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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, 3rd Army
  • Location of Service: France; Germany; European Theater

View full service history

"I was moved to give him the drawing. I tried to rescue it from his body some months later." (Video Interview, 6:23)

Eighteen-year-old infantry soldier William Foley had a talent for drawing, and he put it to good use while serving in the European Theater of the Second World War. Foley sketched scenes from memory or as they unfolded and managed to save most of his work. Some of his best work came from his experiences during the Battle of the Bulge, with its eerie landscapes and moments of intense combat. After the war, he became a professional artist, and his WWII work was published as part of his 2003 memoir, Visions From a Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton's Ghost Corps. His video interview features Foley providing background commentary on much of his work.

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ "The 301st on the Saar" ]
View Enlarged Image
[ "Self Portrait in a Dugout" ]
View Enlarged Image
[ "Jumping off" ]
View Enlarged Image
[ "A Thankful Tip of the Hat" ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Untitled biographical information ]

About this Item

Title

  • William A. Foley, Jr. Collection

Names

  • Foley Jr., William A.
  • Zigo, Paul
  • Brookdale Community College, Brookdale Center for World War II Studies

Home State

  • TX

Headings

  • -  Foley Jr., William A.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, 3rd Army
    • Location of Service: France; Germany; European Theater
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [4 items] -- Handwritten document (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reading (collected 2003)
  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reading (collected 2003)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/3149

Cite as

  • William A. Foley, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/3149), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • 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/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:

Foley Jr., William A, Paul Zigo, and Brookdale Center For World War Ii Studies Brookdale Community College. William A. Foley, Jr. Collection. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03149/.

APA citation style:

Foley Jr, W. A., Zigo, P. & Brookdale Community College, B. C. F. W. W. I. S. William A. Foley, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03149/.

MLA citation style:

Foley Jr., William A, Paul Zigo, and Brookdale Center For World War Ii Studies Brookdale Community College. William A. Foley, Jr. Collection. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03149/>.