75,000 Legionnaires capture New York
Creator: Illustrated Current News, Inc.
Date: August 29, 1952
These are picturegrams from the American Legion Convention in New York in 1952. "As some 3 million New Yorkers cheer their lagging footsteps, the delegates to the American Legion Convention, West Point Cadets, many bands, etc., parade on Fifth Ave. for 9 1/2 hours." 1. A zany 'Leapin Lena' gives the crowd a lot of laughs. 2. Presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Harry W. Colmery, march with the Kansas delegation. 3. Claude Buzich, Minneapolis, gives a reluctant policeman a great big kiss.

Address to be delivered at Versailles, October 6, 1937, at the dedication of the monument erected to General Pershing by the Republic of France
Creator: Colmery, Harry W., 1890-1979
Date: October 6, 1937
This speech was written and delivered by Harry W. Colmery at Versailles, France, October 6, 1937, at the dedication of the monument erected to General Pershing by the Republic of France. Harry Colmery was serving as the National Commander of the American Legion and represented that organization on this trip. He was a resident of Topeka, Kansas.

Arthur Capper to W.M. Jardine
Date: November 08, 1918
In this letter, Governor Arthur Capper asks W.M. Jardine, President of Kansas State Agricultural College, for his advice regarding the feasibility of securing land in Kansas for soldiers returning from service during World War I.

Boston Corbett's pension documents
Date: 1880-1886
Pension documents belonging to Thomas P. "Boston" Corbett, the man who killed John Wilkes Booth following President Lincoln's assassination. Corbett moved to Kansas in 1878 and lived in a dugout near Concordia, Kansas. In 1887, Corbett was given the position of assistant doorkeeper for the Kansas House of Representatives in Topeka. However, when he brandished his pistol during a session of the legislative that same year, he was arrested and sent to an insane asylum. In 1888, he escaped and his whereabouts remained unknown until his presumed death. The pension certificate, dated September 30, 1882, cited "chronic diarrhea, scurvy, and rheumatism" as the reason for his disability which he contracted while imprisoned during the Civil War.

Bounty Land Grant for Franklin Loomis Crane
Creator: United States. General Land Office
Date: June 1, 1860
A bounty land grant was originally issued to Oliver Brown, a private during the War of 1812. This document declares that the tract of land described has been turned over to Franklin Crane, a resident of Topeka, who most likely purchased it from the original owner. This was done in accordance with an act of Congress passed on March 3, 1855, entitled "An Act in addition to certain Acts granting Bounty Land to certain Officers and Soldiers who have been engaged in the Military Service of the United States." It was signed by President James Buchanan.

Charles Parker video interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Parker, Charles William
Charles Parker enlisted in the Army (Air Corps) in 1943 and served until 1945 in the 453rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. He did his basic training at Gibson Field, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He became a bombardier navigator and he describes all the specialized training he had to take for the job. He was sent to England in the fall of 1944 as part of a B-24 crew. He was involved in over 20 missions with targets of factories, railroad yards, and troop concentrations in Germany. He was born in Highland, Kansas, on August 31, 1923. He graduated from Highland High School and attended Highland Community College before he enlisted. After the war he returned to Highland and served as the postmaster there for 33 years. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Clayton Herr video interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Herr, Clayton Christopher
Clayton Herr enlisted in the Navy on June 12, 1942, and served until November 13, 1945, aboard the U. S. S. SANTEE, a converted escort carrier (CVE-29). He was trained to be an airplane mechanic and worked on planes on the ship. The ship was part of a convoy to Africa and later Scotland. It also spent time off the coast of South America, with the plane looking for German submarines. The SANTEE went through the Panama Canal and became part of the battle of Leyte Gulf. The ship was damaged during this battle. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers. He was born in Craig, Missouri, on May 11, 1921 and the family moved to a farm near Oregon, Missouri, when he was young. After the war he used the G. I. Bill of Rights to attend agricultural agent school in Kansas City. However, he did not farm and moved to Wathena, Kansas in 1947. He worked in a packing house for a number of years. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Colmery desk
Date: between 1943 and 1944
Wooden desk with green leather top. Harry W. Colmery (1890-1979) sat at this desk at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. while hand-writing the first draft of what would become the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, over a period of five months. The desk was later moved to Colmery's law office in Topeka.

Don Otto video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Otto, Don
Date: July 25, 2007
Don Otto enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 and served until 1945 in the 576th Signal Company, 35th Quartermaster Truck Company. Interviewed by Deborah Pye on Jul 25, 2007, Otto talked about military experiences in the Second World War. He was in Iceland, Ireland, and England. His unit was in Normandy shortly after the invasion delivering supplies. His unit provided support for the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he returned to Lawrence and used to G. I. Bill to attend a school that taught farming, but he was not sure of the name. He was born January 20, 1920, and lived in Lawrence, Eudora, and Clearfield before the war. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Watkins Community Museum of History (Lawrence) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Doyle Derrick audio interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Derrick, Doyle Earl
Date: 1 February 2008
Technical Sergeant Derrick enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1939 and served until 1943. He was 29 years old when he enlisted. After basic training, he served as an instructor in Norman, Oklahoma and was then assigned to a bomber squadron in the Pacific as a technical sergeant. The were involved in the fighting at Guadacanal and the Philippines. He used the G. I. Bill for farming training at Highland Community College. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on Feb 1, 2008. Derrick was born in Rogersville, Tennessee, on January 29, 1910. His family moved to Kansas when he was 7 or 8 years old. His father had a brother in Kansas who encouraged them to move here to go into farming. Derrick graduated from Highland High School and completed 2 years at Emporia State Teachers College. After two year of college, Derrick and a friend Vern Frisky "hoboed" for a year, ending up on the West Coast. He spent most of the 1930s in Alaska working on an oil pipeline. At some point after the war, he returned to Alaska. He was living in Wathena, Kansas at the time of this interview. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original audio copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Edwin M. Watson to Harry Colmery
Creator: Watson, Edwin
Date: June 15, 1944
Edwin M. Watson, Secretary to the President of the United States, invites Harry Colmery to be present at the signing of the G. I. Bill. Harry Colmery was a member of the committee that worked on the G. I. Bill of Rights and is credited with writing the initial draft of the bill. He testified in Congress in favor of the bill. This telegram invites him to the signing ceremony at the White House. Mr. Colmery had served as National Commander of the American Legion in 1937 and was an advocate for veterans rights and benefits throughout his life.

Emil Campbell audio interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Campbell, Emil
Private First Class [PFC] Campbell was drafted into the Army (Infantry) in 1942 and served until 1946 in the Company B, 324th Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division, 9th Army. He was in an anti aircraft group that trained at Camp Wallace near Galveston, Texas. He ultimately served in Europe. He describes what they saw on Omaha Beach about a month after the invasions, the Siegfried Line, Berlin, and other places in Europe. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers. He was born on the Iowa Reservation in Brown County, Kansas, on September 9, 1923. He said that he only finished 10th grade but that he also attended Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) in Lawrence, Kansas, for 2 years. After the war, he used the G. I. Bill for training to become a furniture finisher and upholsterer. He indicated that furniture refinishing was his occupation but at another point in the interview he said he worked in a packing house in Omaha, Nebraska. He also used the G. I. Bill for a home loan. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original audio copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Evan Peterson video interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Peterson, Dr. Evan Adolph
Date: 1 January 2007
Dr. Evan Adolph Peterson enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served until 1946 in the Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) 432. He was stationed in New Guinea, Leyte Bay, and the Philippines. He describes details of his service in the Pacific. He joined the Kansas Air National Guard in 1963. He used the G. I. Bill to attend medical school and he practiced his whole career in Wathena, Kansas. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 25, 1924. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on Jan 1, 2007. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Frederick Walter video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Walter, Frederick
Date: 1 January 2007
First Sergeant Frederick Walter was drafted into the Army (Infantry) and served in the 7th Division, 32nd Regiment, Company C. He was sent to the Pacific, where he fought in Leyte, Philippines and in Okinawa. He was wounded in battle. He was on Okinawa, guarding a fighter aircraft landing strip, when the atomic bombs were dropped on mainland Japan. He described watching offshore ships firing tracer shells in celebration the night of the Hiroshima bombing. He was part of the occupation forces stationed in Korea after the war ended. Walter received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star (for helping save his outfit on Okinawa when they were pinned down by enemy machine gun fire), and medals for the Asiatic-Pacific campaign, World War II, and the Army of Occupation in Japan. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on Jan 1, 2007. He was born on February 3, 1924, in St. Joseph, Missouri. At some point, his family moved to near Blair, Kansas, where they farmed. After the war, he returned to farming. He attended a G. I. Farm Program in Wathena. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

George Rush video interview on experiences in World War II
Creator: Rush, George
Date: 31 January 2007
George Rush enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served until 1945. He was a motor machinist 1st class working in the engine room of Landing Craft Infantry 345 (LCI). The LCI could carry 200 troops and they would land them on various islands in the Pacific. They were armed with rockets to clear enemy troops from fox holes on the beaches. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on Jan 31, 2007. He was born October 18, 1919, near Severance, Kansas. He graduated from Highland High School. After the war, he became a farmer. He corresponded with his future wife during his military service and they married when he returned home. He used the G. I. Bill for manual training at Highland Community College. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the nine community institutions that received these grants. The transcript from the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Harold Arnold video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Arnold, Harold Eugene
Date: May 4, 2007
Harold Arnold enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and served until 1946 on the USS Kwajalein. Interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on May 4, 2007, Arnold talked about military experiences in the Second World War. He describes a program the Navy had that allowed men who were graduating from high school before they were 18 to join the Navy. He did training at Camp Wallace, Texas. He was then assigned to the USS Kwajalein, an escort class carrier that transported airplanes in the Pacific. He provides a detailed description of being in Typhoon Cobra (December 17-18, 1944)aboard ship. He left the Navy in May-June, 1946. He attended Kansas State University and bought his home using the G. I. Bill. He was born in Holton, Kansas, in 1926. He lived in Hiawatha and Holton as an adult. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Harold Jones video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Jones, Harold R.
Date: March 29, 2006
Harold Jones enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and served until 1946 on the SS Palawan and Sombrero Key (a tugboat). He did his basic training at Camp Wallace, Texas and he was trained as a singalman in Bainbridge, Maryland. Interviewed by Pattie Johnston on Mar 29, 2006, Jones talked about military experiences in the Second World War. Jones and his twin brother were born of June 14, 1926 in Oxford, Kansas. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1944. He and his brother both enlisted in the Navy but were only together through boot camp. After his service, he used the G. I. Bill to attend Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State) to become a teacher. He had teaching and coaching jobs in several Kansas towns: Dexter, Hoisington, and Hutchinson. He married his wife Lela in December 1949. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Watkins Community Museum of History (Lawrence) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Harry Hershey video interview on experiences in World War II (transcript)
Creator: Hershey, Harry "Pat"
Date: October 20, 2007
Harry Hershey enlisted in the Army (Air Force) in 1942 and served until 1945 in the 612th Bombardment Squadron, 401st Bomb Group. He became a B17 pilot and was stationed in England. Between February and May, 1944, he flew 25 missions over various parts of Eupore. He was born newr Belleville, Kansas, on January 23, 1921. He used the GI Bill of Rights to finish college and buy a house. He was interviewed by Suzette McCord-Rogers on Oct 20, 2007. The 2005 Kansas Legislature passed a bill funding the WWII Veterans Oral History grant program. This transcript is from one of the community institutions receiving grants. The transcript of the interview is presented here; the original video copy of the interview is available through the Doniphan County Historical Society (Troy) and through the Kansas State Historical Society.

Harry Walter Colmery
Date: Between 1917 and April, 1919
This is a portrait of Harry Walter Colmery (1890-1979) dressed in his World War I uniform. Colmery was an attorney in Topeka, Kansas, an American Legion National Commander, and author of the G. I. Bill of Rights.

Harry Walter Colmery
Creator: New York Times Studios
Date: between 1936 and 1945
This is a portrait of Harry W Colmery, 1890-1979, Topeka attorney, American Legion National Commander, and author of the G.I. Bill of Rights.

Harry Walter Colmery
Creator: Allen Studios
Date: Between 1965 and 1970
This is a photograph of Harry Walter Colmery taken later in life.

Harry Walter Colmery
Date: 1937
This is a portrait of Harry W. Colmery, Topeka, Kansas, attorney; American Legion National Commande; and author of the G. I. Bill of Rights.

Harry Walter Colmery
Creator: Underwood & Underwood
Date: Between 1937 and 1945
This is a formal portrait of Harry Walter Colmery (1890-1979), who was an attorney in Topeka, Kansas, the National Commander of the American Legion, and the author of the G. I. Bill of Rights.

Harry Walter Colmery, American Legion Commander, speaking at the dedication of the Flanders Field Chapel, Waeregham, Belgium.
Creator: American Battle Monuments Commission
Date: August 8, 1937
This is a photograph of Harry Walter Colmey, American Legion National Commander, speaking at the dedication of the Flanders Field Chapel, Waeregham, Belgium, August 8, 1937. It was copied from Dedications American War Memorials In Europe, 1937.

Harry Walter Colmery as a young boy.
Date: between 1900 and 1905
This is a portrait of Harry Walter Colmery, 1890-1979, Topeka attorney, American Legion National Commander, and author of the G. I. Bill of Rights. The photograph was taken when he was a young boy.