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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953; World War, 1939-1945; Cold War
  • Dates of Service: 1946-1959; 1939-1959; 1950-1954
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Service Unit/Ship: USS Cassin (DD 372); USS Downes; USS Fanning
  • Battles & Campaigns: Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941; Doolittle Raid
  • Location of Service: Korea; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pacific Theater; Korea; Japan; Atlantic Ocean; Mediterranean Sea
  • Highest Rank: Chief Petty Officer
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/68582

View full service history

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Joseph Michael Kawka Collection

Names

  • Appleton, Rick
  • Veterans Museum at Balboa Park
  • Kawka, Joseph Michael
  • Charles W. Ham

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • California

Headings

  • -  Kawka, Joseph Michael
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Service Unit/Ship: USS Cassin (DD 372); USS Downes; USS Fanning
    • Location of Service: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pacific Theater
    • Battles & Campaigns: Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941; Doolittle Raid
    • Highest Rank: Chief Petty Officer
    • Dates of Service: 1939-1959
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a signalman. Veteran was aboard the USS Cassin in Pearl Harbor on 12/7/1941 which sustained a direct hit while in dry dock along side the USS Downes. Veteran was reassigned to other destroyers for the remainder of WWII. Veteran also observed first hand the destruction of the Atomic Bomb in Nagasaki, Japan and was present during the peace signing treaty.

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Location of Service: Korea; Japan; Atlantic Ocean; Mediterranean Sea
    • Dates of Service: 1946-1959
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Location of Service: Korea
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1954
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: During the Korean War, veteran volunteered for a mission to draw enemy fire so the enemy could be pinpointed.

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2009-03-31; 2009-10-05)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2009-03-31)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2009-03-31; 2009-10-13)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/68582

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:

Appleton, Rick, Veterans Museum At Balboa Park, Joseph Michael Kawka, and Charles W. Ham. Joseph Michael Kawka Collection. 1939. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.68582/.

APA citation style:

Appleton, R., Veterans Museum At Balboa Park, Kawka, J. M. & Charles W. Ham. (1939) Joseph Michael Kawka Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.68582/.

MLA citation style:

Appleton, Rick, et al. Joseph Michael Kawka Collection. 1939. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.68582/>.