Oral History Interview with Frank Kullman, September 12, 2006

Oral History Interview with Frank Kullman, September 12, 2006

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Kullman. Kullman joined the Navy in June 1942 and received basic training at Camp Perry. He traveled there by steam locomotive, poking his head out the window to enjoy the scenery. When the DI saw his soot-covered face, he told Kullman to step aside with the African-Americans. But Kullman stayed and performed at the top of his class in gunnery training. His disinterest in the military however, kept him from advancing, and he joined the 107th Naval Construction Battalion, despite having no prior construction experience. He noticed … continued below

Physical Description

52 p.

Creation Information

Kullman, Frank September 12, 2006.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Kullman, Frank

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Kullman. Kullman joined the Navy in June 1942 and received basic training at Camp Perry. He traveled there by steam locomotive, poking his head out the window to enjoy the scenery. When the DI saw his soot-covered face, he told Kullman to step aside with the African-Americans. But Kullman stayed and performed at the top of his class in gunnery training. His disinterest in the military however, kept him from advancing, and he joined the 107th Naval Construction Battalion, despite having no prior construction experience. He noticed that regulars in the Navy were resentful toward those Seabees who became officers based on civilian work experience. Arriving at Tinian in early September 1944, Americans were still being killed by snipers. Food was compromised, causing a dysentery outbreak. Canine search units found more than 150 Japanese holdouts. On an excursion to an abandoned ammunition dump, Kullman found and detonated a grenade out of curiosity. Upon his return to camp, he was charged with going AWOL, court martialed, and assigned to KP. After the war, the giddiness was tangible. On New Year’s Eve, men fired their rifles through their roofs; subsequently, everyone’s firearms were promptly turned in to the armory.

Physical Description

52 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH01726
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1605048

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Frank Kullman, September 12, 2006 - ark:/67531/metapth1608855

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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