Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing James Woolsey Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy; Army
- Unit of Service: USS Alpine (APA 92)
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands); Luzon (Philippines); France; Germany; England; Hawaii; United States
- Highest Rank: Boatswain's Mate; Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/24013
At the tender age of seventeen, James Woolsey joined the Army to fight in the "Great War," World War I. As Woolsey recalled in an interview conducted when he was 102 years old, "When you joined the Army, you weren't handed a gun; you were thrown a gun. And if you couldn't catch it, you were out." In his narrative Woolsey relates the fascination with automatic weaponry and the gruesome results of the use of gas. After the war, he began playing the piano and became a musician at the urging of his family. In December 1941 he was on vacation in Hawaii, where he witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the age of forty-one he reenlisted in the US Navy and became a radar decoder. During his service in the Pacific Theater, Woolsey was wounded during the battle to take Okinawa. He also performed with the USO and helped to compose the song "USO Boogie" for Glenn Miller and his band.
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PlayA World War I battle in a thickly wooded forest; mud bogging everything down; General Pershing using donkeys to pull equipment out of the muck; missing a gas attack which killed many of his comrades. 00:05:32.4 - 00:12:15.8
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PlayExposure to gas led to damage to his throat; concentrating on survival; crowded conditions aboard the troop ships. 00:13:02.0 - 00:15:33.3
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PlayBasic fear of death for any soldier in combat. 00:16:57.0 - 00:17:51.8
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PlayHow he happened to be in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941; enlisting and insisting that he join the Navy this time around. 00:22:33.3 - 00:27:58.7
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About this Item
Title
- James Woolsey Collection
Names
- Woolsey, James
- Zigo, Paul
- Brookdale Community College, Brookdale Center for World War II Studies
Home State
- New Jersey
Headings
- - Woolsey, James
- - World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1914-1918
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: France; Germany; England; Hawaii; United States
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: USS Alpine (APA 92)
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands); Luzon (Philippines)
- Highest Rank: Boatswain's Mate
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran composed "USO Boogie" for Glenn Miller and his band and witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Materials
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2004-08-13)
- Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-08-13)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/24013
Cite as
- James Woolsey Collection (AFC/2001/001/24013), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands)
- England
- France
- Germany
- Hawaii
- Luzon (Philippines)
- Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands)
- Pacific Theater
- United States