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This oral history collection spans the World War II era through recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. One interview (Frank Buckles) covers World War I service. The majority of the interviews were conducted by VMI cadets taking courses in military history. The interview files and recordings are housed in the VMI Archives.

This collection contains autobiographical and biographical information about the military service of alumni veterans of World War II through the first Gulf War. The alumni responses range in length from short summaries to longer narrative descriptions detailing their service. Some files contain related photographs and documents.

This collection consists of items related to Jesse H. Heath, Jr. (VMI Class of 1938) who was killed in action in Belgium on January 3, 1945. Items include:

• Correspondence (dated 1941-1993); some of this correspondence has been transcribed from original letters
• Newspaper clippings (1944-1948)
• One public relations article by Headquarters 2nd Armored Division (October 12, 1944)
• One speech by Luke Bolin (May 30, 1945)
• One sermon describing Heath (March 3, 1946)
• One article about Heath by Norwich Free Academy, Connecticut
• One Wall of Liberty certificate (1993)
• Two Victory Liberty Loan coins

This collection consists of six leather bound diaries that contain a record of Henry Fairfax Ayres' life from 1928 to 1944. Three volumes (1928-1938) contain detailed information about his activities as a pilot, including a record of flights completed, record of hunting trips, and comments about life in New York City, New York.

This collection consists of James B. Moss Jr.'s diary. The first diary entry begins on page 13 and is dated September 13, 1943, the day his unit departed for overseas duty, and the last entry is D-Day, June 6, 1944. During the bulk of this period his unit was in Italy at Anzio Beachhead. Moss describes action at Anzio, German air attacks, unit causalities, and other events relating to the military campaign.

This collection consists of one diary transcription [typescript, photocopy] titled "My Military Service, 11 August 1941 to 1 November 1945." It is a detailed account of Norborne P. Gatling, Jr.'s life in the United States Army, including information about:

• Stateside training
• Traveling by convoy to England
• Preparation for the Normandy, France invasion
• D-Day and immediate aftermath
• Subsequent campaigns in France and Central Europe

The John C. Monks, Jr. papers consist of the personal papers of Monks, including:

• Material related to the theatrical production of "Brother Rat," such as a contract, original script, and receipts for services from Garson Kanin
• Items concerning various VMI Class of 1932 reunions
• Photographs
• A typescript manuscript (1944) of the book "A Ribbon and A Star: The Third Marines at Bougainville" (Holt, 1945)

This collection consists of items related to John L. Couper, including correspondence (to parents and other family) and two photograph albums documenting service during World War II. The bulk of this collection is dated 1942 to 1946. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including training in Great Britain, field hospital operations in Europe, and comments about daily aspects of war. The photographs document the unit's movements, staff, and activities in England, France and Belgium. In addition, this collection includes a photograph album (1936-1937) dating from Couper's VMI cadetship, and extensive material documenting various VMI Class of 1937 reunions.

This collection consists of J. Russell Major's World War II papers, including:

• Correspondence to his parents (dated 1942-1945). The early letters cover his training as a field artillery officer at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma (1942-1944) and other United States bases, including Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base (Glider School) and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Letters from July 1944 to May 1945 date from his service as a forward artillery observer in France and Germany.
• Military orders (1942-1945)
• Papers relating to his awards (Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart).
• Service record
• Notes relating to his United States Army career.
• Four volumes of the United States Army official history (European Theater), with one volume annotated by Major.

The Leonard T. Gerow papers consist of documents and photographs (approximately 120 items) from the military career of United States Army General Gerow. The collection includes correspondence with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, autobiographical material, speeches (1945 to 1948), and photographs. Material complementary to this collection is in Gerow's student/alumni file, which is located in the VMI Archives.