Oral history of John McIntyre
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Austin Mall with Staff Sergeant John McIntyre on March 31, 2014. Born on February 2, 1922, McIntyre served in the United States Army during World War II. After enlisting in 1942, he trained as an engineer and led a squad that cleared mines and booby traps following the D-Day invasion.
McIntyre recounts landing on Utah Beach after D-Day, removing explosives set to deter Allied forces, and following the Third Army through France. He helped construct a staging area in Marseille for troops bound for the Pacific, though the war ended before deployment. Returning home in 1945, he used the GI Bill to attend Clemson University, where he studied textiles before opening his own business and caring for his family, with which he returned to Normandy decades later.
2014-03-31
Oral history of Robert Garrett
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of a virtual interview conducted by Averi Brice with Danny Roach on December 15, 2024. Roach shares the story of his grandfather, Robert Garrett, born October 21, 1924, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.
Garrett enlisted in the Army at age 17 because he had his birth certificate changed at 14 to allow him to work. He deployed to North Africa and then served all across Europe. During a battle in Belgium, Garrett and six other soldiers suffered a motor attack that killed three and wounded him and two others. Despite his own injuries, he helped evacuate a more severely wounded soldier before returning to combat the next day, earning a Purple Heart for his actions. He also received five Bronze Stars. As part of the Glider Infantry, he described the experience of landing in enemy territory in canvas-covered gliders, often under fire, referring to the bullets ripping through the canvas sounding like popcorn popping.
2024-12-15
Oral history of William Cato
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Drew Richard with Staff Sergeant William Cato on November 21, 2012. Born on April 2, 1921, Cato enlisted in the United States Army Infantry before turning 21, convincing his reluctant parents to sign his enlistment papers.
Cato recounts his deployment to England and his role in D-Day operations, landing as a replacement infantryman shortly after the invasion. He describes combat in France and Belgium pushing through the Siegfried Line and the Argonne, Hurtgen, and Black Forests. He was nearly court-martialed for firing on fellow soldiers after mistaking their movements for enemy signaling. He was wounded by enemy artillery while helping his fellow soldiers on his way off the front line leading to his evacuation to England and, eventually, his return to the United States.
2012-11-21