AMPERS
Minnesota's Community Radio Stations
Army veteran Don Wickstrom recalls his military service on the front lines in Europe and his training and use of the Browning Automatic Rifle. The B.A.R, as it was known, was an effective and innovative weapon used in combat in World War 2, but it was also heavy, hot, cumbersome–and dangerous. [Read Transcript...]
Minnesota veteran Bruce Cottington didn't know as he fought in the brutal battle of Okinawa that this would be the final battle of the war in the Pacific Theater. Cottington recalls how the dropping of the atomic bomb brought his years of fighting to a close. [Read Transcript...]
A program launched by the armed services identified promising young men and sent them to college for specialized training for the war. Minnesotans Bernie Lieder and Sherman Garon were two student soldiers who the Army sent to college. But urgent manpower needs ended the wartime higher education program. [Read Transcript...]
Even wartime military recruiting films spoke of the value of the close friendships forged during battle. Minnesota veterans George Vandersluis and Herbert Gager recall the powerful bonds that formed between young servicemen, far from home. [Read Transcript...]
