World War II

The further into the past a war or conflict moves, the easier it is for us to forget or lose track of its effects on our community. Oral history collections can provide an especially effective method of combating this loss of awareness. Since the people speaking to us can provide not only an account of the events they experienced, but also what they thought and felt at the time. Beginning in the 1980s, ACHS conducted a series of interviews with Anoka County veterans of World War II. Our collection consists of more than 30 interviews documenting the memories and experiences of these men and women.

Many interviews highlight veterans of the war, but some were conducted with family members or spouses, and a few with residents of the county who were connected to the war in other ways. As you listen to the interviews, please note that sometimes more than one person is being interviewed at the same time, so the same transcript may be linked in multiple ways. A single interview will often cover several topics, and many do not focus solely on WWII. The list is alphabetical by last name of the interviewee(s).

ACHS is working to make all of our interviews available online. We thank you for your patience during this transition phase.

Beck, Frances (2007)
Blase, Douglas (1990)
Bradley, Lyle (1991) (2003)
Brama, John
Butler, Dorothy (2004)
Caswell, Arthur
Collins, Anna (1991)
Conde, John (c. 1990)
Cox, Wesley (2008)
Dehn, Leonard (1991)
Dupre, Melvin (2008)
Erickson, Rex (1990)
Hansen, Donald*
Homicke, Richard*
Houser, Carolyn
Jacobson, Vincent (1991)
Johnson, Audrey (Pat)
Kubat, Edward
Lindstrom, Glen (2005)
Murzyn, John
Nehring, Everett (Ed)
Neros, Jerome
Opem, Elder (2003)
Page, Eleanor (2009)*
Rassmussen, Joseph*
Rivard, Marcell (2008)
Ruffcorn, Ruth (2003)
Sinderson, Shirley
Sorenson, Richard (1991)
Triggs, Charles (1993)
Wyatt, Willis (1990)

*Transcripts are not currently available for these interviews.