Oral History Interview: Jesse Dowell of Champaign

                                    
Pop Up Archive Item: “Oral History Interview: Jesse Dowell of Champaign” : https://www.popuparchive.com/collections/3496/items/24993

Transcript for file: jessedowell2008-03-14.mp3

00:00:00

you’re saying that Air Force flying b-29 

2904 ground and I forgot that you were flying off the water you are a sucker 

 

flying boat but that’s alright PB flying boat PBM 

it was a big bomber almost to big is a 29 min aqua lite 29 was the biggest bomb and bomber hat 

how long have these boats flying boats been in service how long have they been 

00:00:30

Alexis a 1930 s oh so they have been available throughout the war 

how to ward off throughout the war and before that the one before the flu in 

when was a PBY Catalina real picture ask your friend in 

movies in Pearl Harbor will see when im blown up 

klonopin on fire has a real highway metal when I take off the water dandruff 

has twins and a single tail and back 

in the back of the P by other two bubbles on each side and underneath bubble 

00:01:05

members are playing replace that one is larger engines could fly I fly faster 

faster wifi longer and harder to get more bombs L 

the soul they were very valuable because I didn’t have to have a Land Raider 

very much weight could not a dude have not be that we are 

what we actually fluently call him in 5 years on the side 

Legoland Orlando or water on the P by 

I think some of the PBS out of mind I never heard they did 

00:01:40

 

uses that they had been made for during the war up until what time you run 

what other things are they doing on there very versatile they used 

use them for all the invasions that fly off out of gun range 

tumblr Air Force pilots get shot down then they would fly into fire 

fire and try to rescue the Panther shot down 

president senior President Bush shot down in a torpedo bomber 

00:02:15

and1 invasions his assignment at Dania thats a small plane 

playing just had a gun is right behind him in the morning and amazing 

and then I drop torpedoes only get rid of razor bumps head going in tamale Islands 

tableau download radio let’s medications 

station and them and got hit on the way out and then 

and he went down unfortunately both both of his gunners 

drowned but he got out somehow we send a bbm pin by that time 

00:02:50

m to go get him and they got him I’m going back to the carrier and Ives 

and I’ve seen the pictures of him getting on the car walkaround 

el atlakat do air sea rescue they call them and they did all kinds of things delivered mail 

hold a system of the submarine controls off the Atlantic coast 

I guess they flew off the coast 

ghost River all over the world play on off of work 

Buffalo water all over the world show coming back to collage 

00:03:25

July August of 1945 so were you aware of that 

big inflation was going to be so many weeks away is that or was it 

we were told that they didnt Ellis lot of things because the number to word lookup 

what he did as a synonym to less than summer 45 

reyli Ronin training for just getting organized to leave 

SMS I’m a mess in their room Brinker announces 

what the word leak out the invasion November 1st but when was going to be 

00:04:00

you’re not going to be told they are we doing your order says I don’t want the word licking out on 

so you find out when you get the sky so after the second 

the current atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki what was happening on but I want to be how did the info 

does the information get back to you and what was the reaction 

all I know when we have left the states that we weren’t Corpus Christi 

crystal and I know we partied all night long 

nowhere safe all the bars are open everything with white open toe 

00:04:35

sunrise how many had a good time 

I wish I was hoping you to fly one mission and lives in the war ended 

call me Mom I’m and I was totally secret this 

totally circus Soleil say so they were giving you the plans are we going to go to San 

go to San Diego on the older Plains and then to the island 

missed the last very interesting we’re going to play the older planes 

24mm to San Diego in the Navy Air pilot tonight 

00:05:10

send some of those ever going to fly new ones with bigger engines from the 

from the director from the factory to San Diego and then we’re going to fly the new ones 

Honolulu little 5 year old ones I didn’t flying combat boot into love 

did lot of work in the country club New Orleans back Corpus Christi 

poem what the hell Amazon bluray to go 

hello call me back if not recovered from the celebrations in its heyday 

what happens now what do they do with the cruise ship a train so well 

00:05:45

what did you do will did nothing what you do with Obama do in the snow 

the bump I’m for some reason I dislike made to be on the public 

public address system for the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi 

black and white b so I was on the PA system public addresses 

best system from the time I could fly 

until I received orders to go to Great Lakes 

removing people out to some base closest to their home to be discharged 

00:06:20

the promises we all be discharged within a year so we can start college the following year 

when September ends with M 

hurricane approached Corpus 

Corpus Christi and them from the Atlantic Ocean 

and we were flying her new Big Time PB forward to that sell navy version 

version of the b-24 into the eyes of a lever tracking 

when the relay the message back to the commanding officer of a base 

00:06:55

when he was sending memos and I was reading the memos to the personnel on the 

on the base and them forever 21 

leptospirosis all of us he said that it said that if the heart 

hurricane stays on a current path the Iowa hit us about midnight 

this was the middle after noon picking up a little 

the little bit he said everybody go eat like I said supper and then there 

give you something for breakfast and then you’re going to go back and stay in your barracks 

00:07:30

they’re built to withstand hurricanes Loma coach lines mmm pizza 

50 IDUs it is it’s going to be real quiet for 15 or 20 minutes 

30 minutes then all the sudden the window hit you coming the opposite direction 

no one laughs as loud as left side of a power lines down in Louisiana 

Millis telephone to lose everything that’s exactly what happened 

did hit in the head about midnight the idea 

and then he said it will sound the siren when they all clear when I had a break 

00:08:05

will have liquid have personnel on getting electric lines picked up and then 

you can go to breakfast or lunch but that stay in the barracks to hear the sirens 

now it my all if you were there planes of the bases what is a good place to eat 

we had them with the flying boats 

when I was in Will Smith land planes and I guess it sounds 

son forcefully with all the land planes flew the Schnitt failed and I was hoping to get a ride home 

I want to have to get lonely I am flying boots with 

00:08:40

what’s meant to be a big lake in the northern part of Texas someone I don’t remember name and city 

wake up before they can be taken out of danger and they were here they were the Beatles 

Bertolli destroy jelly roll taking out the base survive without any three centuries 

not a single engine turned off yeah I don’t know what buildings were as promised is a word 

have they been bad was the best one built for World War 2 arrested 

longer life based on think of Moceanu buildings 

brother replace tall buildings in Arbutus well as having very very very very start in 

00:09:15

they was there ever designed for that 

good job tell you were a training room 

where you also affiliated with some of the veterans who have gone through some of these 

missions and give you some experiences all of our instructors had been to combat 

and so we believe them and then 

Titleist lot of details special training 

depending on what to do if it will force that looks like a 25000 

00:09:50

thousand feet on a different kind of omission 

when you get shot down don’t know me a parachute to your dad about 10,000 feet 

if you open your shoot it 25000 N Dale can freeze your lungs and 

Avant also some of my been shot down 

cut down a few of them and put in prison escape what will your name them 

bottom out like they did the presence of some of them in the Philippines 

Elysium Japanese or treating the Flyers Rashad 

00:10:25

shut down tablet all we had to give them as are now 

name alright alright in an Enercell number 

what the first question they said they’ll ask you why you came from where 

did you come off an aircraft carrier off of land we want to go to Troy 

and if you don’t tell us we’re going to cut off your hearing 

yeah that’ll be your breakfast these are the stories they told us 

in the end we were told him tell him that you want to tell him just so what is the truth 

00:11:00

the sword if not I came off of their 60’s located 3000 miles 

southwestern North Pole or whatever you want to tell him 

maybe a little more feasible now but still not the truth in something diners leave them 

try not to get beat up too much like 

syndrome Arizona dead in Vietnam 

were there some tactics with a visor the reserve suprising you would’ve thought 

what’s older wiser terms of the flying in combat 

00:11:35

combat missions in the like Noah Gibson 

 

complains if your over Japan gets shot down 

don’t open your shoe to get out about 550 when was after menstration 

animal I have no idea harboring 

Japan we have no idea where will Soto is how to tell if you got shot 

shut down at high altitude which is the Highet admissions 

00:12:10

Manuel Neuer shooting ten thousand feet I have no idea what you’re going to 

China or Japan or some other iPhones around 

itonis how to tell a difference in the Chinese and Japanese by other weather sandals I forgot the detail 

the details but one of my foot this must read between the big toe next to him 

the other countries that dont think like you 

where were we will train where were we’re ready for combat 

so part of the training included the survivor if you were actually parachute 

00:12:45

how to survive on your own and then we had extensive training in that 

if you go if you get shot in the water 

zeros in the air go down and stay down long as you can 

can a man get some air then go back down and though 

so you didn’t Fletcher by fast until after they went away 

I never have complete mind but the 

hard to go I guess I guess what they said was when you first hit the water go down 

00:13:20

go down under and then come up and look around and see if you 

can see any planes in the sky and if I don’t know right now that are some don’t know by now 

that’s what I was thinking make sense right exactly 

how tall is Howie and white Otis this but if I if there’s all 

oiled up on top of you and it’s on fire how to make a hole 

breath of air in a swimming on a Nissan 

longboard Shifta I wasn’t part of a training 

00:13:55

short acting scripts her like that it might occur I suppose huh 

so you are you couldn’t get a ride to Rantoul 

still in Florida 

guaranteed you to be out with a year and a day long with it actually how long it actually take 

I took a year to get all of us out and I would I got the civil ball beeg 

home by August 20th August 20th to 17th 

how do you get overseas ahead about 0.5 12 12.10 

00:14:30

what’s one month and that was that will they send me the Great Lakes 

Panda being there is the nearest naval base to be discharged 

there’s a mouse in on the bulletin board one day we need 33 

Aviation ordnanceman for the volunteer to go to the beginning 

adult test of the atomic bomb Tyga 

random 

Sao Paulo Lima somebody go to Woodbury outlet near Seattle first Thursday 

00:15:05

does aviation ordnanceman help with ships 

how does a primitive Sargon I was on board the ship that dick in Michigan 

 

Great Lakes they’re asking for people to volunteer to be part of this and you will you 

you wish you were there shipped out to Washington to do this when I went to Washington first 

intel4u is the oldest person nothing 

nothing I just I just had the rating of the front of a sergeant number to me Wiley Road Commission 

00:15:40

what jobs are there signs your husband is hot 

ships there everybody Commission they would pull them into storage summer on the west coast 

and my job with it take from the decommissioning also the ring of keys 

men get a boy to be commissioned ship with no power no nothing and they would toi 

what toy in the storage room when I get to receiving officer he would come on board 

bored take the keys going to KMC what’s leaking in love with my job 

the one that one day a week that’s all I work hard so you don’t have to do at disarming or other things 

00:16:15

other things that orbits people might 20k know somebody else is done that and then they have 

Matt Smith I want a baby snorts when to go to Bikini Atoll but you 

but you have it extend for hearing you get promoted to lunch 

experiment putting that took over an island took the people off of it 

does a lot of the oldest ship still want to get rid of and place them one mile 2 miles 5 miles outside 

submarines to see what effect atomic bomb went ham on chips 

and then but I don’t want to spend 4 years so I decided to get discharge 

00:16:50

discharge come back to University of Illinois maybe that was a big city 

big savings cuz I see some of the people at their tall were exposed to the radio 

radiation from the bottom by have heard that the time of my life problems 

problems in the world ever I don’t have the details but I like to do whatever 

maybe didn’t somebody observers want me to close by 

faraway so you’re in Washington in your discharge 

did they fire back the Great Lakes for now I got discharged in Washington 

00:17:25

filibuster came home do they pay for the bus I pay this far mileage is OK 

 

Mercedes 300 how we came home and I shape 

how did your classmates fare from most of them coming home at the same time 

all of them what we have won all about 1 in hell 

the head of the state in which amount going to law school and then went back to become a lawyer 

oil service alarm came home from a non with no injuries with laptop 

00:18:00

No No Kill on Android how do you say cure 

is a cure generation of the high school class look back on this experience and how it affected 

will we have a class reunion actually I’m not disgusted 

thing one was a paratrooper I got wounded land on d-day the longest day 

longest in Europe when was an invasion of a island in the Pacific 

civic and Haven Florida holding on so much about it I just 

you’re the lifter of Memphis on main thing how 

00:18:35

it is surprising to me though I’ve asked him 

high school kids grandchildren 

so much about World War 2 ended in a great job here I want him said to me well then rejoin 

region of Italy to fight the Russians 

I need to have an art class sum sum up World War 2 

Libya Harrisonville some hurt when were Chevrolet Irwin death 

summer 4300 Oliveira 

00:19:10

making plans take it to the head on a Japanese house 

how tall is the Civic west of Hawaiian Islands 

northern New Zealand part of China and they had actually invited 

Islands in Alaska I’m here for that amount 

so what’s all of the vagina penis for exactly 

so we were trying to win that thing but then it sunny 

workout one other thing that you might 

00:19:45

Trader Joes Ranchos is the impact of this on the GI Bill on your classmate 

if you say went back to the class of 33 and Mohammed high school 

how many of them went on to the University of Illinois versus the glasses 40 

43 MB affect the war had on them get a feel for that I do I don’t think any of them 

College what I know of well no one 

but after that I know several people that came back 

Ambac University of Illinois Joe and Ernie’s 

00:20:20

we had people in NR pledge class 16 hours from 8:15 to 3 

the 30th to say 31 and not something I got Craigslist 33 

K&N 57 said they would never have been able to go to college 

I got nothing for the GI Bill Roosevelt design that I guess 

yes and hysteria was that Miller not much more money 

more money and pay more income taxes and more than offset the cost of going to college Western Auto 

classic 33 menu 

00:20:55

many of them have no way of travelling whereas your classmates have been to Europe 

the girl from Japan to give yourself and so I gave him a different 

different horizon at this how we came back home the service 

loyal Americans have always thought and I know it 

financially probably impossible but if you can send them 

all the boys I finish high school in the service for 6 weeks or 8 weeks 

infinite money when the world will come back home 

00:21:30

much more loyal citizens are there no more than a boy that I love him even though 

singing alone Ireland Scotland Germany and others 

have a great experience Franklin I was a wonderful experience do you have any other thoughts 

do you like to share with us as we conclude your interview well 

well I’m not really I think you don’t a wonderful thing and I hope they 

hope they can pull it down to save 1 hour TV pro 

reprogrammer programming schooling in the summer in high school 

00:22:05

show about ww2 about and I think you alone 

what’s up everybody’s been in the service centers country star has done 

that’s done for them and that that’s not a good country to great country 

I think that’s what up what I say thank you for your services if I was a member of that generation 

price of talk to you yes sir thank you 

don’t get up until we get unhooked ok