Melvin L. Shirey Interview (2007)
World War II Oral Histories
Details
Collection:LPB
Genre: Interview
Place Covered: Germany, Belgium, France
Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority
Date Issued: 2007-09-12
Duration: 00:16:40
Subjects: Shirey, Melvin L. | World War II | Military | World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives | United States. Army | World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Europe | Veterans | War wounds
Contributors:
- Ready, Crystal Interviewer
- Shirey, Melvin L. Interviewee
Description
An oral history interview conducted on September 12, 2007, with Melvin L. Shirey, a squad leader in the 83rd Infantry Division of the Army during World War II. He discusses: the places he served in Europe; his difficulty in explaining his war experience to people who have not fought in a war; the leg wound he sustained in the Henschen Forest of Germany and his subsequent recovery in Belgium and France; the German buzz bombs; being hit by grenade shrapnel on his first day of combat; and the distinct smells, sounds and tastes of war.