Oral Histories: Veterans Voices

Hear the stories of military service directly from Veterans that have called Upper Arlington “home.” We are ever grateful for their courage, their strength, and their sacrifices.

New Veterans Voices will be released each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Do you know a Veteran from UA who would like to share their story? Email us. For more history on Veterans from Upper Arlington, visit our Veterans Plaza.

Added Veterans Day 2023

Jim Cavin: The Dangers of Combat Planes in WWII

In 2009, Jim Cavin spoke to a group at the UA Senior Center about his time in the U.S. Army Air Corps flying planes during WWII. Buckle in; he details several dangerous experiences with single-pilot flights during his training.

Jim Fortkamp - Minesweeping & Demolition in northern Vietnam

Jim Fortkamp tells his Vietnam War-era stories of being in the Marines during this conflict. Recorded in August of 2002 at the UA Senior Center, Jim shares how he came to be in the war and responds to audience questions about his experiences.

Added Memorial Day 2023

What was it like to be in the US Army making your way across Europe during WWII? Art Bramel, in these clips from a 2008 presentation at the UA Senior Center, describes the violence of war and the impact on him and his fellow soldiers. Art was a Platoon Runner and at the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive in the west of WWII.

As one of the few army flight nurses in WWII, Irene presents a unique perspective on trials of war -- as a woman, as a medical professional, and as a person often placed in dangerous situations. These clips, recorded June 14, 1993 at the UA Senior Center, share her stories as a Lieutenant, WWII Air Evacuation Unit, United States Army. (Subtitles added due to lack of audio quality.)

Added Veterans Day 2022:

WWII codebreakers were vital to the success of the Allied war effort. How did they earn this job, and what did they do? Listen to John Bergmann from a 2022 interview by the UACA, when John was honored as Grand Marshal for UA’s 2022 Fourth of July parade.

It’s the mid-1960s and Don Cherry is on assignment in Laos during the Vietnam War. Learn about the country, the conflict and Don’s work in this edited circa-2000 presentation at UA’s Senior Center.

December 7, 1941. What was it like to be at Pearl Harbor during this pivotal WWII attack? In these student interview clips from the mid-2000s, Edward Hannah describes that weekend from his first-hand experience.

** We are grateful to UAHS and the UA Senior Center for their donations of video footage of veterans from the 1990s and early 2000s. Read the Dispatch article about our video series here. Many thanks to Erik Yassenoff, Charlie Groezinger and Carolyn Barger for their help in reviewing and editing; also to Bryan Warman and Frank Tuttle for their technology skills.