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Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material John Curtis Foster, Jr. Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Dates of Service: 1941-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 10th Cavalry Regiment; 624th Port Battalion; Communications Platoon, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Camp Livingston, Louisiana; Camp Hood, and Fort Clark, Texas; Oran; North Africa; Naples, Italy; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/56300

View full service history

"The blacks who fought well in the 92nd were not given proper credit by writers, historians and journalists." (Memoir, page 3)

John Curtis Foster's uncle was a Buffalo Soldier who served in World War I. Young Foster was drafted in 1940 and was part of an artillery brigade when his ability to type landed him a job as company clerk. He arrived in Africa in March 1944 and Naples that summer and saw the arrival of the 370th Combat Team of the 92nd Division. During a period of racial tension with white officers, Foster was transferred to the 370th and became part of a communications platoon, following soldiers into battle and laying wire to stay in touch with other units. In his memoir he writes, "It was hard to see any soldier killed on the battle front. It was devastating to see this happen to someone you knew."

View 45 images in sequence.
[ Memoirs of J. Curtis Foster, Jr. ]

About this Item

Title

  • John Curtis Foster, Jr. Collection

Names

  • Foster Jr., John Curtis
  • Foster, John Curtis

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • California

Headings

  • -  Foster Jr., John Curtis
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • Memoir

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 10th Cavalry Regiment; 624th Port Battalion; Communications Platoon, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Camp Livingston, Louisiana; Camp Hood, and Fort Clark, Texas; Oran; North Africa; Naples, Italy; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1941-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2007)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/56300

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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:

Foster Jr., John Curtis, and John Curtis Foster. John Curtis Foster, Jr. Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.56300/.

APA citation style:

Foster Jr, J. C. & Foster, J. C. (1941) John Curtis Foster, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.56300/.

MLA citation style:

Foster Jr., John Curtis, and John Curtis Foster. John Curtis Foster, Jr. Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.56300/>.