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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps; Army
  • Unit of Service: 97th Bomb Group; 340th Bomb Squadron
  • Location of Service: Korea; Italy
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant

View full service history

"It's a good thing the war ended-we didn't complain. A lot of guys got it on the last [mission] or the first one." (Video Interview, 19:15)

America was at war in the summer of 1943 when Ernest Gallego graduated from high school. He tried to enlist but had to wait until he turned 18 that November for the Army Air Force to take him. His ambition was to be a pilot but he failed the depth perception test and chose gunnery school because it offered him a faster track to an assignment overseas. From their base in Italy, he and his crew flew more missions than they originally thought would earn them rotation back to the States, because the brass increased the magic number. After V-E Day, Gallego was on a ship headed home, expecting to fly more missions, when he heard the news of the Japanese surrender.

Transcript: XML

More Resources

View 19 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View Enlarged Image
[ What the well-dressed WWII Airman will wear (Artwork) ]
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[ Artwork created while waiting to be assigned to permanent combat crew ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Artwork created while in combat crew training ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Artwork created while in combat crew training ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Artwork with censor signature ]

Show more resources (4)

View Enlarged Image
[ Artwork created during the Korean War ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Artwork created during the Korean War ]
View 19 images in sequence.
[ Diary ]
View Enlarged Image
[ V-Mail to Mrs. Martinez [10/30/1944] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Ernest E. Gallego Collection

Names

  • Michelle Keegan
  • U.S. House of Representatives/David Dreier
  • Winkle, John
  • Gallego, Ernest E.
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Dreier, David

State of Birth

  • CA

Home State

  • CA

Headings

  • -  Gallego, Ernest E.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 97th Bomb Group; 340th Bomb Squadron
    • Location of Service: Italy
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Dates of Service: 1951-1953
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 10/30/1944)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1944 - 1945)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [8 items] -- (collected 1944 - 2002)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [50 items] -- Photograph (collected 1944 - 2005)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 08/01/2005)
  • Video: Hi-8/Digital 8 [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 08/01/2005)
  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected 08/01/2005)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 08/01/2005)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/30208

Cite as

  • Ernest E. Gallego Collection (AFC/2001/001/30208), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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/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:

Michelle Keegan, U.S. House Of Representatives/David Dreier, John Winkle, Ernest E Gallego, National Court Reporters Association, and David Dreier. Ernest E. Gallego Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30208/.

APA citation style:

Michelle Keegan, U.S. House Of Representatives/David Dreier, Winkle, J., Gallego, E. E., National Court Reporters Association & Dreier, D. (1943) Ernest E. Gallego Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30208/.

MLA citation style:

Michelle Keegan, et al. Ernest E. Gallego Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.30208/>.