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Marshall (Corporal Raymond) Collection
SC.CRM  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Biographical Information:
  • Scope and Contents
  • Conditions Governing Access:
  • Conditions Governing Use:
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • General
  • Preferred Citation:

  • 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

    Biographical Information:

    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.

    Scope and Contents

    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.

    Conditions Governing Access:

    The collection is open for research use.

    Conditions Governing 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.

    General

    Other Information:
    This collection was purchased with funds generously donated by Gus and Erika Manders.

    Preferred Citation:

    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