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David L. Quaid standing next to his camera [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) (Merrill's Marauders); Chinese 38th Division; British 36th Division; Mars Task Force; 164th Signal Photo Company
  • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; California
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/29895

View full service history

"He said, 'Dave, a dead cameraman is good to no one.'" (Audio Interview, Part 3, 23:33)

David Quaid didn't just see action in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II; he filmed it. Before the war, he had been a freelance news cameraman, so he made sure that once he was drafted he got assigned to the Signal Corps. Not satisfied with carrying a camera rather than a rifle, Quaid sought out the front lines, first working with the legendary general Vinegar Joe Stilwell and then hooking up with Merrill's Marauders. His collection includes a lengthy audio interview as well as his own video history of the Marauders, complete with some of his own footage and interviews with many surviving comrades.

More Resources

David L. Quaid Collection
Interview / Recording

David L. Quaid Collection
Interview / Recording

David L. Quaid Collection
Interview / Recording

David L. Quaid Collection
Interview / Recording

David L. Quaid Collection
Interview / Recording

Show more resources (8)

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[ Letter awarding the Legion of Merit [4/9/1946] ]
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[ Letter from Major John M. Jones [10/7/1944] ]
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[ Message detailing an Allied action in Tingrukawng [5/14/1944] ]
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[ Letter from Captain J. L. Closson to David Quaid [9/26/1947] ]
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[ Memo Re: the Commendation of Enlisted Men [8/21/1944] ]
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[ Letter from Major General Edward F. Witsell [4/9/1946] ]
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[ Official military press release concerning Quaid's wounding by a "sack of mule feed" dropped from an airplane [undated] ]
View 3 images in sequence.
[ A photocopy of items taken off a dead Japanese soldier in Burma ]

About this Item

Title

  • David L. Quaid Collection

Names

  • J. Swan
  • Quaid, David L.
  • Piazza, Philip
  • Swan, A.
  • Merrill's Marauders Association

State of Birth

  • NY

Home State

  • MA

Headings

  • -  Quaid, David L.
  • -  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: 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) (Merrill's Marauders); Chinese 38th Division; British 36th Division; Mars Task Force; 164th Signal Photo Company
    • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; California
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1945
    • Military Status: Veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran refused a commission twice.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [6 items] -- (collected 1944 - 1946)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [11 items] -- (collected 1944)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 08/27/2005)
  • Video: VHS [2 items] -- Motion picture film (collected 1995)
  • Video: VHS [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 04/10/2007)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2/26/2010)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/29895

Cite as

  • David L. Quaid Collection (AFC/2001/001/29895), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • 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:

J. Swan, David L Quaid, Philip Piazza, A Swan, and Merrill'S Marauders Association. David L. Quaid Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.29895/.

APA citation style:

J. Swan, Quaid, D. L., Piazza, P., Swan, A. & Merrill'S Marauders Association. (1942) David L. Quaid Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.29895/.

MLA citation style:

J. Swan, et al. David L. Quaid Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.29895/>.