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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
  • Location of Service: San Diego, California; New Caledonia; Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Bougainville Island (Solomon Islands); Guam (Mariana Islands); Iwo Jima; Pacific Theater
  • Highest Rank: Private
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/96428

View full service history

"A loudspeaker came on. They said "The war is over! The Japanese have surrendered." And everybody got out of their bunks and got started yelling." (Audio Interview, part 4, 00:39)

Born on the Navajo Reservation in Coolidge, New Mexico, Alfred K. Newman was sent to the Rehoboth Mission Boarding School at the age of eight, where he was forbidden from speaking Navajo. Serving as a member of the Code Talker team with the 3rd Marine Division, Newman endured months of secretive training, but ultimately spent more time in combat than he did employing his code breaking skills. When news broke of the war's end, Newman found himself like many others, slowly waiting for transport home. On his return from war, he experienced little support or praise for his service as a Navajo Code Talker. Nevertheless, Newman views his time in the military, and the willingness of the Navajo to serve their country, as worthy of remembrance.

Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection

Names

  • Dahl, Nancy
  • Newman Sr., Alfred K.
  • Talking With A Life Remembered

Home State

  • New Mexico

Headings

  • -  Newman Sr., Alfred K.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • American Indian and Alaskan Native

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Unit of Service: 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
    • Location of Service: San Diego, California; New Caledonia; Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Bougainville Island (Solomon Islands); Guam (Mariana Islands); Iwo Jima; Pacific Theater
    • Highest Rank: Private
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a Navajo Code Talker.

Materials

  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-10-21; 2010-10-21)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-10-21; 2010-10-21)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-10-21; 2010-10-21)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-10-21; 2010-10-21)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2010-10-21)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/96428

Cite as

  • Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/96428), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • online text

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:

Dahl, Nancy, Alfred K Newman Sr, and Talking With A Life Remembered. Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.96428/.

APA citation style:

Dahl, N., Newman Sr, A. K. & Talking With A Life Remembered. Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.96428/.

MLA citation style:

Dahl, Nancy, Alfred K Newman Sr, and Talking With A Life Remembered. Alfred K. Newman, Sr. Collection. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.96428/>.