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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.
Creator: Parker, Charles William
Item Number: 212216
Call Number: World War II Oral Histories Project
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 212216
Collections - Oral History - Kansas Veterans of World War II - Doniphan County Historical Society, Troy, KS
Military - Equipment - Aircraft
Military - Service - Air Force
Military - Veterans - Benefits - G. I. Bill of Rights
Military - Wars - World War II
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Transcript
Places - Cities and towns - Highland
Places - Counties - Doniphan
Thematic Time Period - World War II, 1939 - 1945
Type of Material - Unpublished documents - Transcript
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/212216