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Dorothy Johnson at time of interview

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: WAC (Women's Army Corps)
  • Service Unit/Ship: Company D, 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
  • Location of Service: Massachusetts; Iowa; Kansas; Georgia; England; France; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Private First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/74657

View full service history

"And I said, "Well, there must be something out there in the greater world that is erupting around me now that I can fit into, and this seems to be the thing that I can do." And that's how I got mustered into the military." (Video recording, 15:18)

Dorothy Johnson had worked as a teacher and librarian before the war and loved her work, but she jumped at the opportunity to join the WAC in 1943. Eager to do her part in the war effort and to see the world, she reveled in the opportunities the military provided her to do interesting and important work and to travel the world. In her interview, she recalls fond memories of her exposure to British and French culture, as well as touching interactions with German POWs.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Dorothy E. Johnson Collection

Names

  • VA Medical Center
  • Johnson, Dorothy E.
  • Miller, Harold L.
  • Coley, Gwendolyn D.

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  Johnson, Dorothy E.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army. Women's Army Corps.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Female

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: WAC (Women's Army Corps)
    • Service Unit/Ship: Company D, 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
    • Location of Service: Massachusetts; Iowa; Kansas; Georgia; England; France; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Private First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only all African-American female unit to serve overseas in World War II.

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-11-08)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2010-11-08; 2010-11-08)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/74657

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:

Va Medical Center, Dorothy E Johnson, Harold L Miller, and Gwendolyn D Coley. Dorothy E. Johnson Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.74657/.

APA citation style:

Va Medical Center, Johnson, D. E., Miller, H. L. & Coley, G. D. (1943) Dorothy E. Johnson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.74657/.

MLA citation style:

Va Medical Center, et al. Dorothy E. Johnson Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.74657/>.