| Title |
Simon K. Benson, Provo, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, August 29, 2002: Saving the Legacy tape no. 526 |
| Alternative Title |
Simon K. Benson, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Benson, Simon K., 1923-2003 |
| Contributor |
University of Utah. American West Center; Bahlmann, Benjamin J. |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2002-08-29 |
| Date Digital |
2015-12-16 |
| 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 |
England; Germany |
| Subject |
Benson, Simon K., 1923-2003--Interviews; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American |
| Description |
Transcript (59 pages) of an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann with Simon K. Benson on August 29, 2002. From tape number 526 in the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Benson (b. 1923) grew up in Parowan, Utah. He discusses his family, farming, schooling, and work. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps, was inducted at Fort Douglas, and sent to Pullman, Washington, for civilian flight training in March 1943. From there, his training included: pre-flight at Santa Ana, California; basic flight at Marana Air Base in Tucson, Arizona; and advanced training at Pecos, Texas. He was sent to Yuma, Arizona, for B-17 gunnery training before joining his crew in Lincoln, Nebraska. Transported across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary in March 1945, he joined the 8th Air Force, 94th Bombardment Group, 410th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) at Bury St. Edmund, England. His first mission was in April 1945. He completed six missions before the war ended. After the war, he helped ship supplies into Germany and other war-affected countries. He returned home during the summer of 1946 for discharge. Benson worked as a school teacher in civilian life. Interviewed by Benjamin Bahlmann. 59 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
59 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/s6rf7x5w |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1027634 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6rf7x5w |
| Title |
Page 4 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1027578 |
| OCR Text |
Show IMON K. BEN ON u 29 2002 Nevada, I moved to Nevada and worked in the ummer. Actually, I work d at the fir t ervice tation in La Vega , before the Strip. It wa called the Gateway then. We could have bought the whole Strip for ten cents an acre. But after the Boulder Dam wa fini hed, we figured it would be better to have a service station in Boulder City. So my brother and I went over to Boulder City. I worked there every ummer until the war started. That's where I would have been drafted, but I joined the Air Force (Army Air Corps) before (I was drafted). [Editor's note: Besides the tremendous social pressure to join the service, there was an advantage to enlisting before being drafted. Men who voluntarily enlisted in the service had some choice as to which service they entered and in what capacity, within the limits of the needs of the services and their abilities. Men who waited to be drafted didn't get a choice. Most draftees were put into the Army infantry, which was generally considered, with some justification, to be the least desirable service.] BB: What year did you graduate from high school? SKB: 1941. BB: What are some of your basic memories of growing up in Parowan? What kinds of things did you do to occupy your time as you grew up? Were there many people your age to pal around with? SKB: Oh, yes. We had fifty-something people in my class. They were big classes. In Parowan for the kids, there was hunting, fishing, and they grew peas for California. We often picked peas. Sometimes they even let school out to pick peas. But my dad had the farm and the cows and I had to drive the cows to the pasture before school. I had to go get them again after school. BB: Were other houses close by? 4 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6rf7x5w/1027578 |
