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James Nappier [2005]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011; Cold War
  • Branch of Service: Navy; Marine Corps
  • Unit of Service: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 (NMCB Seabees)
  • Location of Service: Ramadi, Iraq
  • Highest Rank: Petty Officer Second Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/43525

View full service history

"So many things went wrong that night, and they wouldn't let us take them out." (Video Interview, 58:33)

James Nappier's persistence and devotion to serving his country resulted in the improbable scenario of a man in his 40s with a grown child enlisting in--and being accepted by--the Navy's Seabees. By virtue of his six years in the Marines beginning when he had dropped out of high school, Nappier's real age was knocked down to just under the upper limit for eligibility. This was in 2000, when no one had any idea of military deployments to a war in the Middle East. In Iraq, Nappier kept volunteering for the most dangerous missions, figuring he was saving one younger man with young children from harm's way. Though still a firm believer in the military and the mission, Nappier does express serious misgivings about the armored protection and amount of ammunition he and his men were given, as well as leadership during an engagement which resulted in two fatalities in his unit.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • James N. Nappier, Jr. Collection

Names

  • VA Medical Center
  • Miller, Harold L.
  • Nappier Jr., James N.

Home State

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  Nappier Jr., James N.
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Dates of Service: 1975-1979
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 (NMCB Seabees)
    • Location of Service: Ramadi, Iraq
    • Highest Rank: Petty Officer Second Class
    • Dates of Service: 2001-2005
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: MiniDV [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-04-03)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-04-03; 2007-05-29)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/43525

Cite as

  • James N. Nappier, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/43525), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

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:

Va Medical Center, Harold L Miller, and James N Nappier Jr. James N. Nappier, Jr. Collection. 1975. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43525/.

APA citation style:

Va Medical Center, Miller, H. L. & Nappier Jr, J. N. (1975) James N. Nappier, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43525/.

MLA citation style:

Va Medical Center, Harold L Miller, and James N Nappier Jr. James N. Nappier, Jr. Collection. 1975. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43525/>.