he was commissioned on January 1, 1944. Three months later, he and his crew picked up their B-24 in Topeka, Kansas, and a month later they were in Italy, set to begin flying. By October, they had achieved their quota of 50 missions (34 flights, but some counted double). Shuster was in Naples, on his way back to the United States on November 11, 1944, Armistice Day, and made it home on leave in time for Thanksgiving Day. He spent the rest of the war as an instructor pilot.

[ What Kind of War Was It? ]

About this Item

Title

  • Joseph Winters Shuster Collection

Names

  • Shuster, Joseph W.
  • Shuster, Joseph Winters

Home State

  • Virginia

Headings

  • -  Shuster, Joseph Winters
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.

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: 456th Bomb Group, 304th Bomb Wing, 15th Air Force
    • Location of Service: Italy; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Digital print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected 2000)
  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1997-11-04)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/8199

Cite as

  • Joseph Winters Shuster Collection (AFC/2001/001/8199), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • pdf

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:

Shuster, Joseph W, and Joseph Winters Shuster. Joseph Winters Shuster Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08199/.

APA citation style:

Shuster, J. W. & Shuster, J. W. (1942) Joseph Winters Shuster Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08199/.

MLA citation style:

Shuster, Joseph W, and Joseph Winters Shuster. Joseph Winters Shuster Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.08199/>.