Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Samuel T. Harmon Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Location of Service: Japan; Treasure Island, California; Yokosuka, Japan; Norfolk, Virginia; Great Lakes, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Pacific Theater
- Highest Rank: Chief Electronics Technician
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/74515
Born in 1929, Chief Electronics Technician Samuel T. Harmon's enthusiasm for aviation was so great that he decided to quit school at the tender age of 15, and convince his local draft board that he was old enough to be called up for World War II. Fascinated by the stories of Tuskegee Airmen, he wanted to be a pilot, and had financed flying lessons by parachute jumping with an air circus. The Navy had other ideas about the best job for him: he wound up being trained in electronics. Serving in Japan during the occupation, and then during the Korean War, he found he enjoyed the prestige of being an electronics technician, the mathematics involved in it, and working with the relatively new technologies of radar and sonar; after his military service, he pursued a career in engineering.
Interview / Recording
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PlayJoining Civil Air Patrol; serving as a plane spotter; taking flying lessons; wanting to join Tuskegee Airmen; too young to volunteer; walking into the local draft board and lying about his birthdate. 00:00:42.0 - 00:03:52.0
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PlayAssigned to the Navy; sent to Great Lakes; abruptly sent to electronics school; dealt only with institutionalized racism; did not experience one-on-one tension. 00:03:52.2 - 00:06:47.0
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PlayLiking work in electronics; developing a reputation as an expert; learning radar and sonar; learning the test equipment; being asked to write a manual for an echo box; deciding to take a class in algebra. 00:07:13.0 - 00:13:52.9
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PlayStationed on Okinawa at the end of the war; ducking a bullet shot by a Japanese sniper. 00:16:35.8 - 00:19:55.7
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PlaySent to Japan at the end of the war; interactions with the Japanese. 00:20:30.8 - 00:24:56.8
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PlayLearning after end of his service that his race had been changed on his service records. 00:36:47.3 - 00:40:50.8
About this Item
Title
- Samuel T. Harmon Collection
Names
- Veterans History Project
- Library of Congress
- Harmon, Samuel T.
- Polutta, Melanie Kae
Home State
- Washington (D.C.)
Headings
- - Harmon, Samuel T.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Black or African American
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Location of Service: Treasure Island, California; Yokosuka, Japan; Norfolk, Virginia; Great Lakes, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Pacific Theater
- Highest Rank: Chief Electronics Technician
- Dates of Service: 1944-1952
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran served in the Civil Air Patrol before being drafted.
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Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Location of Service: Japan
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: MiniDV [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-11-08)
- Video: DVD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2010-11-08; 2010-11-08)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/74515
Cite as
- Samuel T. Harmon Collection (AFC/2001/001/74515), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Chicago, Illinois
- Great Lakes, Illinois
- Japan
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Pacific Theater
- Treasure Island, California
- Yokosuka, Japan