Vets focus of Citadel history project

Brad Nettles
The Post and Courier

Jack Bass, Author and expert on Southern politics, is beginning to take oral histories from Citadel alumni who served in the military during World War II.

A new oral history project at The Citadel aims to record the stories of its alumni who fought in World War II.

Author and southern political expert Jack Bass will lead the effort, which has a personal element for him.

One of his older brothers graduated from The Citadel and enlisted just before the start of the war. Herbert Bass became a Marine dive bomber and was killed in the battle of Guadalcanal.

The Citadel has hundreds of World War II veterans still living, and Bass said his challenge will be deciding who to interview first.

"My initial focus will probably be on those who served in combat, only because I think they'll have more dramatic stories and deserve special recognition," he said. "There will be a lot of strong candidates."

Bass initially plans to record the stories of Dr. R.L. Cockfield of Lake City, whose combat unit was decimated on Iwo Jima; former Sen. Fritz Hollings; and Alvah Chapman, who later served as chairman of the newspaper chain Knight-Ridder.

He hopes to interview 20 to 25 veterans by the end of the year and might do more next year. "There is no specific end point, I'll put it that way," he said.

The oral history project hopefully will expand to include not only more veterans of other wars but also those who have played prominent roles in politics and government, 20th century race relations and work and society, said Bo Moore, dean of The Citadel's School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

"The problem, as always, is there are many more people who deserve to have their experiences recorded than there are resources to do that," Moore said.

History professor Kerry Taylor, who recently arrived at The Citadel, will oversee the broader project.

The project was made possible by a $500,000 endowment gift that will provide the school with a steady stream of revenue.

Ultimately, Bass's digital recordings will be available for future historians and family members seeking insight into what anchor Tom Brokaw famously labeled "The Greatest Generation."

A new Citadel fellow, Bass is no stranger to taking oral history. He began his career as a journalist and has talked to hundreds of southern judges and politicians, including former South Carolina Gov. Richard Riley and former Mississippi Gov. William Winter.

"There's so much in a person's head that doesn't exist on paper," he said. "I'm not sure how long each interview will take, but it will take a while. There's a whole lot to cover."

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or rbehre@postandcourier.com.