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Bertran Wallace

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: Battalion and Prisoner of War (POW) Command, 743rd Military Police Detachment, Military Police Corps; Battalion and Prisoner of War (POW) Command, 743rd Military Police
  • Location of Service: Koje-do Island, Korea; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; North Africa; Italy; New York; Korea
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/1649

View full service history

"There were still people who had hidden agendas because of the color of my skin, which I had nothing to do with." (Video Interview, 36:23)

Serving in two wars plus almost 30 years of peacetime duty didn't take the edge off Bertran Wallace, a proud man who fought as hard against prejudice within the Army as he did against the Germans in North Africa and Italy and the North Koreans. Wallace's fondest memories are from World War II, when his all-black MP unit served with distinction after the Allies captured Rome.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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More Resources

View 5 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 54 images in sequence.
[ 743rd Military Police Battalion yearbook ]

About this Item

Title

  • Bertran F. Wallace Collection

Names

  • Wallace, Bertran F.
  • Breter, Brenda

Home State

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  Wallace, Bertran F.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: Battalion and Prisoner of War (POW) Command, 743rd Military Police Detachment, Military Police Corps
    • Location of Service: Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; North Africa; Italy; New York; Korea
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1978
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran worked as a Copy Cutter for the Army newspaper, "Stars and Stripes".

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: Battalion and Prisoner of War (POW) Command, 743rd Military Police
    • Location of Service: Koje-do Island, Korea
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1978
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- (collected 1944)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-04-09)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-11-08; 2006-11-08)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2007-04-10)
  • Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2002; 2007-04-18)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1649

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

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

Recording:

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

Photograph:

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

Computer file:

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

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), 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:

Wallace, Bertran F, and Brenda Breter. Bertran F. Wallace Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01649/.

APA citation style:

Wallace, B. F. & Breter, B. (1942) Bertran F. Wallace Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01649/.

MLA citation style:

Wallace, Bertran F, and Brenda Breter. Bertran F. Wallace Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01649/>.