Nunn, William (1922-2016)

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:8645#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: William H. “Bill” Nunn was born on January 15, 1922 in Paris, Texas. He enlisted in the Army Reserve Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Nunn was studying political science at North Texas State Teachers College during his enlistment, and had continued to take classes until being called to active duty in June 1943. Because of eyesight issues, he was assigned to administrative duties in India. After his service in World War II, Nunn returned to college and received his master's degree in Political Science in 1948. He taught high school in Galveston, Texas, before accepting a position at St. Cloud State College in 1954. Nunn also worked with St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict in central Minnesota to set up a tri-college East Asian Studies Program. Nunn passed away in Sedona, Arizona, at the age of 94 on April 17, 2016.

Transcript Summary: William H. “Bill” Nunn described his experiences in the Army as an administrator primarily in-charge of personnel and payroll during World War II. He enlisted in 1941 and was called to active duty in 1943. He was shipped to a camp north of Calcutta in India. He discussed the duties assigned to an administrator, describing his experiences of interacting with the general Indian population. He summarized his travels that he often did in his free time and always looked to explore India’s culture. Nunn gave insight to his personal endeavors and also provided a perspective on how the Indian population interacted with the occupying Allied troops. In addition, Nunn discussed race in the military and how the segregation of the troops had begun to change by the end of World War II.

Interview by David Overy