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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Dates of Service: 1942-1946; 1949-1966
  • Branch of Service: Air Force; Marine Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division; 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division; Air Training Command
  • Battles & Campaigns: Guadalcanal; Iwo Jima
  • Location of Service: Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Iwo Jima; Samoa; Australia; Korea; Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: Corporal; Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/47365

View full service history

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Lee E. Dortsch Collection

Names

  • Laura Overstreet
  • Dortsch, Lee E.
  • VA Medical Center, Prescott, Arizona
  • Fine, Sally
  • Lunn, Scott A.

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Arizona

Headings

  • -  Dortsch, Lee E.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division; 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division
    • Location of Service: Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Iwo Jima; Samoa; Australia
    • Battles & Campaigns: Guadalcanal; Iwo Jima
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1946
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a scout sniper. He was first wounded on Guadalcanal in 10/1942; he was evacuated for treatment, but after recovery, decided to return to combat with the 5th Marine Division. He then suffered several bayonet wounds during hand-to-hand combat on Iwo Jima. After a period of recovery for these serious wounds, he was discharged due to his disabilities.

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Service Unit/Ship: Air Training Command
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Dates of Service: 1949-1966
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a test pilot and trained fighter pilots.

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Location of Service: Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran flew combat missions.

Materials

  • Video: Digital File [ item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-12-14)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [5 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2003-2005)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [2 items] -- Portrait (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/47365

Online Format

  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Laura Overstreet, Lee E Dortsch, Prescott Va Medical Center, Sally Fine, and Scott A Lunn. Lee E. Dortsch Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47365/.

APA citation style:

Laura Overstreet, Dortsch, L. E., Va Medical Center, P., Fine, S. & Lunn, S. A. (1942) Lee E. Dortsch Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47365/.

MLA citation style:

Laura Overstreet, et al. Lee E. Dortsch Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47365/>.