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Urban Rump

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After discovering that his own brother's army unit was located quite near his own, Urban Rump spends a bit of time in their division. As he tries to transfer over to permanently be with his brother, he learns that it's not as easy as it seems. (1:40)

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Corporal Rump recalls his experiences aboard the trains with prisoners from the north that he helped exchange with prisoners on his own side. As one can imagine, those train rides contained an overwhelming amount of tension. (2:30)

Val Archer

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They went in the recruiting station just to "bug them a little bit." Val Archer and his friend were only sixteen but they sailed right on through. It was 1944 and, after a little work on their birth certificates, they were off to basic training, where they faced the indignities of segregation. Off base, it was even worse. (5:47)

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Val Archer was in an Aviation Engineer battalion when he got orders to report to Lockbourne Army Air Field in Columbus, Ohio. He was now assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, as ground crew. The famed unit was preparing to go to the Pacific when the war abruptly ended. (7:33)

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At the end of the war, Val Archer was part of the Tuskegee Airmen as a ground crew member. In 1947, the Army Air Corps became the United States Air Force and began the gradual process of desegregation. His unit was broken up in twos and threes, and scattered to desegregate all-white bases everywhere. He says the true desegregation of the armed forces wasn't really complete until the Vietnam era. (6:01)

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Val Archer received a wartime assignment in Korea, but was diverted to the Marshall Islands to take part in a nuclear weapons test. He flew drones with test instruments through the blast area, and with the end of the war, he tried his luck at civilian life. After several "interesting" jobs, he reenlisted and was offered a chance at a new direction. (6:56)

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In the Air Force during the Cold War, Val Archer was retrained again, this time as an instructor and education specialist. He recalls his assignment in England at an RAF base and the eagerness of most personnel to participate. After retirement, he looked back at the struggles over segregation and realized how it made him stronger. (4:22)

Van Barfoot

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Van Barfoot describes a few of the heroic actions he performed during an offensive push near Carano, Italy, for which he received the Medal of Honor. Interview provided by The Congressional Medal of Honor Portraits of Valor. (5:59)

Vaughan Pitman

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Vaughan Pitman shares his experiences visiting Buchenwald concentration camp shortly after it had been liberated in early 1945. Interview conducted by David Watts, Jr. (3:34)

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Vaughan Pitman describes his first encounter with German V-1 flying bombs while preparing for war in England in early 1943. Interview conducted by David Watts, Jr. (3:37)