Join us for a two-part presentation at the Carnegie Library by local historian Larry Martin.
Part 1 (September 30, 10 AM): Larry will present his interview with Dr. Eugene Bliel, who fought as an infantryman on the peninsula of Bataan and took part in the Bataan death march for 6 days.
Part 2 (October 21, 10 AM): The interview continues as Dr. Bliel shares his experience as a Japanese prisoner of war for over 3 years.
About WWII In Their Own Words: For almost 20 years, Larry Martin has been recording and sharing WWII oral histories from a variety of perspectives including American servicemen in the Atlantic and Pacific, German citizens, prisoners of war and European freedom fighters. Learn more about Larry’s work at lmww2.com.
Join storyteller Lois Keel as she tells the story of “Hello Girl” Oleda Joure-Christides, a phone operator during the First World War. Oleda was a teenager in Michigan during the war and engaged in the 60 year fight for operators to achieve veteran status.
This event will take place May 27 at 2 PM at the Carnegie Library.
*Update: Due to branch closings, this event has been cancelled.*
Join storyteller Lois Keel as she tells the story of “Hello Girl” Oleda Joure Christides, a phone operator during the First World War. Oleda was a teenage in Michigan during the war and engaged in the 60 year fight for operators to achieve veteran status.
Join us at the Summit Branch to hear about the experiences of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 109. This interactive presentation will include a display of war artifacts, a flag ceremony, and a discussion of military jobs and the culture of the times.
This program is intended for teens and adults. Call 517-783-4030 to register.
Honor the anniversary of Pearl Harbor with a special presentation as part of Larry Martin’s “WWII In Their Own Words.”
Larry will be showing an interview with Jackson Native Herb Elfring, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor.
This event will take place December 8 at 6 PM at the Carnegie Library. You can also watch this program via Zoom and Facebook Live. To join on Zoom, click here.
Join us at the Carnegie Library to see interviews with WWII veterans presented by local historian Larry Martin.
September 10: Charles McClelland was aboard the USS Helena in the Pacific and was involved in naval battles around the Guadalcanal area. The Helena was escorting the USS Juneau away from a battle when the Juneau was hit by a Japanese Torpedo, which sunk the ship in 12 seconds. The Helena was later sunk on July 5, 1943, with Charles spending four days in the water before being washed onto a Japanese-held island.
October 1: Bob Liberty served in the US Navy, and was aboard the naval destroyer USS Tingey. He was in many battles including the Battle of the Philippine Sea (the Marianas Turkey Shoot) as well as the naval battle of Okinawa. The Tingey was also was in what was called “Halsey’s Typhon” which sank four destroyers with the loss of about 750 men with winds at 140 mph and waves 70 feet high.
Join us at the Carnegie Library to see interviews with WWII veterans presented by local historian Larry Martin.
September 10: Charles McClelland was aboard the USS Helena in the Pacific and was involved in naval battles around the Guadalcanal area. The Helena was escorting the USS Juneau away from a battle when the Juneau was hit by a Japanese Torpedo, which sunk the ship in 12 seconds. The Helena was later sunk on July 5, 1943, with Charles spending four days in the water before being washed onto a Japanese-held island.
October 1: Bob Liberty served in the US Navy, and was aboard the naval destroyer USS Tingey. He was in many battles including the Battle of the Philippine Sea (the Marianas Turkey Shoot) as well as the naval battle of Okinawa. The Tingey was also was in what was called “Halsey’s Typhon” which sank four destroyers with the loss of about 750 men with winds at 140 mph and waves 70 feet high.
Join us for a virtual presentation by Laura Tohe Ph.D., the daughter of a Navajo Code Talker. This event will take place on Zoom.
The recording of this program will be available for viewing until August 15. Watch the recording here.
Take-and-make craft kits for making a Navajo style bracelet using colors and symbols that are significant to Navajo culture will be available at all JDL branches starting August 8.
Who are the Navajo Code Talkers? The Navajo Code Talkers are often-forgotten heroes of World War II. The Navajo created an unbreakable code, using their indigenous language to transmit sensitive information during the war. The code helped win the war in the Pacific and, undoubtedly, saved thousands of lives.
Learn about the experiences of those who lived through WWII in an interview presented by local historian Larry Martin at the Carnegie Library.
August 6: Bud Abbott Lt. USN. Bud was a PT boat skipper (the same thing that President Kennedy did during the war). Bud was in the South Pacific at New Guinea and saw a Japanese Kamikaze plane hit a ammunition ship that blew up so violently that it sunk two other ships.
September 10: Charles McClulland was aboard the USS Helena in the Pacific and was involved in naval battles around the Guadalcanal area. The Helena was escorting the USS Juneau away from a battle when the Juneau was hit by a Japanese Torpedo, which sunk the ship in 12 seconds. The Helena was later sunk on July 5, 1943, with Charles spending four days in the water before being washed onto a Japanese-held island.
October 1: Bob Liberty served in the US Navy, and was aboard the naval destroyer USS Tingey. He was in many battles including the Battle of the Philippine Sea (the Marianas Turkey Shoot) as well as the naval battle of Okinawa. The Tingey was also was in what was called “Halsey’s Typhon” which sank four destroyers with the loss of about 750 men with winds at 140 mph and waves 70 feet high.
Larry has interviewed everyone from U.S. veterans, to Hungarian underground fighters, to European citizens. “WWII In Their Own Words” has been presented at JDL for almost 15 years, and we are always proud to partner with Larry on this wonderful program.
Decorate a jar, collect your pennies, and learn about some of Jackson’s WWII veterans!
This program was inspired by the children’s book Pennies in a Jar by Dori Chaconas. The boy in the story is waiting for his father to come home from WWII. While the boy waits, he saves up his pennies to buy his father a gift when comes home.
Stop by any JDL branch starting November 1 to pick up a kit to decorate your own jar to save up your pennies for a person or place that you love.
