Oral history interview with Kenneth Wagner, [sound recording], 2006.

ArchivalResource

Wagner, Kenneth, 1925-. Oral history interview with Kenneth Wagner, [sound recording], 2006.

Oral history interview with Kenneth Wagner, [sound recording], 2006.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/426488444

Kenneth "Ken" Wagner, a Racine, Wisconsin resident, describes his service in the Army as a cryptographer in World War II and as a legal clerk in the Korean War. Born and raised in Waterloo (Iowa), Wagner outlines his elementary education, portraying himself as a precocious reader (he skipped 4th grade) with an early love of history. He graduated in 1942 and worked as a wholesaler for Rath Packing Company in Waterloo which made ham and bacon. In February 1943, as soon as he turned eighteen, he registered for the draft and signed up for early induction. Wagner covers his physical examination for the Army at Camp Dodge (Iowa) and his training in the Signal Corps at Camp Crowder (Missouri). He relates that a month into basic training, he was in the sick bay for constipation when he received a telegram stating his mother had died suddenly. Wagner was not able to return for the funeral and expresses anger that his oldest brother, who he claims avoided the service by faking a back injury, took or sold all Wagner's possessions. Next, Wagner reveals he turned down Officer Candidate School because he "didn't want to be a dead second lieutenant." Instead, he attended an Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at the University of Nebraska. Wagner tells how, while home on leave for Christmas, he read in the newspaper that the ASTPs were going to be disbanded and the participants sent overseas as infantry. Wagner resigned from the ASTP and was sent to Camp Kohler (California), where he trained to become a cryptographer. He describes the FBI background check required and details various coding devices and methods used to code and decode Army messages, including the M-209. In October 1944, Wagner was shipped to New Guinea by boat via Guadalcanal. He explains he was stationed at a message center in Hollandia (New Guinea) and later moved to Dulag and Leyte after the invasion of Leyte. He describes guard duty and how the moon played tricks on him. Wagner briefly touches upon combat, mentioning the Japanese regularly raided, strafed, and bombed the bases at Dulag and Leyte (New Guinea). Wagner reports he grew bored with cryptography and began to run a first aid center to supplement the sick bay. With permission from the doctors, he treated tropical illnesses like: heat rash, insect bites, jungle rot and allergies. To combat boredom, Wagner mentions he also cooked one meal a week in the mess hall which was not known for its tasty food. He claims the troops did not like the Red Cross because they charged for the donuts and cigarettes they distributed. Wagner clarifies that his signal center was located in the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur. He characterizes General MacArthur as "egocentric" and disliked by the servicemen, and he criticizes MacArthur's planned invasion of Japan. In contrast, Wagner praises President Harry Truman and General Dwight D. Eisenhower who he felt treated the troops well. Wagner admits he did not vote for Truman in 1948, but as a teacher, he later came to appreciate Truman's leadership. Wagner recalls the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan; he and his team decoded the news of the Japanese surrender before the rest of the base in New Guinea found out. He comments the soldiers had no idea what an atom bomb was and expresses his sense of relief that there would not be a prolonged invasion of Japan. In June 1946, Wagner was released from the Army and returned to the U.S., where he was greeted coldly by his father and older brother. He went to State Teachers College, now University of North Iowa, and became a high school history teacher. In 1950, almost immediately after he graduated college, Wagner was recalled to the Korean War. He was one of the higher ranking, more experienced soldiers in his unit at Fort Riley (Kansas) and the only enlisted man with a college degree. Wagner reports that he turned down OCS again and became company clerk because of his typing skills. Next, he attended shorthand school at Fort Benjamin Harrison (Indiana). When his training was over, Wagner explains he returned to Fort Riley and became secretary to the judge advocate (JAG) and company commander for the 10th Division. In 1951, Wagner was shipped overseas to Japan. He tells how, while stopped in Manila (Philippines), he witnessed a murder on his ship resulting from a drunken altercation between a Mexican soldier and an African American soldier. With his experience as a legal clerk, Wagner knew how to start an investigation, and his initiative caught the attention of the judge advocate at Camp Drake in Tokyo (Japan) who needed a clerk. Wagner explains he had been assigned to be the secretary of a lieutenant general, which he expected would involve running errands and polishing brass. He expresses delight that Major William Redman, the judge advocate, asked him to be his legal clerk. Wagner comments that legal clerks were supposed to be warrant officers and he was only a first class sergeant. Wagner explains his job was challenging, enjoyable, and carried lots of power. He repeatedly points out how company clerks and first class sergeants often exert more influence in the Army than befits their rank. He helped regulate disputes and investigate crimes including: murder, sex crimes, drug use, desertion and counterfeiting. Wagner shares a humorous dispute in which an Army truck upended a Japanese farmer's cart full of "honey pots" (jars of human waste used for fertilizer) and the Army had to reimburse him for damage to his cart and the pots, but refused to reimburse for the contents of the jars. Wagner describes interactions with Japanese civilians in street cars and hotels, and he recalls meeting a Japanese man who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. Wagner values his time spent in Japan during the Korean War and says he felt it was his duty to serve in both wars. He was discharged from the Army in July 1953 and got a job teaching high school history and economics in Cincinnati (Ohio). He taught high school for thirty years and comments that if he had shirked his duty, he would not be able to "stand in front of a classroom and talk about the war and the draft."

Sound recording : 2 sound cassettes (ca. 88 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips.Master sound recording : 2 sound cassettes (ca. 88 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips.Transcript : 26 p.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center