| Title |
Van C. Sorensen, Mapleton, Utah: an interview by Winston Erickson and Benjamin Bahlmann, August 17th, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 288 and 289 |
| Alternative Title |
Van C. Sorensen, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Sorensen, Van C., 1922-2007 |
| Contributor |
Erickson, Winston P., 1943-; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2001-08-17 |
| 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 |
Marshall Islands; New Guinea; Philippines; China; Aurora, Sevier County, Utah, United States |
| Subject |
Sorensen, Van C., 1922-2007--Interviews; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area--Personal narratives, American |
| Keywords |
Topaz; Internment camps; PTSD |
| Description |
Transcript (95 pages) of an interview by Winston P. Erickson with Van C. Sorensen on August 17, 2001. This is from tape numbers 288 and 289 in the "Saving the Legacy Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Van Sorensen (b. 1922) recalls his childhood on a cattle ranch in Utah, working on the construction of the Topaz Japanese Relocation camp, and joining the U.S. Marines in December 1943. After training as a gunner and being assigned to a flight crew, Sorensen was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations. He talks at length about his combat experiences. He also talks about returning to civilian life and suffering from what would come to be known as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. 95 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
95 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/s6767djj |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945); Military operations, Aerial--American |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1021118 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6767djj |
| Title |
Page 82 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1021102 |
| OCR Text |
Show VA C. OREN EN Augu t 17th 2001 were moving south, and were close enough that at night when they d have artillery battles. Why, it would just shake our barracks you know, like this! But we never did get involved in any fights over there at all. And I m not sure what it all was far. At one time we thought we were going to get involved. Finally, they said we were going home. And so they packed up all the other guys - except the flight crews - there was eighteen flight crews selected, and I was one of them. And they sent everyone home on ships, and then they said, "We've got to have those planes in Okinawa." And it was too far from where we were to fly direct, so we had to fly to Shanghai and then out to Okinawa. And we flew to Okinawa, and then they said, "We'll fly you home from Okinawa." So we went through all the processes- which took a couple of weeks- and got to Okinawa and was there four days. And they said, "Time to go home." So we thought, "Well, we'll be in Hawaii tonight and home tomorrow." You know. "What a dream!" So we got on that plane that day and thought we were headed home. And it took us back to China. Eighteen of us, if you can imagine - what in the world was eighteen Marines going to do over there? And we had no idea why, and haven't to this day! Except there was a young Marine Corps general came one day and talked to us, and he was forming a new unit and wanted us to be a part of it and had ordered us back to China. And he said, "All you guys are qualified for just what I need." And he said, "I need you. And you're wearing Marine Corps uniform," so he said, "You're mine!" 80 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6767djj/1021102 |
