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Normand Henry Carleton, Metz, France [6/10/1945]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 423rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Armored Division
  • Location of Service: Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Gordon, Georgia; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Technician Five
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/90151

View full service history

"I never was so scared in my life---BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! You could feel the ground move, you know?" (Video interview, 22:03)

Poised to marry his sweetheart, Lora, in 1942, Normand Carleton was told by the Army that his chances of being drafted were slim (thanks to his poor eyesight), and thus he and Lora decided to risk tying the knot during wartime. Two months after they were married, he was called up. Serving with a tank battalion in the European Theater, Carleton used the long nights he spent on radio duty to keep a daily journal, and also to illustrate the envelopes of the letters that he sent to Lora. The funny and poignant sketches surely brought a smile to her face, and may have eased the pain of the newlyweds' nearly two year separation.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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More Resources

[ Draft card for Normand Henry Carleton [1942] ]
[ Notice mailed to Lora Carleton that her husband, Normand, had arrived at Fort Benning, GA [12/12/1942] ]
[ Special orders #12, granting Officers a leave of absence [2/19/1943] ]
[ Special Orders #12 granting Marksmanship Awards [2/19/1943] ]
[ Furlough for Normand H. Carleton [May 13, 14 1944] ]

Show more resources (49)

[ Change of address postcard for Normand Carleton ]
[ Special Orders #131 ]
[ Special Orders #55 ]
[ "Tiger's tale", newspaper of the 10th Armored Division, Camp Gordon, GA [2/25/1944] ]
[ List of members of the 10th Armored Division ]
[ Roster of Headquarters and HQ Battery ]
[ Soldier's Individual Pay Record for Normand Carleton ]
[ Commendation [3/5/1945] ]
[ Telegram informing Lora Carleton that her husband, Normand, had arrived in Le Havre [12/18/1945] ]
[ V-mail wishing Lora Carleton a Merry Christmas [12/26/1945] ]
[ Telegram informing Lora Carleton that her husband. Normand, had arrived in Camp Kilmer, NJ [1/5/1946] ]
[ Diary belonging to Normand H. Carleton [1945] ]
[ Envelope with art work [2/17/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work [2/20/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work [2/21/1944] ]
[ Envelope with a drawing of Dagwood Bumstead [2/22/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting the state of Connecticut [2/22/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work titled "Umm....Sugar Report." [2/23/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work [2/23/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work [2/29/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work titled "Barking up your tree" [3/2/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a radio announcer from a Connecticut station [3/3/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a soldier with his back turned to the viewer, titled "Thinking of you" [3/4/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work of a dopey-looking PFC saying "Hi" [3/4/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a large man falling down, titled "Oops!! Another one for...Mrs. Lora Carleton" [3/9/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a soldier writing a letter, titled "Let's see..." [3/10/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting Dagwood Bumstead as an Army censor [3/11/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a mail man delivering an oversize letter to Lora Carleton [3/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a mail room clerk with an oversize letter, titled "How's this for size?" [3/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a soldier with his back to the viewer, talking on the phone, titled "I'm calling for..." ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting a man sitting at a desk, his chin resting on his hand, titled "Here's the letter you're waiting for" [3/16/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work depicting Dagwood Bumstead holdwing an oversized letter, titled "He certainly misses his..." [3/21/1944] ]
[ Envelope depicting two soldiers in a speeding jeep, titled "Hey...slow down, I don't wanna lose Lora's letter" [3/24/1944] ]
[ Envelope depicting a sleeping soldier, titled "Dreaming of you" [3/27/1944] ]
[ Envelope depicting two soldiers on guard duty, titled "Let's guard this extra good" [3/28/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work, titled "Yep...For Lora Again" [4/4/1944] ]
[ Envelope with art work, titled "It's for you again" [4/5/1944] ]
[ Envelope depicting a rabbit saying "Aw!! Happy Easter to y'all." [3/6/1944] ]
[ Envelope depicting two soldiers staring at the address, titled "I sure would like to be heading there" [n.d.] ]
[ Envelope depicting a soldier and his wife hugging and kissing, titled "The day will come" [4/27/1944] ]
[ Sketch of Normand H. Carleton, by a Czech civilian, Franzenbad, Czechoslovakia [1945] ]
[ V-mail with artwork, "Season's Greetings 1944-'45 From France" ]
[ Christmas dinner menu [1942] ]
[ Fort Benning Army pennant, with advertisement for Fokes Drug Co. ]
[ U.S. Army Paris Guide for Leave Troops ]
[ Thanksgiving dinner menu, 10th Armored Division ]
[ Transcript of a radio broadcast [11/30/1944] ]
[ Prescription for eyeglasses [5/16/1945] ]
[ Photo magazine of Fort Benning, Georgia, "A Camera Trip Through Ft. Benning." ]

About this Item

Title

  • Normand Henry Carleton Collection

Names

  • Weisel, Robert J.
  • Carleton, Normand Henry
  • Central Connecticut State University
  • McGuckin, Briana

Home State

  • Connecticut

Headings

  • -  Carleton, Normand Henry
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 423rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Armored Division
    • Location of Service: Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Gordon, Georgia; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Technician Five
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2014-05-07)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2012-11-15)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2012-11-15; 2012)
  • Photograph: Digital print [110 items] -- Photograph (collected 1943-1946)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [4 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944-1995)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1944-1946)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [29 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1944-1945)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1944-1945)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [14 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1942-1945)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1942-1945)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 1942-1945; 2013)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 1943-1945)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/90151

Cite as

  • Normand Henry Carleton Collection (AFC/2001/001/90151), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

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:

Weisel, Robert J, Normand Henry Carleton, Central Connecticut State University, and Briana McGuckin. Normand Henry Carleton Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.90151/.

APA citation style:

Weisel, R. J., Carleton, N. H., Central Connecticut State University & McGuckin, B. (1942) Normand Henry Carleton Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.90151/.

MLA citation style:

Weisel, Robert J, et al. Normand Henry Carleton Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.90151/>.