| Title |
Kenyon E. Graff, Orem, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, November 1, 2002: Saving the Legacy tape no. 610 |
| Alternative Title |
Kenyon E. Graff, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Graff, Kenyon E., 1924- |
| Contributor |
Bahlmann, Benjamin J.; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2002-11-01 |
| 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 |
Wales; France; Germany; England, United Kingdom |
| Subject |
Graff, Kenyon E., 1924- --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--Europe, Northern--Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy--Personal narratives, American; Falaise Gap, Battle of, France, 1944 |
| Keywords |
D-Day; Cannon Company; Falaise Pocket |
| Description |
Transcript ( 62 pages) of an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann with Kenyon E. Graff on November 1, 2002. From tape number 610 in the "Saving the Legacy" Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Graff (b. 1924) discusses growing up in Hurricane, Utah, during the Depression. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and was inducted at Fort Douglas, Utah, before being sent to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, for basic training with the 63rd Division. He was transferred to Fort Dix, New Jersey, with the 90th Division, 359th Regiment, Cannon Company. They were shipped to Liverpool, England, and then to Abergavenny for additional training. Graff provides a description of the training and his duties on the cannon. He participated in the D-Day invasion at Utah Beach on D-plus two. He was wounded and spent approximately five weeks in a field hospital before rejoining his company. They moved with the front line to Germany, where they were attached to the 3rd Battalion. They participated in the Battle of the Bulge activities near Dillengen, Germany. Graff was sent back to England with injuries resulting from trench foot, had his appendix removed, and returned to New York on V-E Day. He spent time in hospitals in Auburn and San Francisco, California, before being rehabilitated at Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was discharged from there in November 1945. Graff spent his post-military career working for Geneva Steel. Interviewed by Benjamin Bahlmann. 62 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
62 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/s6km1dxf |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945); Military operations, Artillery--American; Falaise Gap, Battle of (France : 1944) |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1030746 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6km1dxf |
| Title |
Page 39 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1030721 |
| OCR Text |
Show YO E.GRAFF 1 0 MB R2002 KEG: Gasoline all our supplies. Run out of ammunition· we were ration d n ammunition. We went clear, actually, clear to the city of Metz in a short time. BB: How about did you ever, you mentioned that the howitzers you could use for direct fire as well. KEG: Yes. BB: Did the occasion ever present itself where that had to happen? KEG: It was almost direct. We had our heads down so we couldn't see. We had sandbags in front of us. We was doing what we was told. BB: Did the Germans ever push the front lines back where ... KEG: They pushed the infantry back a lot, but they didn't push us back. They'd crowd the infantry, regular infantry, yes. Rifle companies back. But we were back far enough that even though we ... what happened, the infantry take a town, that didn't move us ahead, generally, they'd have to go ahead quite a little ways to affect us. We moved when we needed to move. When we get too far away from the Germans. BB: One more question about your injuries. Did they present the Purple Heart to you there or is that something that happens later on? Do you recall when they award those things to you? KEG: I don't know where I got that at. Yes, I guess I did. I got that probably in the hospital, I guess. BB: Okay, what other memorable situations did you find yourself? KEG: Well, I remember crossing the Moselle River when the Germans had broke the dam and flooded the whole area. Since then I found out that's a stream not much bigger than the Provo, but that was a mile wide when I was there. 38 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6km1dxf/1030721 |
