MS-251
The Veterans Oral History Project – Dr. Vivian Blevins Collection
Introduction
The Veterans Oral History Project – Dr. Vivian Blevins Collection was accessioned into the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections on September 16, 2016 as the result of a donation by Dr. Vivian Blevins, Edison State College. The collection consists of 136 DVD’s and 29 newspaper articles. The articles were written by Dr. Blevins for Civitas Media and were printed locally in The Piqua Daily Call, The Troy Daily News and The Sidney Daily News. The collection is in three parts. The first part is “Library of Congress Veterans History Project” and contains 43 DVD’s [there is a second set of duplicate DVD’s for a total of 86]. The second part is “Veteran Voices”, a series of 25 DVD’s of television programs produced by WOTVC Piqua TV-5 [there is a second set of duplicate DVD’s for a total of 50]. The third part contains copies of newspaper clippings of the 29 articles written by Dr. Blevins for Civitas Media [there is a second set of duplicate copies for a total of 58].
The DVD’s and articles are housed in two large three-ring binders and stored in an acid free Gaylord 1215 box. Each binder contains a complete set of the collection and there are two sets.
The DVD’s and articles are available for viewing by researchers and patrons of the Library. Permission to copy these materials resides with the Library. This collection was processed by Gary D. Meek in September 2016.
Scope and Content
The Veterans Oral History Project – Dr. Vivian Blevins Collection is divided into two duplicate sets each having three series:
SERIES I: Library of Congress Veterans History Project – Index and pages 1-11 (page 12 is intentionally left blank for possible inclusion of future materials).
SERIES II: Veteran Voices – Index and pages 13-19 (page 20 is intentionally left blank for possible inclusion of future materials).
SERIES III: Miami Valley Military Veterans Tell Their Stories – Index and pages 21-64
Container List
BOX 1 – BINDER #1
SERIES I: Library of Congress Veterans History Project
Coordinator: Dr. Vivian Blevins, Faculty Edison State College, Piqua, Ohio
Original recordings were done in 2012 at Edison State College and Garbry Ridge AssistedLiving in Piqua, Ohio.
DVD copies produced in 2015. 43 standard DVD-R’s 16x 4.7 GB 120 min. Recorded in English, copies with HP MediaSmart Software.
|
Pg. # |
DVD Title/ Interviewee |
Recording Date |
Run Time |
Brief Content Description |
|
1 |
Marion Adams |
03/24/2012 |
51:45 |
WWII D Day Operations, Atomic Bomb |
|
1 |
Harry Ashburn |
02/17/2012 |
54:00 |
WWII New Georgia Battle, Luzon Invasion |
|
1 |
Robin Barrow |
03/09/2012 |
44:08 |
31+ year career including Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, 7 Day War, Haiti and Japan relief |
|
1 |
Truman Bashore 1 |
02/17/2012 |
49:01 |
Vietnam Service , U.S. Marine |
|
2 |
Truman Bashore 2 |
03/02/2012 |
42:18 |
Vietnam Service, U.S. Marine |
|
2 |
Richard Benkert |
03/26/2012 |
50:10 |
U.S. Marine WWII South Pacific |
|
2 |
Wesley Branscum |
03/30/2012 |
50:50 |
U.S. Marine Kuwait, anti-pirate operations |
|
2 |
Brandon Brown |
03/24/2012 |
37:02 |
U.S. Army Iraq Mortuary Affairs |
|
3 |
Scott Brownlee |
03/03/2012 |
47:00 |
U.S. Army Vietnam, CIA |
|
3 |
Daniel Califf |
03/03/2012 |
43:00 |
U.S. Army Korean Era/state side |
|
3 |
Jack Cartwright |
03/26/2012 |
35:52 |
WWII Battle of the Bulge, Normandy Invasion, Purple Heart |
|
3 |
Jessica Cosentino |
03/23/2012 |
56:33 |
U.S. Navy Nuclear Power training, women in the Navy |
|
4 |
Carl DeSantis |
02/18/2012 |
52:35 |
U.S. Army Vietnam Saigon |
|
4 |
David Dollan |
12/03/2012 |
32:37 |
U.S. Marine Iraq, survival equipment tech |
|
4 |
Nicholas Essinger |
03/30/2012 |
48:54 |
USAF Vietnam |
|
4 |
John Flaute |
03/24/2012 |
52:00 |
Ohio Army National Guard – 4 tours of duty to Iraq and Afghanistan |
|
5 |
Ray Fleming |
11/02/2012 |
58:45 |
Naval Academy, bomber maintenance |
|
5 |
Charles Garland |
03/10/2012 |
47:37 |
U.S. Army Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Military intelligence, security agent |
|
5 |
Mills (Miles) Hamilton |
03/30/2012 |
51:43 |
Army Air Corps, WWII D Day |
|
5 |
Hannah Gilmore |
03/26/2012 |
47:00 |
U.S. Navy WWII Atomic bomb transport |
|
6 |
Harwood Hegna |
03/10/2012 |
34:29 |
U.S. Air Force Professor various installations |
|
6 |
Helen Hegna |
03/10/2012 |
32:28 |
U.S. Air Force Nurse Wright Patterson Neo Natal |
|
6 |
Craig Heindenreich |
03/05/2012 |
52:00 |
U.S. Air Force Gulf War Iraq and Korea |
|
6 |
Ben Hiser |
02/17/2012 |
40:04 |
Korean War medic |
|
7 |
Ahllisha Holloway |
03/30/2012 |
33:36 |
U.S. Army supply clerk stationed in Hawaii |
|
7 |
Gary Huff |
03/05/2012 |
33:56 |
U.S. Army Vietnam Era air defense |
|
7 |
Jesse Leonard |
03/10/2012 |
43:58 |
Operation Iraqi Freedom IED injury |
|
7 |
Andrew Littlejohn |
12/03/2012 |
31:00 |
U.S. Air Force F-117/A display |
|
8 |
Philip Lootens |
03/02/2012 |
57:15 |
Vietnam War “Black Ops” |
|
8 |
William Marsh |
03/30/2012 |
50:43 |
Afghanistan combat medic |
|
8 |
Nickey Mott |
03/03/2012 |
57:45 |
U.S. Navy Vietnam |
|
8 |
Rev. Floyd Murray |
02/17/2012 |
52:07 |
U.S. Army Vietnam |
|
9 |
Randolph Pritchard |
02/17/2012 |
53:00 |
U.S. Marine Afghanistan Howitzers |
|
9 |
David Sands |
03/30/2012 |
41:47 |
Korea / member of Air Force Band |
|
9 |
William Shaffer |
03/21/2012 |
47:06 |
U.S. Air Force Vietnam |
|
9 |
Tracie Sims |
02/18/2012 |
43:54 |
U.S. Army Iraq/communications/Red Phone |
|
10 |
Ray Snedegar |
|
|
U.S. Air Force Vietnam, Operation Baby Lift – involved in the crash of a C5A Galaxy cargo plane evacuating babies from Vietnam |
|
10 |
Michael Taint |
03/24/2012 |
48:29 |
Cold War, Space and Missile systems |
|
10 |
Robert Tweed |
03/23/2012 |
43:42 |
WWII Infantry, Battle of the Bulge |
|
10 |
Thomas Tyler |
03/23/2012 |
48:16 |
U.S. Army Animal Care Specialist / research |
|
11 |
Federico Verceles |
12/11/2012 |
48:36 |
U.S. Marine Vietnam air defense controller |
|
11 |
Ed Wentworth |
04/10/2012 |
36:47 |
U.S. Navy Vietnam Tet Offensive |
|
11 |
Paul Wick |
02/18/2012 |
42:22 |
USAF Gulf War operations, Hurricane Katrina relief |
Note: page 12 was intentionally left blank.
SERIES II: Veteran Voices
“Veterans Voices” is a series of 25 television programs produced and aired by the Western Ohio Television Consortium [WOTVC], Piqua TV-5, located at Edison State College, 1973 Edison Drive, Suite 156, Piqua, Ohio 45356. The producer was Dr. Vivian Blevins. The series is on 25 videodisc DVD-R’s (16x 4.7GB 120 min). The videographer was Nicholas Essinger; video editing was done by Ted Jones and video copying and documentation was done by Lisa Mowen.
|
Pg. # |
Veteran |
Run Time |
Subject |
|
13 |
Carl DeSantis/Steve Skinner |
17:16 |
365 Days in Vietnam |
|
13 |
|
32:16 |
The 50th Anniversary Program “Veterans Voices” |
|
13 |
Jim Gover |
15:54 |
A Marine’s Story |
|
13 |
Tony Miltenberger/David Gerber |
29:58 |
A Military Chaplain’s Role |
|
14 |
Peggy Hanna/Truman Bashore |
22:50 |
Advocates for Peace |
|
14 |
Chad Christian |
36:20 |
Afghanistan |
|
14 |
Harry Christy |
26:58 |
Battle of the Bulge |
|
14 |
Harry Christy |
33:29 |
Battle of the Bulge Widescreen |
|
15 |
Harry Christy |
33:29 |
Battle of the Bulge 2 |
|
15 |
|
26:58 |
Battle of the Bulge in Mooseburg POW Camp |
|
15 |
Robert Tweed |
11:58 |
Battle of the Bulge |
|
15 |
Bob Jacoby |
13:50 |
Beaches of Normandy |
|
16 |
|
5:09 |
Bombing of Japan |
|
16 |
Guy LaPointe |
38:01 |
When a Soldier Dies in Combat |
|
16 |
|
26:58 |
Mooseburg POW Camp and Dacau Concentration Camp Widescreen |
|
16 |
Craig McMaken |
15:26 |
Piqua National Guard |
|
17 |
Lester Edsall |
37:51 |
Prisoner’s Story |
|
17 |
Fred Shively/Ken Williamson |
19:20 |
Stolen Valor |
|
17 |
Bill Bowers |
54:42 |
Veterans Voices |
|
17 |
Nick Essinger |
2:05 |
Veterans Voices |
|
18 |
Fred Verceles |
37:32 |
Veterans Voices |
|
18 |
|
19:32 |
Veterans Voices Montage Video |
|
18 |
John Looker |
31:31 |
Vietnam |
|
18 |
Nadine Nagle/Marty Wyall |
17:50 |
Women in the Military |
|
19 |
Terry Calvert |
29:59 |
Women in the Military 2 |
NOTE: page 20 is intentionally left blank
SERIES III: Miami Valley Military Veterans Tell Their Stories – 29 newspaper articles.
Dr. Vivian B. Blevins of Piqua, Ohio, is a contributing columnist for Civitas Media, and her stories can be reprinted in any of their 100 plus newspapers. They are, however, primarily printed in the following six newspapers: Piqua Daily Call, Troy Daily News, Sidney Daily News (Ohio), Harlan Daily Enterprise, Middlesboro Daily News (Kentucky), and Claiborne Progress (Tennessee). The dates in the index are approximate since newspapers print on different days.
With a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and a graduated degree from Eastern Kentucky University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo, Blevins has enjoyed an extensive career in higher education and has been CEO of colleges in Kentucky, Texas, California, and Missouri. She has received dozens of awards and held offices at the state and national levels.
Her interest in veterans is long standing and comes from a history of family members who have served back to the Civil War. As a faculty member at Edison State Community College in Piqua, she has been involved in a host of veterans’ issues and believes that recording their stories is an important part of that mission.
The following stories are roughly arranged according to time periods:
|
Pg. # |
Title of Article |
Subject |
Pub. Date |
|
WAR OF 1812 |
|||
|
21 |
Old Iron Sides gets makeover |
War of 1812 |
11-1-14 |
|
WORLD WAR II |
|||
|
22-23 |
WWII bomber pilots enchant, educate |
U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II
U.S. Army Air Corps, U.S. Air Force World War II, Korean War |
7-11-15 |
|
24 |
Remembering the USS Salute |
U.S. Navy, World War II |
7-16-16 |
|
25 |
Veterans tell their stories |
|
8-15-15 |
|
26-27 |
Surviving and living beyond Iwo Jima |
U.S. Marine Corps, World War II |
8-26-15 |
|
28 |
Prisoner of War: 0-78284 |
|
10-21-15 |
|
29 |
Such a small world |
|
1-27-16 |
|
30-31 |
Capt. Tweed Shares his story |
U.S. Army, World War II |
6-11-16 |
|
32 |
Reflections from veterans |
U.S. Army, World War II
U.S. Army, World War II
U.S. Coast Guard, Vietnam Era
U.S. Navy, Gulf War/Cold War
U.S. Army, Iraq War
U.S. Army, Bosnia, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan |
7-4-16 |
|
KOREAN WAR |
|||
|
33 |
Who is responsible? All of us |
U.S. Army, Korean War, Vietnam War
Ohio National Guard, Korean War |
5-2-16 |
|
34-35 |
The Korean War remembered |
U.S. Army, Korean War |
6-4-16 |
|
36 |
The real-life M*A*S*H |
|
6-_-16 |
|
37-38 |
A sense of family aboard ship |
U.S. Navy, Korean War Era |
7-29-16 |
|
VIETNAM WAR |
|||
|
39-40 |
Brothers proud to serve |
U.S. Air Force, Cold War
U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam Era
U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam Era
U.S. Army, Vietnam Era
U.S. Army, Vietnam Era |
3-7-15 |
|
41-42 |
Background, please |
|
3-21-15 |
|
43-44 |
The realities of Vietnam POWs |
U.S. Air Force, Vietnam
|
4-11-15 |
|
45-46 |
Welcome home vets |
U.S. Air Force, Vietnam
U.S. Army, Vietnam |
4-11-15 |
|
45-46 |
Welcome home vets (Cont.) |
U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam |
4-11-15 |
|
47-48 |
Understanding veteran suicide |
U.S. Army, Vietnam War
U.S. Army, Vietnam War |
6-6-15 |
|
49-50 |
Operation Babylift in Vietnam |
U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War |
7-18-15 |
|
51 |
Back from Vietnam |
U.S. Army, Vietnam |
10-3-15 |
|
52-53 |
Twins go through combat, life together |
U.S. Army, Vietnam War
U.S. Army, Vietnam War |
12-11-15 |
|
54 |
Purple Hearts; Who gets them |
U.S. Army, Vietnam War |
8-12-16 |
|
IRAQ WAR |
|||
|
55-56 |
A soldier’s point of view |
U.S. Army, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, New Orleans |
9-15-15 |
|
57-58 |
The Iron Claw: A tight hold |
Ohio National Guard, Iraq War |
5-21-16 |
|
59-60 |
Service dogs and the VA |
Iraq War |
2-20-16 |
|
61-62 |
Bearing the cross every day |
Iraq War
Iraq War |
5-21-16 |
|
63 |
More challenges for veterans |
|
6-4-15 |
|
UNKNOWN |
|||
|
64 |
He served, but who is he |
|
4-24-15 |
BOX 1 – BINDER #2 – Binder #2 is an exact duplicate of Binder #1