Transcript of an interview with Merle Timblin, Civilian Conservation Corps worker and U.S. Army WWII Veteran. Timblin discusses his childhood in western Pennsylvania; father’s work as a farmer, coal miner, and WPA blacksmith; life on farms and in mining towns during the Great Depression; decision to enroll in CCC before eighteenth birthday; experiences at CCC camps in Arizona and Pennsylvania; lessons learned from the CCC experience; experiences in the European Theater of World War II as radio operator in the U.S. Army Fourth Armored Division, including fighting in the Battle of the Bulge; lessons learned from experience in the Army; decision to relocate to Niagara Falls, N.Y., and thence to North Texas; career as a machinist and mechanic.

Interview with 1st Lieutenant Robert Roser, an Army veteran, concerning his experiences with the 29th Division during the invasion of Normandy in World War II.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Abe Santos. Santos joined the Navy in November of 1939. He served as a Fireman aboard the USS Astoria (CA-34). They participated in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway and Savo Island, where the ship was sunk. He traveled back to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Wharton (AP-7). Santos was placed on tugboat duty for six months, then transferred to Johnston Island as a Second-Class Machinist’s Mate. He assisted with airstrip construction. He later transferred back to headquarters at Pearl Harbor, and worked on staff for Admiral Robert L. Ghormley. He continued his service after the war ended.

Interview with Robert Bane, a Army WWII veteran from Garland, Texas. Bane discusses his family background, basic training, deployment to the Battle of the Bulge, General George S. Patton, experiences in combat with the 63rd Infantry Division during the drive into Germany, his comrades, crossing the Rhine, liberating Dachau, returning to the states, and his work with the Freemasons. In appendix is a photograph of Bane with his medals.

Interview with William H. Haugh, a Army WWII veteran from Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. Haugh discusses growing up in Wrightsville, getting his own farm, the wartime economy, being drafted into the Army, becoming a machine gunner in the 35th Infantry Division, arrival in Metz and advancing to the Battle of the Bulge, artillery, experiences in combat, the Rhineland Campaign, the Ruhr Valley, being wounded, the German surrender and the Army of Occupation, reflections on combat, and returning to civilian life.

History of the Balzen family in Texas including narratives and family charts for the various branches of the family, and anecdotes about family members, with reproductions of the family brand, maps, and other supplementary materials. The text includes a number of handwritten corrections and additions.