| Title |
Melvin S. Larsen, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, May 7, 2005: Saving the legacy tape no. 724 |
| Alternative Title |
Melvin S. Larsen, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Larsen, Melvin S., 1922-2013 |
| Contributor |
Lloyd, Becky B.; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2005-05-07 |
| Date Digital |
2015-09-16 |
| Access Rights |
I acknowledge and agree that all information I obtain as a result of accessing any oral history provided by the University of Utah's Marriott Library shall be used only for historical or scholarly or academic research purposes, and not for commercial purposes. I understand that any other use of the materials is not authorized by the University of Utah and may exceed the scope of permission granted to the University of Utah by the interviewer or interviewee. I may request permission for other uses, in writing to Special Collections at the Marriott Library, which the University of Utah may choose grant, in its sole discretion. I agree to defend, indemnify and hold the University of Utah and its Marriott Library harmless for and against any actions or claims that relate to my improper use of materials provided by the University of Utah. |
| Spatial Coverage |
Denmark; Belgium; France; Germany; Czechoslovakia; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States |
| Subject |
Larsen, Melvin S., 1922-2013--Interviews; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Military operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe, Northern--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy--Personal narratives, American |
| Keywords |
ROTC; D-Day |
| Description |
Transcript (29 pages) of an interview by Becky B. Lloyd with Melvin S. Larsen on May 7, 2005. This is from tape number 724 in the "Saving the Legacy Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Melvin S. Larsen (b. 1922) details his genealogy and family history. His father served as a Mission President in Denmark for the LDS Church and Larsen received his primary education in Danish schools. He attended West High in Salt Lake City and was in ROTC before being drafted into the army. He was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division and was part of the D-Day invasion. He fought in Belgium, France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. He received five Purple Hearts and returned to the United States in 1945. 29 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
29 pages |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
 |
| Scanning Technician |
Mazi Rakhsha |
| Conversion Specifications |
Original scanned with Kirtas 2400 and saved as 400 ppi uncompressed TIFF. PDF generated by Adobe Acrobat Pro X for CONTENTdm display |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s63797x8 |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1018438 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s63797x8 |
| Title |
Page 8 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1018415 |
| OCR Text |
Show MELVIN . LAR EN M 7,200 MEL: Yes in the ROTC program at West High School, I started out as a privat and worked my way up to captain. So when I got up to the rank of captain I had to train all the boys that were there. They were just going through high school. I went through training all these people. I got them trained and then they graduated with different ranks from private all the way up. Then West High needed a football team so I volunteered for the football team. I got my physical training in ROTC in calisthenics and then went and graduated to football training and then, when I graduated from football training and ROTC training, I went into the service. When I went in, I went to New York, but first we formed a company in Camp McCain, Mississippi. [Editor's note: Though Mr. Larsen doesn't specify his unit here, from what he describes below, and his biographical data form, it is likely that he served in a field artillery battalion which was part of the 8ih Infantry Division. From the official history of the 8ih Infantry Division: ((The Division's World War II service began with its reactivation at Camp McCain, Mississippi, on 15 December 1942. The first elements of the Division departed the United States on 4 October 1944 and the final elements arrived in England on 13 November 1944. The Division then departed England for France on 24 November 1944 as a part of the D-Day invasion force on the 28th. The Division began its trek across France, through Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, ultimately linking up with Russian forces at the Czechoslovakian border on 21 May 1945. The Division distinguished itself as an outstanding unit, being assigned to General GeorgeS. Patton's famous 3rd Army. The 87th Division served in campaigns in the Ardennes, the break-through of the Siegfried Line, the Kyll, the Moselle, Koblentz, the Rhine, Plauen, and the Mulde. The Division's most significant accomplishment after 7 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s63797x8/1018415 |
