| Title |
Paul W. Levorsen, Murray, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, September 21, 2002: Saving the Legacy tape no. 541 |
| Alternative Title |
Paul W. Levorsen, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Levorsen, Paul W., 1922-2011 |
| Contributor |
Bahlmann, Benjamin J.; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2002-09-21 |
| 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 |
New Zealand; Tarawa Atoll, Kiribati; Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; Hawaii |
| Subject |
Levorsen, Paul W., 1922-2011--Interviews; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Military operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Artillery operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area--Personal narratives, American |
| Keywords |
Marine Corps; Burial detail; Howitzer |
| Description |
Transcript (30 pages) of an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann with Paul W. Levorsen on September 21, 2002. From tape number 541 in the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Levorsen (b. 1922) was born in Magna, Utah. He joined the Marine Corps "Mormon Battalion of 1943" and took training in San Diego, California. He was based in New Zealand before joining combat in Tarawa and later Saipan. He briefly discusses his experiences. He was part of the 4th Battalion, Battery L, 10th Marines, 2nd Division. He returned to the US (North Carolina and Florida) for additional training before discharge when the war ended. Mr. Levorsen worked as a school teacher for his profession. Interviewed by Benjamin Bahlmann. 30 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
30 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/s6t45w57 |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1029863 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6t45w57 |
| Title |
Page 6 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1029837 |
| OCR Text |
Show PAUL W. LEVOR EN 21 p B R20 2 PWL: Well, they talked about it everywhere. Then boys came from all the tah Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, then they formed a battalion strength. Now a battalion i loosely thirty, forty men. From here we went to San Diego for basic training. [Paul 's autobiography notes that after hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, "Many of my friends quickly joined the services. I tried to enlist in the Navy, but they wouldn 't take me because of my allergies. The next spring I heard that the Marine Corps was organizing a group of LDS boys and named after the old "Mormon Battalion. " This caught my interest and I enlisted immediately. One week after I registered for the draft I was on my way to San Diego, California, to experience the heinous experience of 'boot camp'. "July 1942 one week after I registered for the military draft, I left for California with a group of LDS recruits. We were the first contingent of the 'Mormon Battalion of 1943. 'This was ... a recruiting scheme, designed to bring LDS boys into the service. After we left there was one more effort in this guise, bringing into the Marines my cousin Doyle Nokes. Of course, after our initial 'boot camp' training, both units were broken up, the members scattered. "} BB: Were you planning to wait for your draft? Is that what you originally were going to do? Or were you going to volunteer at some point? PWL: Well, I volunteered with this Mormon Battalion thing ... and we went down. They took us down to San Diego for basic training. BB: What was it that appealed to you about the Mormon Battalion? Why did you want to join the Marines as opposed to joining the Navy or wait to be drafted into the army? 5 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6t45w57/1029837 |
