Topic: History

Ralph Wagner Woolard, Veteran with the U.S. Army 36th Infantry Division 142d Regiment 3rd Battalion, served from April 1943 to October 5, 1945. He was in an intelligence squad and his highest rank at the end of the war was Staff Sergeant. Ralph Woolard was in combat for the majority of his service in Europe except for recuperation from wounds (twice). He saw action in some of the bitterest battles in Italy, France, Germany and Austria (for example Monte Cassino, Selestat, on the Siegfried Line). His decorations are two Purple Hearts with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantry Badge.

Merlin Taber served during World War II, not in the military, but as a conscientious objector in the Civilian Public Service. His Quaker upbringing shaped his decision to seek an alternative to military service. During the war, Taber built roads, fought forest fires, cared for patients in a mental hospital and served as a test subject for medical research. He talks about his experiences—and the reasons for his pacifist response to war.

Merle Roughton of Urbana, Illinois discusses his involvement in World War II, beginning with the National Guard 106th Cavalry which were horse troops with heavy machine guns. He later served in Panama, attended mechanics school at Fort Raleigh, then went to Europe and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Ralph Wagner Woolard, Veteran with the U.S. Army 36th Infantry Division 142d Regiment 3rd Battalion, served from April 1943 to October 5, 1945. He was in an intelligence squad and his highest rank at the end of the war was Staff Sergeant. Ralph Woolard was in combat for the majority of his service in Europe except for recuperation from wounds (twice). He saw action in some of the bitterest battles in Italy, France, Germany and Austria (for example Monte Cassino, Selestat, on the Siegfried Line). His decorations are two Purple Hearts with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantry Badge.