“The most enjoyable part of conducting oral history interviews is the ‘ah-ha’ moment, discovering a generational connection between myself and the subject,” shared Stephen Harlan, command historian of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division.
Recently, Harlan was put in touch with retired Pvt. 1st Class Angelo Sciacca, a World War II veteran, to conduct an oral history interview. This specific type of interview is a method of historical research involving recording a conversation between an interviewer and a person with personal experience of a significant event or era.
For Harlan, oral history recordings, “preserve an individual’s recollection and perspective of a specific activity, place, and time providing first-person accounts of actions or missions not necessarily provided in written histories.”
In Sciacca’s case, he is a New Jersey native born Oct. 8, 1924, who was drafted into the Army as an engineer in 1943. After learning his craft, Sciacca deployed to le Shima Island, Japan, repairing and maintaining airstrips.
“It was a great experience,” said Sciacca. “I enjoyed what I did and I loved meeting people from different parts of the country.”
Among the Soldiers mentioned, Sciacca recalled memories of a trumpet player being among the troops.
“He was amazing with his instrument,” said Sciacca with a huge smile on his face. “The music he played was comforting for us while away from home.”
After a year on le Shima Island, Sciacca returned home, turning down the opportunity to attend college so he could get back to work to monetarily contribute to his family. He returned to Van Vaanderan in Paterson as a machinist. Sciacca was promoted to plant manager and retired from the company in 1962.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about my life; I loved what I did in the Army and I loved what I did for Van Vaanderan” Sciacca said.
After learning this, Harlan had his “ah-ha” moment.
“With Angelo, it is our connection of place, since we both grew up and got our first jobs in the same area of New Jersey,” shared Harlan. “We recollected over local landmarks and personalities in Passaic County and the City of Paterson in the 1980s.”
Historians value one-on-one interviews, asking pertinent questions of the subject’s first-hand experiences for a given conflict or era.
“I encourage veterans from across more recent conflicts like Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom to share their stories by getting them recorded,” Harlan emphasized. “Veterans who served in those conflicts are now in their forties and fifties, and with time on their side for recollection, their oral histories are of utmost value for future reference.”
“Thank you for what you’re doing; the Army is the best thing this country needs,” concluded Sciacca.
