Interview · South Dakota · Sidney Byrd · OSEU 2
Themes: Healing & resilience, Values & generosity, Economy & livelihoods, Listening & observation, Children & young people
Learn About questions
Was hitch-hiking more prevalent back in the 1940’s?
Who was MacArther?
What’s the significance of “I shall return,” “Golden Gate in ’48” and “Stick with Mac, you’ll never get back!?
Why were the WWII veterans welcomed home, but the VietNam veterans were “spit on” or called “children killers?”
What was the GI Bill? What benefits do returning veterans have today?
Learn From questions
Have you ever hitch-hiked? Have you ever picked up a hitch-hiker?
What is your experience with war or with veterans?
How do you feel about the treatment of veterans? What are the issues and challenges that veterans are faced with today and how would you evaluate the way we as a society are addressing those challenges?
Transcripts
G.I. Bill - Sidney Byrd - OSEU #2
Watch this interview on YouTubeI hitchhiked from Fort Bragg, North Carolina… on the [UNKNOWN WORD]… made good time. They picked up servicemen for that part of the war effort. They served four years in the army in the southwest Pacific. I was instructing a jungle training outfit…and my army buddy said, “Chief, how come they selected you?” I know why they kept asking me. Finally, I got 'em together. I said, “Alright. I'm going to release a military secret. But if one of you leaks that secret, I'm gonna take you out to the jungle and shoot you. So you promise not to tell anybody.”
The reason they selected me is because us Indians are real sneaky…get outta here. South Dakota paid a bonus for its servicemen… $550…that was a lot of money in those days…and I got the max overseas in the Philippines. We have a nurse here at our clinic and… I've been to her village…Annie Garcia… Tacloban, Philippines…and I've been there. I was part of the invasion force. “MacArthur, I shall return.” Overseas, the guys would say “The Golden Gate in 48.” And someone else would say, “Stick with Mac and you'll never get back.” But the thing is that they welcomed us home when we came. There's was a huge blimp flying over… “Welcome home…” flying right over our ship coming in. People welcomed us with open arms.
My nephew was in Vietnam… and they were spit on. They were not welcomed home. They were called “children killers.” He is gone now but… if it had not been for the Army service and the G.I. Bill, I probably would've never been able to go to college. It enabled me to go to college. I remember this professor was envious of these veterans: “You get your tuition paid for, your books paid for, and you get a another stipend every month?” He said, “I sweat for everything I got. I sweat for my books. I sweat for my tuition.” Finally, one of those veterans said, “Sir, I did all of my sweating in a fox hole.” Yeah…four years.
Resource text
Learn ABOUT Learn FROM
(deep listening, information) (deep sharing, transformation)
1. Was hitch-hiking more prevalent 1. Have you ever hitch-hiked? Have you
back in the 1940s? ever picked up a hitch-hiker?
2. Who was MacArther? 2. What is your experience with war or
3. What’s the significance of “I shall with veterans?
return,” “Golden Gate in ‘48” and 3. Howdo you feel about the treatment
“Stick with Mac, you’ll never get of veterans? What are the issues and
back!”? challenges that veterans are faced
4. Why were the WWII veterans with today and how would you
welcomed home, but the Viet Nam evaluate the way we as a society are
veterans were “spit on” or called addressing those challenges?
“children killers”?
5. What was the Gl Bill? What benefits
do returning veterans have today?
x
OSEU 2: INTERVIEW WITH SIDNEY BYRD _
WoLakota Project :
Some indexed text was extracted from scanned material. Check the original source for exact wording and spelling.
Source materials
Supplied transcript document. Text preserved as supplied; spellings and transcription uncertainties have not been corrected.
Additional source transcripts
G.I. Bill
G.I. Bill - Sidney Byrd - OSEU #2
I hitchhiked from Fort Bragg, North Carolina… on the [UNKNOWN WORD]… made
good time. They picked up servicemen for that part of the war effort. They served
four years in the army in the southwest Pacific. I was instructing a jungle training
outfit…and my army buddy said, “Chief, how come they selected you?” I know why
they kept asking me. Finally, I got 'em together. I said, “Alright. I'm going to release a
military secret. But if one of you leaks that secret, I'm gonna take you out to the
jungle and shoot you. So you promise not to tell anybody.”
The reason they selected me is because us Indians are real sneaky…get outta here.
South Dakota paid a bonus for its servicemen… $550…that was a lot of money in
those days…and I got the max overseas in the Philippines. We have a nurse here at
our clinic and… I've been to her village…Annie Garcia… Tacloban, Philippines…and
I've been there. I was part of the invasion force. “MacArthur, I shall return.”
Overseas, the guys would say “The Golden Gate in 48.” And someone else would
say, “Stick with Mac and you'll never get back.” But the thing is that they welcomed
us home when we came. There's was a huge blimp flying over… “Welcome home…”
flying right over our ship coming in. People welcomed us with open arms.
My nephew was in Vietnam… and they were spit on. They were not welcomed
home. They were called “children killers.” He is gone now but… if it had not been for
the Army service and the G.I. Bill, I probably would've never been able to go to
college. It enabled me to go to college. I remember this professor was envious of
these veterans: “You get your tuition paid for, your books paid for, and you get a
another stipend every month?” He said, “I sweat for everything I got. I sweat for my
books. I sweat for my tuition.” Finally, one of those veterans said, “Sir, I did all of my
sweating in a fox hole.” Yeah…four years.