Mr. Sam Kimbrough, a World War II army veteran, is a native of Tuscumbia, Alabama, where an interview with him took place on November 16, 2010.
In 1943, while living and working in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Kimbrough was about to be drafted into the army. During his examination for the service, it was determined that his eyesight was very good, and he was asked to join the navy. He told them he would like to wait for his call to the army, which he did. He left the day after his first child, a son, was born. This was an emotional departure.
After his basic training, he was put on the Queen Mary without being told where he was going. He was on this ship for many days and eventually came into port, still not knowing where he was until someone told him he was in Iceland. (On July 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that the United States would assume the responsibility for the defense of Iceland for the remainder of WWII.) He stayed there for two years and was able to visit home on furlough. He requested to go to another location but was sent back to Iceland. While home on leave for a second time, he learned that the war was over.
Mr. Kimbrough was very knowledgeable about the Queen Mary and recently had the opportunity to spend the night there once again. It is now owned by a private company and is docked in the harbor off the coast of California. He has also had the opportunity to return to Iceland, and because he was not able to travel around while in the service, he had no idea how big the country actually was.
We hope you enjoy this interview with Mr. Sam Kimbrough,
WWII Veteran.
Interviewed By Janie Bogus on November 16, 2010
