Interview with Charles F. Kilgore, WWII veteran. CCSU Veterns History Project

Description

Interview conducted by Eileen Hurst. Kilgore enlisted with the National Guard in 1937. When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, he became activated with the US Army. When he began basic training in the army, he was promoted to sergeant and then sent to Officer Candidate School. He quickly moved up through the ranks and was promoted to first lieutenant shortly after completing OCS. He was transferred to Foggia, Italy where he remained for almost 2 yrs, and was responsible for the ordnance supply and maintenance company. This company was responsible for making sure the infantry had enough machine guns, ammunition, and bombs (among other things) to fight the ongoing battles in Italy. Kilgore was the commanding officer of this company and describes what had to be accomplished in such a position, and the living conditions that the soldiers were met with. He arrived home in December of 1945, but remained in the reserves. In the fall of 1950, he was called to serve because of the Korean War, but remained in the United States where he worked at Fort Dix. He was discharged in the spring of 1950 partly due to his family obligations. Kilgore then worked as a construction supervisor and owned his own house building business in Connecticut. He joined the VFW in 1948, and is still an active member, having recently assisted with the building of a war monument in Avon, CT.

Keywords

CCSU, VHP, WWII, WW2, veteran, interview, oral history, Interactive transcript

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