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James Stancil shortly after re-enlisting, St. Petersburg, FL [10/1942]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Merchant Marine
  • Service Unit/Ship: SS Joseph Conrad; SS Roger B. Taney; SS John A. Dix; SS Frederick Remington
  • Location of Service: St. Petersburg, Florida; Sheepshead Bay, New York; Atlantic Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Mediterranean Sea; Indian Ocean; Baltic Sea; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/26535

View full service history

"I guess everyone has different feelings when they're in battle. All the time this was \\ngoing on, I wasn't scared. I was mad. We were mad as a hornet. We weren't scared. \\nWhen it was over with, I got so weak I couldn't stand up. I was trembling all over."\\n(Video Interview Part 2, 26:59)

As a Merchant Mariner during World War II, James Stancil sailed on numerous voyages carrying munitions and other supplies to Allied troops in Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. He began his career as a purser and later became a corpsman, when he performed hand surgery using only a manual for guidance. Stancil survived a torpedo attack off the coast of Brazil, only to be arrested for illegal entry into the country once he made it to shore. After serving for nearly five years in the Merchant Marine, Stancil was dismayed to discover upon his discharge that he was not eligible for the same benefits as other branches of the service.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Interview / Recording

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View 3 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
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[ Letter of discharge from the U.S. Naval Reserve [09/05/1944] ]
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[ Seaman's Certificate of Identification [1/6/1945] ]
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[ Certificate of discharge as staff officer ]

Show more resources (14)

View 2 images in sequence.
[ Honorable Discharge from Naval Service [9/5/1944] ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Postcard from the Selective Service [3/26/1945] ]
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[ Certificate for Completion of Training [1/8/1943] ]
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[ Designation of Grade [1/23/1945] ]
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[ Release from active duty [6/8/1944] ]
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[ Certificate of Service [12/30/1942] ]
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[ Certificate of Proficiency as Lifeboat Man ]
View 4 images in sequence.
[ Certificates of Discharge [1943-1945] ]
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[ Application for a passport [8/31/1944] ]
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[ Letter of Promotion [1/23/1945] ]
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[ Certificate of release or discharge from active duty ]
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[ Honorable Discharge ]
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[ Official Identification Card ]
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[ Newsclipping with photos of veteran and his brothers ]

About this Item

Title

  • James Harding Stancil Collection

Names

  • Willie, Michael Lloyd
  • WRCB-TV Channel 3
  • Bowen, Sarah
  • Stancil, James Harding

Home State

  • Tennessee

Headings

  • -  Stancil, James Harding
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Merchant Marine.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Merchant Marine
    • Service Unit/Ship: SS Joseph Conrad; SS Roger B. Taney; SS John A. Dix; SS Frederick Remington
    • Location of Service: St. Petersburg, Florida; Sheepshead Bay, New York; Atlantic Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Mediterranean Sea; Indian Ocean; Baltic Sea; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2004-09-15)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [5 items] -- Portrait (collected 1942-1944)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [8 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [23 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1942-1944)
  • Video: Betacam SP [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-09-15)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/26535

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:

Willie, Michael Lloyd, Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Sarah Bowen, and James Harding Stancil. James Harding Stancil Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26535/.

APA citation style:

Willie, M. L., Wrcb-Tv Channel 3, Bowen, S. & Stancil, J. H. (1942) James Harding Stancil Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26535/.

MLA citation style:

Willie, Michael Lloyd, et al. James Harding Stancil Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26535/>.