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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Dates of Service: 1946-1952
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; 2nd Ranger Company
  • Location of Service: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Georgia; Hawaii; Korea
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/7396

View full service history

"The experience that I remember was parachuting into combat. As you were coming down, you could hear the bullets just whistling by." (Video interview, 33:15)

Kirk P. Adkins volunteered for the Army in 1946, attracted by the adventure that military life offered. Upon hearing that the famed 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (the “Triple Nickels”) was looking for volunteers, Adkins volunteered again. He was a member of the 555th when it was integrated into the 82nd Airborne Division, and after the start of the Korean War he became a member of the all-African American 2nd Ranger Company. In March 1951, he participated in Operation Tomahawk, which entailed the first combat parachute jump by Army Rangers. Then in April, he was severely wounded by shrapnel during the fight for Hill 581, a battle that has gone down in Ranger lore. Despite his wound, and despite the racism and segregation that he faced, Adkins took great pride in his units’ accomplishments and stayed in close contact with those he served with throughout his life.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Kirk P. Adkins Collection

Names

  • Adkins, Kirk P.
  • Taylor, Gemia Layne
  • Flintridge Preparatory School
  • Cooper, Sarah

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • California

Headings

  • -  Adkins, Kirk P.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; 2nd Ranger Company
    • Location of Service: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Georgia; Hawaii; Korea
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1946-1952
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2003-03-11; 2012-11-01)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-03-11; 2012-11-01)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/7396

Online Format

  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Adkins, Kirk P, Gemia Layne Taylor, Flintridge Preparatory School, and Sarah Cooper. Kirk P. Adkins Collection. 1946. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.07396/.

APA citation style:

Adkins, K. P., Taylor, G. L., Flintridge Preparatory School & Cooper, S. (1946) Kirk P. Adkins Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.07396/.

MLA citation style:

Adkins, Kirk P, et al. Kirk P. Adkins Collection. 1946. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.07396/>.