Oral History Program Gerald Hulme Interviewed by Mike Jackson 17 February 1973 i Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Gerald Hulme Interviewed by Mike Jackson 17 February 1973 Copyright © 2012 by Weber State University, Stewart Library ii Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. Archival copies are placed in University Archives. The Stewart Library also houses the original recording so researchers can gain a sense of the interviewee's voice and intonations. Project Description The Weber State College/University Student Projects have been created by students working with several different professors on the Weber State campus. The topics are varied and based on the student's interest or task for a specific assignment. These oral history assignments were created to help Weber State students learn the value and importance of recording public history and to benefit the expansion of the Weber State oral history collections. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the Stewart Library of Weber State University. No part of the manuscript may be published without the written permission of the University Librarian. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed to the Administration Office, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408. The request should include identification of the specific item and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Hulme, Gerald, an oral history by Mike Jackson, 17 February 1973, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Gerald Hulme. The interview was conducted on February 17, 1973, by Mike Jackson, in the location of 1512 21st Street, Ogden, Utah. Hulme discusses his life in the military and the battles that he fought during his service. MJ: This is an interview between Gerald Hulme and Mike Jackson, conducted at 1512 21st, Ogden, Utah 17 February 1973, for Weber State College on an oral history project. When and where were you born Mr. Hulme? GH: I was born at Bennington, Idaho, July 10, 1922. MJ: What schools did you attend? GH: I attended Emerson Elementary, Paris, Idaho, and Union High School at Paris, Idaho. While in the Navy I attended three naval schools for diesel engines in Ohio, Iowa and Virginia. MJ: Did you enter the Navy right out of high school? GH: No, after I graduated from high school I went to work on my Uncle's ranch on the East side of Bear Lake until November 1942. MJ: Did you enlist in the Navy or were you drafted? GH: I had what was known as a Class C deferment because of my work with agricultural production. All of my friends were in the service, I would walk down the street in Paris, Idaho and the older people would say to each other, "I wonder why he isn't in the service? Our sons had to go.” I enlisted in the Navy in November 1942 and attended 1 basic training at Fairgood, Idaho, from there I went to three Navy schools on the diesel engines. The diesel engine used to be water cooled by bringing the water in through the bottom of the ship and pumping it overboard. While at the Navy school in Norfolk, Virginia I devised a way to circulate the water without having to pump it overboard. I personally helped convert 25 ships to the new system. MJ: After the schools where were you stationed? GH: I went to Galveston, Texas and boarded my ship, a landing ship medium (LSM) Number 58. MJ: What were some of the major battles you participated in? GH: Once on the ship we proceeded to Scubic Bay of the Philippines. From the Philippines I was involved in many battles, probably the two most important were Iwo Jima and Okinawa. We set out for Iwo Jima with a huge fleet. The larger battleships approached the island first and shelled it, softening it up. After it was softened up, the LSM's similar to the one I was on, moved in with the troops and tanks. During this battle a good friend of mine was hit by a 20 millimeter round and blown all to hell. I was splattered with blood but received no wounds. During the battle for Okinawa a Japanese Zeke, a small fighter plane, made a dive at our ship. We made a quick turn and the plane hit a cable on the edge of our ship and fell into the water. When Japan surrendered my ship was the first to tie up in Japan. On the way in we hit a mine, it tore a good size hole in the side but it wasn't bad enough to sink her. We managed to patch her up enough to make it on into Japan. MJ: Did you see where the atom bombs were dropped and could you describe the scene? 2 GH: Yes, I saw where the bombs were dropped. It was total devastation, most of the structures left standing were cement. MJ: Where did you go after Japan? GH: After Japan I went back to Pearl Harbor then to San Francisco where I was released from the ship. I went to Washington State and was discharged in April 1946. After my discharge I went back to my Uncle's ranch and worked there as foreman for a couple of years. From the ranch I worked on construction until 1962. That year I met my wife, she persuaded me to give up construction and go back to school. I went to Weber State and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in English. I then went to work at Hill Field working on special projects, from there I went to Maintenance and then I transferred into Supply. MJ: What are some of the things that impress you about Utah and made you stay here? GH: I was born in Idaho and grew up enjoying the outdoors. I like to fish, hunt and camp out. MJ: May I ask what religion you are? GH: I was raised in the LDS faith but I am about as close to an atheist as you can get. Sometimes I wonder if there is a God. MJ: Do you think being a Mormon has helped make you a success living in Utah? GH: No. I don't think so, I have known cases that have gone both ways. 3