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Bruning (John R.) collection
2000C119  
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World War II Veteran Interview Videorecordings 1990-2000

Scope and Contents

Videorecordings on 70 VHS videocassettes.
 

American veterans 1990-2000

Scope and Contents

Per donor emails, interviews conducted with American World War II veterans between 1990 and 2000 (though there does appear to be one interview with a German veteran, Walter Goeckel). Titles taken from labels. 26 VHS videocassettes.
box 1, item 1

Angst, Vern -- B-17 gunner May 3, 2000

box 1, item 2

Barber, Rex -- P-38 pilot, PTO

box 1, item 3

Clancy, Pat

box 1, item 4

Crosby, Ted -- Navy pilot, PTO

box 1, item 5

Crosby, Verne -- US submariner

box 1, item 6

Croteau, Hugh -- B-25 pilot and POW

box 1, item 7

Davidson, Jim -- B-25 gunner and POW, Italy

box 1, item 8-9

Goble, George -- B-25 pilot, Pearl Harbor June 2000

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as being George Goble. Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 1, item 10

Goeckel, Walter -- Herman Goering Div.

box 1, item 11

Heyman, Richard -- P-38 pilot

box 1, item 12

King, Robert -- B-24 gunner, Italian Theater

box 1, item 13

Laird, Diz -- Navy fighter pilot, ETO and PTO

box 2, item 1

May, Richard -- Navy fighter pilot

box 2, item 2

McKeon, Joseph -- Army fighter pilot, Pearl Harbor and PTO

box 2, item 3

McWhorter, "Mac" -- Navy fighter pilot, PTO

box 2, item 4

Moranville, Blake -- Navy F6F pilot, PTO

box 2, item 5

Oliver, Guy -- USMC F4U pilot

box 2, item 6

Reiserer, Russel -- Navy F4F pilot, PTO

box 2, item 7

Runey, William "Bill" A. -- P-40 and 47 pilot

box 2, item 8

Smith, Troy -- P-38 pilot, PTO

box 2, item 9

Thornburg, Bob

box 2, item 10

Van Nada, Jim -- P-39 pilot

box 2, item 11

Voris, Butch -- Navy F4F and F6F pilot, PTO

box 2, item 12

Vraciu, Alex -- Navy fighter pilot, PTO

box 2, item 13

Winthrop, Doc

 

Japanese veterans 1997

Language of Material: Japanese.

Scope and Contents

Interviews with Japanese pilots and airmen conducted in Japan in 1997, in Japanese. Interviewees include veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack, Midway, Guadalcanal and other Pacific campaigns. Titles taken from labels. 22 VHS videocassettes.
box 3, item 1

Abe, Zenji -- VAL pilot

box 3, item 2

Ino, Takashi -- Type 97/Shien/Kamikaze pilot

box 3, item 3

Kimura, Hideo -- Base Service Officer

box 3, item 4

Komanshi, Sadamu -- Zero pilot

box 3, item 5

Konishi, Iwao -- Recon Floatplane pilot

box 3, item 6

Maeda, Takeshi -- KATE pilot

box 3, item 7

Maruo, Hozumi -- Kamikaze pilot trainee

box 3, item 8

Maruyama, Taisuke -- KATE/Type 97/Ginga pilot

box 3, item 9

Matsuda, Saiji -- Army Arty/MP Officer at Rabaul

box 3, item 10

Oguro, Shin-Ichi -- Human Torpedo pilot

box 3, item 11

Okazawa, Soichiro -- Aircraft mechanic

box 3, item 12

Onishi, Sadaaki --Zero-Kan (floatplane) pilot

box 3, item 13

Shiga, Yoshio -- Zero pilot

box 4, item 1

Sugano, Hiroya -- kid, story of Shenga Shrine

box 4, item 2

Takahara, Marekuni -- Ki-97 Emily crewman

box 4, item 3

Takahashi, Kinzo -- Ki-97 Emily pilot

box 4, item 4

Tamura, Heiji -- KATE middle seat

box 4, item 5

Tanaka, Kikuo -- Army Air Unit Service Officer

box 4, item 6

Watanabe, Makio -- Aircraft mechanic/Java Police

box 4, item 7

Yamada, Ryoichi -- Shiden/Shidenkai pilot

box 4, item 8

Yoshida, Jiro -- Pilot trainee

box 4, item 9

Yoshino, Haru -- KATE middle seat

 

German veterans 1993

Language of Material: In German and English.

Scope and Contents

Interviews with some of the top surviving U-boat commanders conducted in Germany in 1993, in German and English. Titles taken from labels. 22 VHS videocassettes.
box 4, item 10

U-boat 995 ; Kretchmer (1)

box 4, item 11

Kretchmer (2) ; Hess

box 4, item 12

Kretchmer

box 4, item 13

Gehr Thater ; Hess

box 4, item 14

Gehr Thater

box 5, item 1-2

Hardegan/Thater

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "Hardegan/Thater." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 5, item 3

Thater and Game

Scope and Contents

Label on VHS videocassette also notes: "Plus alternate audio version of Kretchmer and Game from tape 11A."
box 5, item 4-7

Kretchmer

General

Two VHS videocassettes, noted here as tapes 4-5, that are both labeled as "Kretchmer" (also labeled by the donor as number 5 and 9/10). Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole. There are two more VHS videocassettes, noted here as tapes 6-7, that are also both labeled as "Kretchmer" (but, per the donor, as number 6 and 11/11A). Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 5, item 8-9

End of Kretchmer/top sub exterior

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "End of Kretchmer/top sub exterior." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 5, item 10

Hess/sub

box 6, item 1

Hess/sub

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "Hess/sub." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 6, item 2-3

U955/Van Oesten

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "U995/Van Oesten." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 6, item 4-5

Westphalen/Grapp

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "Westphalen/Grapp." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
box 6, item 6-7

Germany interviews/U995 interior

General

Two VHS videocassettes that are both labeled as "Germany interviews/U995 interior." Unclear from label if they are duplicates or parts of a whole.
 

Miscellaneous Videorecordings undated

Scope and Contents

Videorecordings on three VHS videocassettes.
box 6, item 8

Warbirds B-17, Tape 1 undated

Scope and Contents

Donor's label on tape case reads: "Warbirds - B-17, low res., window dub, Tape 1, raw footage." Label on tape itself reads: "Thunderbolt, Window Dub."
box 6, item 9

Warbirds B-17, Tape 2 undated

Scope and Contents

Donor's labels on tape case and tape read: "Warbirds - B-17, window dub, Tape 2, 'The Memphis Belle' - 42:00."
box 6, item 10

Unlabeled tape undated

Scope and Contents

Donor's note on tape case, written lightly in pencil, reads: "Historical footage spliced in."
box 7

CDs undated

Scope and Contents

Twelve CDs. Ten of them are unlabeled, but are believed to contain photographs. Of the remaining two, one is labeled "National Archives Images - Pacific War, Volume 1," and the other is labeled "UMF 223 War Diary."
 

World War II Photographs 1940s

Scope and Contents

World War II-era photographs taken by some of the interviewed veterans and given to John Bruning at the time of the interviews.
box 7, folder 1

Landscape and architecture 1940s

box 7, folder 2

People 1940s

box 7, folder 3

Vehicles and equipment 1940s

box 7, folder 4

Ephemera 1940s

Scope and Contents

Consists of a cut-out article, "'Chute Program Begins For 45-C;" a blank delinquency report with the name J.E. Gabrio at the top; a bill from the King Cotton hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina for J.E. Gabrio; and a map of Paris.
 

Photocopies of National Archives Records 1939-1944

box 7, folder 5

Reports re: Japanese forces and American aviation strategy 1939-1944

Scope and Contents

These photocopies of records from the National Archives include intelligence reports about Japanese forces at the start of America's entry into World War II and American aviation strategy prior to World War II.
box 7, folder 6

War diary of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron Two Forty-One June 1942

onsite digital

Digital Photographs and Videorecordings 2001-2010

General Physical Description note: 37,364 digital files (486 GB)

Scope and Contents note

These born-digital, color images depict US National Guard units deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In some cases, descriptions of the events and activities depicted were written by Bruning and are included in the digital folder with the images. Several related articles by Bruning are also included.
The directory structure, folder names, and file names were retained by Hoover almost exactly as received from Bruning. The directory structure consists of folders with descriptive names; it is the basis of the container list below. Some of the digital file names are also descriptive, though many others follow an alphanumeric form generated by the camera, such as SUC50007.jpg. Because the descriptive folder and file names were very long, occasionally exceeding the file system limit of some operating systems, and contained many characters not recommended for file names, Hoover staff slightly altered some of them while retaining their descriptive nature.
Some folders are noted as being empty. Because Bruning was not able to finish arranging and describing the material, Hoover retained the empty folders in case they provide clues to some of the photographs that lack description. There is also a lot of duplication of images in different subfolders, which may represent Bruning's unfinished work of sorting, arranging, and describing the materials.
Some of the folder titles seem to suggest that the images within were created by someone other than Bruning. He probably collected copies of some photographs taken by people he met. The photographs in the Devils Sandbox folder were all given to Bruning by soldiers.
Several types of digital files are in the collection. Photographs are primarily JPG. Many of the JPGs also have a higher-quality CR2 version, but only the JPG versions are available in the reading room. There are also some TIFs, all of which are available in the reading room. Video recordings are typically short clips available as MOV or AVI files. Bruning's notes and articles are in MS Word files; a PDF file with background information on the Haqqani Network is also included.
 

Devils Sandbox photos 2003-2005

General Physical Description note: circa 150 digital files

Scope and Contents note

These selected photographs taken by soldiers and given to Bruning detail the 2003-2005 deployment of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, Oregon National Guard to Iraq. The battalion fought in Baghdad, 2nd Najaf, the Sunni Triangle, and Fallujah from March 2004 to March 2005. They suffered 9 killed in action and about 80 wounded in action out of 700. They were heavily engaged during both Shia uprisings that year as well as the 2nd Battle of Fallujah in November.
 

41st Infantry Brigade in New Orleans Post-Katrina 2005

General Physical Description note: circa 1,600 digital files

Scope and Contents note

These photographs and video recordings relate to the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, Oregon National Guard, which was deployed to North Central New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. For a month, the men conducted patrols and searched for survivors and human remains. Bruning deployed with them as a civilian embed, living with them on a concrete walkway in front of the music hall at the New Orleans Baptist Seminary.
 

Operation Southern Comfort

 

Albany Herald

 

B Co photos Sept 7 and 8 my Cam 7-8 September 2005

 

Bates camera Sept 11 evening patrol met Mimi first time 11 September 2005

 

Corvallis Times Article

 

Day patrol Indian Village Sept 10 morning and early afternoon B Co 2nd Plt 10 September 2005

 

FG Times

 

IO article Sept 14 14 September 2005

 

Lt BAB camera

 

Lt Miller camera patrol with BS Sept 9 morning 9 September 2005

 

Monday Sept 12 3 Patrols Bravo Co 12 September 2005

 

Night patrol number 1 Vinnie Dave John Sept 9 2100-2200 9 September 2005

 

Photos of the historian

 

Sept 8 and 9 8-9 September 2005

General note

Folder is empty.
 

Sept 9 patrol escort with Charlie 9 September 2005

General note

Folder is empty.
 

Sept 11 2 bus patrols 5 hours 1st Plt SFC Jacques 11 September 2005

 

Sept 13 night patrol and Dillard Patrol 1st and 2nd PLt 13 September 2005

 

Sept 15 3 patrols SFC Jacques Tagging 15 September 2005

General note

Folder is empty.
 

Sept 15 morning patrol Houston 3rd Plt 15 September 2005

General note

Folder is empty.
 

September 18 late photos 18 September 2005

General note

Folder is empty.
 

Woodke photos

General note

Folder is empty.
 

41st Infantry Brigade Training 2008-2010

General Physical Description note: circa 15,800 digital files

Scope and Contents note

Bruning founded and funded the 973rd Civilians on the Battlefield (973 COB), a nonprofit organization. This group of civilians serves as the Oregon National Guard's (ONG) opposing force during drill weekends and field exercises. They dress as Sunni or Shia or Taliban insurgents, use the appropriate tactics depending on whom they are modeling, and help prepare units for combat and stability/support operations overseas. These training photographs and video recordings come from field exercises with the 41st or 82nd Brigades, ONG that the 973rd attended. In August 2008, Bruning spent a month with Alpha Company, 2-162 at Gowen Field, Idaho, during the unit's final field training exercise before their second Iraq deployment, and images from this time are also included.
 

100EOS7D

 

101CANON

 

101EOS7D

 

DCIM

 

Gowen field trip August 2008

 

A Co Aug 11 village attack 11 August 2008

 

August 12 activities

 

Additional B Co photos iteration 3 Aug 10 3 August 2008

 

Also rans

 

Aug 12 A Co. village attack 12 August 2008

 

Medics

 

Rigs and maint

 

Staff photos Aug 8 8 August 2008

 

Travels with the BC and the TAC

 

August 13 last trip photos 13 August 2008

 

Idaho trip day 1 and 2 7-8 August 2008

 

New folder

 

Oregon NG photos July 8 John Bruning 8 July 2008

 

Promotion ceremony

 

Edited TIF files BG David Enyeart 8 July 2008

 

Unedited photos BG David Enyeart 8 July 2008

 

Promotion ceremony Major Welch 8 July 2008

 

Saturday Aug 9 Gowen Field 08 9 August 2008

 

Alpha Co

 

Bn TOC and staff

 

Bravo Co

 

Charlie Co

 

Delta Co

 

General

 

Scout Platoon

 

Sunday August 10 B Co village assault Gowen Field 10 August 2008

 

Guard

 

100EOS7D

 

A photos

 

B photos

 

C photos

 

Dups

 

Mike

 

Ox

 

Afghanistan Fall 2010

General Physical Description note: circa 19,700 digital files

Scope and Contents note

These photographs and video recordings document the deployment to Afghanistan of Bravo Company, 1-168 Aviation, a Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy lift unit from Pendleton, Oregon. Another part of the unit came from the Washington National Guard and stationed at Fort Lewis. The two detachments were merged and sent to FOB Shank in the summer of 2010 to conduct operations around Logar, Wardak, and Gahzni provinces. Bruning joined them at Fort Hood in July of 2010 and was with them until early August, when they deployed. Bruning joined Bravo 1-168 at FOB Shank on 5 September. The next day he began flying missions with the unit, which was attached to TF Brawler, 4-3 Aviation, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. Mixed in with 1-168 were men and women from 5-158 Aviation, "Big Windy," out of Germany. They were at the end of their deployment and Bruning ultimately left Shank with them in November 2010.
Bravo 1-168 flew a variety of missions, including Air Mission Requests (AMRs). These routine requests from ground units were for personnel movement or supply/equipment deliveries. They usually involved hopscotching around the province to different FOBs to bring stuff in or pull people out. The unit also conducted air assault missions to insert troops into landing zones and extract them after their missions were complete. It also flew missions to deliver swing sets to local villages as part of the COIN (counter-insurgency) campaign to connect citizens in rural areas to their government in Kabul, carried ballots and election officials to remote villages, and participated in a battalion-level night air assault in the Charkh Valley.
Bruning also captured some other events. In mid-October he flew to FOB Leatherneck and embedded with the 162 Engineers, Oregon National Guard, for its final route clearance mission. Bruning returned to FOB Shank at the end of October. His final images document his departure from Afghanistan on November 1. He went out with 5-158 to FOB Sharona, then to Kandahar, where he said goodbye to the "Big Windy" troops. From there he flew via C-17 to Kuwait, and then to Bilad, Iraq. He caught a medical flight to Ramstein, Germany, then a final C-17 that stopped at Gander, Canada, before landing at McChord AFB, Washington, which he reached five days after leaving FOB Shank.
 

Articles and blog entries

 

Marne Air 3rd CAB backgroud to deployment

 

Nature of the enemy in Logar Province

Scope and Contents note

Consists of one item, "The Haqqani Network: From Pakistan to Afghanistan," by Jeffrey A. Dressler, in Afghanistan Report 6, published by the Institute for the Study of War
 

Non-Mission in-country photographs

 

100310 flight line shots on Sunday

 

October 16 2010 with 162 Engineers FOB Leatherneck 16 October 2010

 

October 17 2010 with 162 Engineers 17 October 2010

 

October 19 2010 with 162 Engineers brief 19 October 2010

 

October 26 2010 flight line at sunset 26 October 2010

 

Numbered missions

 

Mission 00 090510 flight to Shank from Bagram with 1-168 5 September 2010

 

Mission 01 090610 RPG attack at Tangi 6 September 2010

 

Mission 02 090710 swing set 7 September 2010

 

Mission 03 090810 Tangi twice weapons cache 8 September 2010

 

Mission 04 090910 sling loads at sunrise 9 September 2010

 

Anson Smith and Captain Hoffman pilots

 

Mission 05 091010 face of the enemy 10 September 2010

 

Morning air assault John and Joe single engine 173 abb I flew with Eric and Kyle

 

Mission 06 091110 swing wet II 11 September 2010

 

Morning swing set delivery and afternoon air assault pick up with Apaches

 

Mission 07 091210 John Joe Carmen air assault Tangi slingload twice 12 September 2010

 

Mission 08 091510 Afghani commando insertion Bob and Anson chalk 2 Eric and Kyle chalk 1 15 September 2010

 

Mission 09 091610 Joe and Carmen chalk 1 15k, ballots, hinds 16 September 2010

 

Mission 10 091710 Polish FOB incident 17 September 2010

 

Mission 11 091810 election day mayhem 18 September 2010

 

Mission 12 091910 hot LZ Ageristan Bob and Carmen got mortared and zoo on hilltop with ANA and LN 19 September 2010

 

Mission 13 092210 Shulak air assault and knock and talk 22 September 2010

 

Mission 14 092310 battalion air assault in Chark Valley flying with LTC Ault 23 September 2010

 

Mission 15 092610 Bagram Tangi IED and SAF attack and Kyle's act of bravery 26 September 2010

 

Intel

 

Mission 16 092910 Bob and Anson Ryan, Sully and Jerrik Tangi SAF 29 September 2010

 

Mission 17 093010 flight to Altimur Czech heavy weapons shoot 30 September 2010

 

Mission 18 100410 Sorkh Ab Valley with Czechs 4 October 2010

 

Mission 19 100810 Bob and Anson Sully and Sgt Pollard sunrise over Chinooks ghazni and slingloads plus water to Tangi 8 October 2010

 

Mission 20 100910 Hoshnapur KLE 9 October 2010

 

Mission 21 101310 KLE Sorkh Ab Caccas house for tea and lunch 13 October 2010

 

Mission 22 102010 route cleance to COP Cryptic 162 Engineers 20 October 2010

 

Mission 23 Blackhearts - Col Ault's grand tour

 

Mission 24 103110 brawler 6 Charkh Valley 31 October 2010

 

Mission 25 110110 exfil with Big Windy to Kandahar via Sharona 31 October 2010

 

C17 Kandahar to Kuwait to Bilad to Ramstein to Gandar to McChord

 

Pre-Deployment 1-168 training photos

 

Bravo 1-168 at Ft Hood predeployment training