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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion and 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Japan; Korea
  • Highest Rank: First Sergeant

View full service history

"I hollered, 'Hey, soldier, can you tell me where the 27th Infantry Regiment is?' I was riding in a jeep. And he jumped up out of the hole, and here was an old friend of mine from Hastings, Minnesota." (Audio Interview, 40:19)

After serving a two-year hitch in the Army from 1946 to 1948 (part of it in occupied Japan), James Holmes joined the National Guard and in 1950 was called up to serve in the Korean War. He was accepted into a leadership course and decided to marry his sweetheart, figuring he was going to remain stateside. In the spring of 1951, he was reassigned to the Far East Command and became part of the war effort as a platoon sergeant. His stories of life in the field include several touching accounts of good men wounded or killed in action. He also managed to meet up with several pals from Hastings, Minnesota, a little reminder of home halfway around the world.

James Day Merle Holmes Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript: XML

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James Day Merle Holmes Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript: XML
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About this Item

Title

  • James Day Merle Holmes Collection

Names

  • Pickert, Jewel
  • Holmes, James Day Merle

State of Birth

  • MN

Home State

  • MN

Headings

  • -  Holmes, James Day Merle
  • -  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

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion and 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Japan; Korea
    • Highest Rank: First Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1946-1948
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1952
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 09/17/2003)
  • Photograph: Copy photographic print [7 items] -- Photograph (collected 1951)
  • Audio: Microcassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 09/17/2003)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/9752

Cite as

  • James Day Merle Holmes Collection (AFC/2001/001/9752), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • online text

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:

Pickert, Jewel, and James Day Merle Holmes. James Day Merle Holmes Collection. 1946. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.09752/.

APA citation style:

Pickert, J. & Holmes, J. D. M. (1946) James Day Merle Holmes Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.09752/.

MLA citation style:

Pickert, Jewel, and James Day Merle Holmes. James Day Merle Holmes Collection. 1946. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.09752/>.