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Gilbert Horn at time of interview

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company D, 163rd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division; 161st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) (Merrill's Marauders)
  • Location of Service: Burma; Southeast Asia; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
  • Highest Rank: Private
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/24257

View full service history

"Wherever they wanted someone I was right there, because I wanted to know what was going on - I really enjoyed it." (Video interview, Part 1, 47:57)

Gilbert Horn, Sr. joined the Army National Guard in 1940 at the age of 17 for the opportunity to see the world. With the 161st Infantry Regiment, he fought on Guadalcanal, where his unit employed him and another Siouan language speaker as Code Talkers. He also served on New Georgia, before volunteering for the unit that became known as "Merrill's Marauders" in late 1943, with whom he took part in special operations in the China-Burma-India Theater behind enemy lines. Service with the Marauders demanded versatility, and Horn found himself performing the functions of a rifleman, combat medic, and radio operator. After his military service, Horn served on the Assiniboine Treaty Committee, Fort Belknap Community Council, and as a tribal judge. Horn was named as the chief of the Fort Belknap Assiniboine Tribe in 2014, the first chief the tribe had named in more than 125 years.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Gilbert Horn, Sr. Collection

Names

  • Horn Sr., Gilbert
  • Library of Congress
  • Nelson, Josephus
  • Veterans History Project

Home State

  • Montana

Headings

  • -  Horn Sr., Gilbert
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • American Indian and Alaskan Native

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Company D, 163rd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division; 161st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) (Merrill's Marauders)
    • Location of Service: Burma; Southeast Asia; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
    • Highest Rank: Private
    • Dates of Service: 1940-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-07-09)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2004-07-09; 2014-12-22)
  • Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-07-09)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/24257

Cite as

  • Gilbert Horn, Sr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/24257), 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:

Horn Sr., Gilbert, Library Of Congress, Josephus Nelson, and Veterans History Project. Gilbert Horn, Sr. Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24257/.

APA citation style:

Horn Sr, G., Library Of Congress, Nelson, J. & Veterans History Project. (1940) Gilbert Horn, Sr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24257/.

MLA citation style:

Horn Sr., Gilbert, et al. Gilbert Horn, Sr. Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24257/>.