Essay about German Ww2 Veteran Interview - 1094 Words

His-103 This is my interview with Dr. Alfred Meckel and his World War II experience. He was born in 1924 when Germany was still in hard times due to the harsh sanctions from the rest of the world after World War 1. As a young boy at the age of 9 Hitler came to power. At such a young age he thought that Hitler would be the man who could lead Germany out of its tough economic hardships and bring them up to the rest of the world’s standards. It was not until several years into the war that he was more critical and found out that the regime was brutal and faced many problems with no human rights and oppression against others with different political and religious views. During the times when Hitler was in power, he started what†¦show more content†¦The only thing he could find were some large chunks of coal that the guys were resting their heads on. He laughed as he was recalling the look on the faces of the instructors when he arrived having been sleeping on coal for the past few nights. When he finally arrived and received basic training in France. It was pretty rough by his accounts. Food was very scarce only black coffee and a chunk of bread with a sausage link was given out in the morning and that was all the rations for the day so you had to make the most of it. His basic training was somewhat special, based on the fact that his unit was in quarantine for 3 weeks due to chicken pox running amongst the training facilities. He was put on a train again and shipped off after the graduation of basic training. After another two days by train he arrived in Poland to his pilot school. Since he was just a recruit his job was just to stand guard duty in the airfield for the first 6 months and set off the alarms at the sound of incoming allied aircraft. He claims he mostly just sat around and ate about two pounds of grapes a day since his post was surrounded by grape fields. After very tough physical and mental testing he was accepted into the pilot school. This he said was the greatest time that he had during his war experience. The pilots were fed extremely well in comparison to the rest of the German army. In addition to the excellent treatment he was also learning how to fly all ofShow MoreRelatedGovernor Livingston High School : Sergeant Curtis Maddox : An Average American Soldier1731 Words   |  7 Pagesthese men were American soldiers (D-Day and the Battle of Normandy). This attack severely weakened and dislodged German soldiers everywhere on the Normandy coast. The success of the Allies in this essential battle, due to the help and fight of the average American soldier, allowed them to obtain a greater foothold in Continental Europe and to liberate France, which had been under German control for 4 years. These successes allowed the Allies to move through Europe and to defeat the European Axis PowersRead MoreComparing World War Two and Vietnam Veterans Essay2159 Words   |  9 PagesWelcome Home† for Vietnam Veterans. The parade and events were planned to provide the celebration and recognition they did not receive 30-plus years earlier.† (Vietnam: Homecoming) The veterans were able to see the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall and find the names of men they had known they had dies while serving. These veterans met with men they had formerly served with. Although this event was only a fraction of the welcome the soldiers truly deserved, many veterans were very appreciative of thisRead MoreThe Work Study Job Of Transcribe Oral History Tapes From Richland Center, Wisconsin5921 Words   |  24 PagesCenter, Wisconsin. These tapes were made by Dr. Aharon Zorea who teaches at UW-Richland Center. He recorded the oral history interviews at Schmitt Woodland Hills which is a place where old people live in Richland Center. Sadly most of the people interviewed are now deceased but thankfully they were able to give their s tories before they passed away. The oral history interviews came in the form of cassettes, and I had to pause and play and cassettes and write down what I had heard. One of the biggest