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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Air Force; Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: Company F, 120th Combat Engineers
  • Location of Service: North Africa; Sicily; Corsica; European Theater; Korea; Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant; Major; Lieutenant Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/63962

View full service history

"I felt that if I was a fighter pilot, and there's a war, what's the point of not going?" (Video interview, 1:16:00)

Miguel Encinias joined the National Guard in 1939 at the tender age of 16, hoping to become a fighter pilot like those he'd seen in World War I movies. The outbreak of war granted his wish: just a few years later, he was flying combat missions in the North African campaign and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Shot down on a mission over northern Italy in 1944, he spent the next 15 months as a prisoner of war. His incarceration did not temper his enthusiasm for flying or for the military; upon his repatriation, he took three weeks of leave before volunteering to head to the Pacific Theater, though the war ended before he could deploy. After the war, he pursued higher education, but went back on active duty to fly 100 missions during the Korean War. Once again, he was shot down, though rescued before he could be taken prisoner. After Korea, he served in France, Spain, and Germany, and volunteered to fly combat missions during the Vietnam War.

Miguel Encinias Collection
Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Miguel Encinias Collection

Names

  • Stiegler, Joseph E.
  • OASIS of Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Courtnage, Lee
  • Encinias, Miguel

Home State

  • New Mexico

Headings

  • -  Encinias, Miguel
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States
  • -  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

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: Company F, 120th Combat Engineers
    • Location of Service: North Africa; Sicily; Corsica; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1940
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Location of Service: Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2008-08-21)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/63962

Online Format

  • audio

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:

Stiegler, Joseph E, New Mexico Oasis Of Albuquerque, Lee Courtnage, and Miguel Encinias. Miguel Encinias Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.63962/.

APA citation style:

Stiegler, J. E., Oasis Of Albuquerque, N. M., Courtnage, L. & Encinias, M. (1940) Miguel Encinias Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.63962/.

MLA citation style:

Stiegler, Joseph E, et al. Miguel Encinias Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.63962/>.