Alice Babosuk was a first year nursing student in Buffalo, New York when she learned that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. On that day in 1941 she committed herself to completing her education so that she could serve her country in World War II. Alice speaks with her son Robert about her enlistment in the Navy Nurse Corps Reserves. (First aired July 6, 2007.)

Listen Now	AUDIO SLIDESHOW Alice Babosuk at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital
Music Credits: Nocturne, by Artie Shaw and his Orchestra, Personal Best, Bluebird Records, re-released on BMG.

Bill Buerger was born in 1939 and raised in Westwood Ohio, just outside Cincinnati. Bill discusses the impact World War II had on his family, how he viewed the nation’s perception of the war effort and how it shaped his overall outlook on life. (First aired May 25, 2007.)

Listen Now	AUDIO SLIDESHOW Learn more about Bill Buerger's childhood growing up in Westwood, Ohio.
Music credits: Piano Sonata No. 23 in G minor, Alfred Brendel, performing the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, Alfred Brendel - Recital, Philips

Mary Jane Burke, or "MJ," as her friends call her, was born in December 1937 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She lived as a child on Cape Cod during World War II, but she readily admits she has little recall of what day-to-day life was like for most people at that time. MJ spoke with WUSF’s Scott Nolan about one specific memory involving her father that later became a
family legacy.

Listen Now	EXTENDED AUDIO Mary Jane Burke describes a painting given to her father by a German POW interned at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts. Listen Now		Click here to view larger image.
Music Credits: Organ Grinder’s Swing, Jack McDuff, Brother Jack, Prestige Records

Reda Reynolds’ father, John S. Weil, lived in Frankfurt Germany before coming to the United States in 1936. He married in 1938 and served in the Army as a German POW interrogator during World War II. Reda was born in New York in 1939, and she starts this conversation with her husband Kelly by relating an early memory of time spent with her father. (First aired July 27, 2007.)

Listen Now	Learn more: American WWII Orphans Network
Music Credits:Width of the World, Tin Hat Trio, Helium, Angel Records

In 1943, William Russell enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was told he would be serving with the Seabees. ‘Rusty’, as his wife Catherine calls him, describes his experience in the South Pacific as we continue with our focus on World War II-era stories. (First aired August 3, 2007.)

Listen Now	AUDIO SLIDESHOW William Russell , Navy Seabees. Tinian Island, 1944 - 1955.
Music Credits: Movement Four from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G major, Edgar Meyer, Suites Performed on Double Bass, Sony Classical

In 1938, Edith Illgen was a 13-year-old girl living in Germany. An only child born to middle class parents, she understood little of the long shadow that would be cast by Adolf Hitler's rise to power. During her teenage years she moved from place to place as the result of advancing warfronts. She stuggled to provide food for the older members of her family, and to secure their day-to-day survival. Edith spoke with friend Carol Bryd about some of her experiences during World War II, with a European view of the start of the war.

Listen Now	EXTENDED AUDIO Edith Illgen reads "A Letter To The Unknown Soldier" Listen Now
Music Credits: Movement 1 from Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in E minor, Mstislay Rostropovich, violoncello, and Rudolf Serkin, piano, Johannes Brahms-The Cello Sonatas, Deutsche Grammophon Recordings

John Moore is 83 years old this year. He lived most of his life in Irwin, North Carolina, but recently relocated with
his wife to Sarasota. John's son Gary has lived in Florida since 2005. Together again, the father and son came to WUSF to talk about John's training and eventual service with the 91st Chemical Mortar battalion in the army during World War II.

Listen Now	EXTENDED AUDIO John Moore describes the training of soldiers in the use of chemical gas masks in the field. Listen Now
Music Credits: Wildflowers, Tom Petty, Wildflowers, Warner Bros. Records