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Cecil Wenner [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 872nd Port Company
  • Location of Service: Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans, Louisiana; Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Highest Rank: Technician Four
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/41098

View full service history

Cecil Wenner was raised during the Depression by a widowed mother, went to work in a hotel as a teenager, then got a construction job with a firm building a submarine base and an airport for the United States in the Virgin Islands. In 1944, he enlisted in the war effort; before he could contact his mother, he was sent to Puerto Rico for training. He made a point to send home most of his pay to his mother, who was still raising three of his five siblings. In Louisiana and New Orleans, he encountered racial segregation and discrimination for the first time. He took his training as a dockside crane operator to his next post, Oahu, and was there when war ended. He intended to reenlist in the spring of 1946, hoping to be assigned to the Philippines. But when he found his company was going to be sent back to Puerto Rico, he left the service, returned home, earned a high school diploma, and enjoyed a long career in accounting for the island government.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ Memoirs of Cecil A. Wenner ]

About this Item

Title

  • Cecil Alphonso Wenner Collection

Names

  • Wenner, Cecil Alphonso
  • Wenner, Mark

Home State

  • Virgin Islands of the United States

Headings

  • -  Wenner, Cecil Alphonso
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 872nd Port Company
    • Location of Service: Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans, Louisiana; Honolulu, Hawaii
    • Highest Rank: Technician Four
    • Dates of Service: 1944-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 2006-09-18)
  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Video: CD [ item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-08-03; 2006-09-17)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1946-04-29)
  • Photograph: Digital print [2 items] -- Portrait (collected 2006-08-03)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/41098

Cite as

  • Cecil Alphonso Wenner Collection (AFC/2001/001/41098), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Wenner, Cecil Alphonso, and Mark Wenner. Cecil Alphonso Wenner Collection. 1944. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41098/.

APA citation style:

Wenner, C. A. & Wenner, M. (1944) Cecil Alphonso Wenner Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41098/.

MLA citation style:

Wenner, Cecil Alphonso, and Mark Wenner. Cecil Alphonso Wenner Collection. 1944. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41098/>.