Brinegar, David, 1910-1998.

The Brinegar-Bethancourt collection is comprised of materials collected by David Brinegar who was a captain in Coast Artillery Corps and Wiltz Bethancourt, the head of the United States Army Censorship Department in Iran. They remained in contact after their years of military service, both being active in the "Last Man's Club" and Persian Gulf Command Veterans Organizations. These two gentlemen were two of an estimated 400 Arizonans who served in the Persian Gulf Command during World War II. This operation was charged with creating and maintaining air, highway, and rail routes through Iran to supply the Soviet Union with materials for their fight against Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.

David Brinegar (1910-1998) was born in Rulo, Nebraska before moving to Tucson, Arizona with his parents at age 2. He was a lifetime journalist, getting his first job with the Arizona daily star while still a student at Tucson High School in Apr. of 1925. In 1935 he moved to Phoenix and became the statehouse reporter for the Arizona republic, where he worked before beginning his brief military career. In the late 1940s he became the first managing editor of the small paper The Arizona times, before leaving to become executive secretary of the Central Arizona Project Association. He later worked as a copy editor for the Arizona daily star, eventually being assigned as its executive editor in 1961. He worked there until his retirement in 1974. Source: Arizona daily star, Jan. 3, 1998, 8A.

Wiltz Bethancourt (1917-2003) was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico and moved to Phoenix in 1929. He served in the armed forces until 1961, where he served in Persian Gulf Command, the Korean War, and as a career officer in the Airborne Infantry and Armor in both the U.S. and Germany. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Arizona State University and became a science teacher for the JFK Middle School and the Maricopa County Junior College system in Phoenix. Source: Arizona republic, Sept. 9, 2003, B6.

From the description of Brinegar-Bethancourt Persian Gulf collection, 1939-1985 [manucript]. (Scottsdale Public Library). WorldCat record id: 663900273