Guide to the Corporal Raymond Marshall Collection
Special Collections & Archives
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California State University, Northridge
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Northridge, CA 91330-8326
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Contact: https://library.csun.edu/SCA/Contact
© Copyright 2020 Special Collections & Archives. All rights reserved.
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Corporal Raymond Marshall Collection
Creator:
Marshall, Raymond
Identifier/Call Number: SC.CRM
Extent:
0.21 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1942-1945
Abstract: Raymond Marshall was an
African-American US Army Air Corps Corporal who served in World War II, before military
service branches in the US were desegregated. Marshall was assigned to an Air Base Security
Battalion unit comprised of black enlisted men under the command of a white officer. He
served in the Pacific Theater, spending time in Hawaii and on other islands, including
Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, among others. The Corporal Raymond Marshall Collection
documents Marshall's experiences in the war, and consists of a single diary Marshall used
from 1942-1945, including several pieces of ephemera and clippings he tucked between the
pages.
Language of Material: English
Raymond Marshall was a US Army Air Corps Corporal who served in World War II. As an
African-American man serving in the US military before it was desegregated, Marshall was
assigned to an Air Base Security Battalion unit comprised of black enlisted men under the
command of a white officer. Marshall was originally from Gilmer, Texas, and entered the Army
in September of 1942 aged 21 years. He served in the Pacific Theater, and was awarded the
Good Conduct Medal in February 1945.
The
Corporal Raymond Marshall Collection documents Marshall's
experiences as an African-American man serving in an all-black unit under a white officer in
the US Army during World War II. The collection consists of a single diary Marshall used
from 1942-1945, and several pieces of ephemera and clippings he tucked between the pages.
His entries, many of which begin "Dear Mr. Diary," include descriptions of Marshall's jungle
and amphibious training on Hawaii; his presence at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, the Solomon
Islands, the Marshall Islands, Okinawa, and other locations in the Pacific; and more mundane
details including visits to the dentist, the weather, homesickness, bouts of sea sickness,
and submarine sightings and attacks.
In his diary, Marshall describes celebrating Christmas in 1943 and Thanksgiving in 1945,
as well as the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945, Victory in Europe Day
in May 1945, and Victory Over Japan Day in August 1945. The diary includes descriptions of
air raids, Marshall's participation in a Court Martial in 1945, the deaths of his fellow
soldiers and officers, and seeing Japanese soldiers in prison camps. A few entries are
written by Marshall's friend James P. Moore. The diary's final entry is dated December 1,
1945, and describes Marshall's return to the United States after the war's conclusion on
December 1, 1945. Ephemera in the collection includes pieces of Japanese currency, meal and
ration cards, a gun crew pass, Marshall's Motor Vehicle Operator's Permit, a luau ticket,
Marshall's Order of the Golden Dragon card marking the date he first crossed the
International Date Line, and other materials.
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 10/10/2016.
Other Information:
This collection was purchased with funds generously donated by Gus and Erika Manders.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Documents
Box 1, Folder 1
Clippings
Box 1, Folder 2
Diary, 1942-1945
Box 1, Folder 3
Ephemera
Box 1, Folder 4
Foreign currency
Box 1, Folder 5
Meal and ration cards
Box 1, Folder 6
US Navy ephemera