During the Yonkers Remembers Oral History Project, the Yonkers Public Library had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing three World War Two veterans: Stanford Bernstein, Frank Fortuna, and Alex Strohmayer. All of their stories are powerful and it is incredible to hear them describe their experiences during the war.
Stanford Bernstein served with the 82nd Seabees during World War Two. He was on islands in the Pacific where there was ferocious fighting including Bougainville, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa. He suffered from illnesses while serving overseas including dysentery, jungle rot, and malaria. During the Battle of Okinawa, he heard kamikazes attacking American ships.
Frank Fortuna piloted a landing craft during D-Day. He brought British troops to shore at Gold Beach. His landing craft hit an obstacle and it was stuck on the beach. During the Normandy campaign, while aboard his Naval vessel, he estimates that he traveled from England to Omaha Beach around 100 times. Some of the passengers during this time included Patton’s staff that also brought along Patton's vehicles.
Alex Strohmayer was a B-17 pilot during World War Two. He describes jumping out of an airplane with a parachute during training due to the aircraft malfunctioning. He flew thirty-five missions during the war without getting shot down. He participated in the Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid where Allies destroyed German ball bearing factories but suffered heavy casualties during the attack.
I encourage you to listen to these oral history interviews in their entirety. These descriptions are just a taste of what these veterans endured. To hear what these veterans experienced during the war is truly remarkable!
On Saturday, May 17th, the Yonkers Public Library will be hosting a program called Yonkers: World War Two American Heritage City. This is a program dedicated to Yonkers residents that served during World War Two and how the City of Yonkers contributed to the war effort. The speakers will be Yonkers Historian Mary Hoar, oral historian Bob Abate, and YPL librarian Mary Robison. There will also be a screening of the film The Tuskegee Airmen. More details about this program can be found on the YPL online calendar.
Please take a look at our curated World War Two reading list to learn more about World War Two.
Michael Walsh is an Adult Service Librarian at the Will Library. He is currently reading The Demon Of Unrest by Erik Larson.