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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Cold War; World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Air Force
  • Unit of Service: 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 343rd Group, 10th Air Force
  • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; United States
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

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"Our squadron turned over in the time that I was there roughly--now this is losses from combat--we turned over about four times. (Audio Interview, Part 1, 26:07.2)

In seventeen months stationed in India and Burma during World War II, George Laben flew 245 missions in a C-47 transport plane, an aircraft he still praises for its maneuverability and general ease of flying. He dodged Japanese planes by flying low enough to the ground to be mistaken for ground cover, and never lost a plane or a crew member, even though the overall losses in his squadron were enormous. Occasionally, he flew night missions undercover for the OSS, dropping off men (in parachutes) and supplies, and on one memorable flight, a half-dozen unauthorized bombs. Laben readily admits he never took off without feeling some discomfort, though he always believed he would make it back home from every flight.

George J. Laben Collection
Interview / Recording

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George J. Laben Collection
Interview / Recording

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About this Item

Title

  • George J. Laben Collection

Names

  • Laben, George J.
  • Courtnage, Lee
  • OASIS of Albuquerque, New Mexico

State of Birth

  • IL

Home State

  • NM

Headings

  • -  Laben, George J.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives

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: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 343rd Group, 10th Air Force
    • Location of Service: China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; United States
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1969
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Cold War

    • Dates of Service: 1942-1969
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Cold War

    • Dates of Service: 1942-1969
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Digital print [5 items] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/28/2005)
  • Audio: CD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 8/20/2009)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/34441

Cite as

  • George J. Laben Collection (AFC/2001/001/34441), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image

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:

Laben, George J, Lee Courtnage, and New Mexico Oasis Of Albuquerque. George J. Laben Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34441/.

APA citation style:

Laben, G. J., Courtnage, L. & Oasis Of Albuquerque, N. M. (1942) George J. Laben Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34441/.

MLA citation style:

Laben, George J, Lee Courtnage, and New Mexico Oasis Of Albuquerque. George J. Laben Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.34441/>.