Top of page

Gilmon Brooks [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Navy; Marine Corps; Army
  • Unit of Service: 24th Infantry Regiment; 8th Marine Ammunition Company
  • Location of Service: Korea; Pacific Theater; Iwo Jima
  • Highest Rank: Corporal; Chief Warrant Officer
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/3153

View full service history

"I'm thinking, This must the end; the island must be secure." (Video Interview, 15:44)

Growing up in a military family on an Army base in Arizona, African American Gilmon Brooks saw the value of serving his country in uniform from an early age. He volunteered for the Marines during World War II, knowing he would be serving in a segregated unit. On Iwo Jima, distinctions of race melted away in the fight for survival. Once Brooks saw the U.S. flag raised on Mt. Surabachi, he mistakenly thought the island had been secured. A few days later, an injury put him out of commission for the rest of the war, but he decided to make a career in the Marines.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

View 2 images in sequence.
[ Biographical information ]

About this Item

Title

  • Gilmon Brooks Collection

Names

  • Brooks, Gilmon
  • Zigo, Paul
  • Brookdale Community College, Brookdale Center for World War II Studies

Home State

  • New Jersey

Headings

  • -  Brooks, Gilmon
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.
  • -  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

  • civilian

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Dates of Service: 1974-1974
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: civilian
    • Service History Note: Civilian worked with the military attaché for 6 months.

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Unit of Service: 8th Marine Ammunition Company
    • Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Iwo Jima
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran witnessed the flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima and sustained injuries during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 24th Infantry Regiment
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
    • Dates of Service: 1966
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/3153

Cite as

  • Gilmon Brooks Collection (AFC/2001/001/3153), 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/[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:

Brooks, Gilmon, Paul Zigo, and Brookdale Center For World War Ii Studies Brookdale Community College. Gilmon Brooks Collection. 1974. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03153/.

APA citation style:

Brooks, G., Zigo, P. & Brookdale Community College, B. C. F. W. W. I. S. (1974) Gilmon Brooks Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03153/.

MLA citation style:

Brooks, Gilmon, Paul Zigo, and Brookdale Center For World War Ii Studies Brookdale Community College. Gilmon Brooks Collection. 1974. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03153/>.