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Collection Veterans History Project Collection

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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: 27th Troop Carrier Squadron, 14th Air Force (Flying Tigers)
  • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant

View full service history

"So we sang 'The Beer Barrel Polka' as the American National Anthem." (Audio Interview, 24:49)

As a pilot who served with the Flying Tigers and flew supplies from India to China during World War II, Joseph Murray had one amazing adventure. Returning from China with four passengers, he saw both of his plane's engines die within minutes of each other. After everyone had bailed out, Murray found one elderly man who was insisting he stay aboard the plane, so Murray crash landed it in a river. The two men made it to shore, were picked up by Chinese villagers, and were reunited with all but one of the rest of the flight (only the co-pilot didn't survive his parachute jump). The Chinese celebrated with their new-found friends and returned them to safety, asking only that the food consumed at the celebration dinner be replaced.

Joseph E. Murray Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript: XML

More Resources

Joseph E. Murray Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript: XML

About this Item

Title

  • Joseph E. Murray Collection

Names

  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Robin Roberts
  • Murray, Joseph E.
  • University of Toledo
  • Fisher, Andrew

State of Birth

  • OH

Home State

  • OH

Headings

  • -  Murray, Joseph E.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 27th Troop Carrier Squadron, 14th Air Force (Flying Tigers)
    • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1944
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 10/22/2004)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 11/30/2007)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2009)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/24226

Cite as

  • Joseph E. Murray Collection (AFC/2001/001/24226), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

National Court Reporters Association, Robin Roberts, Joseph E Murray, University Of Toledo, and Andrew Fisher. Joseph E. Murray Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24226/.

APA citation style:

National Court Reporters Association, Robin Roberts, Murray, J. E., University Of Toledo & Fisher, A. (1943) Joseph E. Murray Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24226/.

MLA citation style:

National Court Reporters Association, et al. Joseph E. Murray Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.24226/>.