I entered Rutgers in the fall of 1969. It was a turbulent time in our nation with the Vietnam War taking the lede on the evening news. It became even more tumultuous in the spring of my first year when the University went on strike following the military incursion into Cambodia. There I was, standing in my ROTC unit on the field of the stadium during Military Field Day as my friends protested the war in the stands.
It was certainly a different feeling, I’m sure, than my father experienced when he returned
from World War II in 1946.
But he returned. Not everyone did.
There are many things to appreciate at Rutgers, many not seen or known by a lot of people. Among those little known treasures is the Rutgers Oral History Project. It’s a history by alumni and others documenting the stories of those from Rutgers who served. Since 1994, the Rutgers Oral History Archives (ROHA) has been recording the life narratives of:
- Alumni and/or New Jersey residents who served during times of conflict
- People with a story to tell about New Jersey’s rich social and cultural history
- Men and women who helped shape the history of Rutgers University
ROHA’s digital archive features 1,289 life course oral history interviews and over 32,000 pages of fully text-searchable transcripts. All content is available to students, teachers, and scholars free of charge for educational purposes.
One of its more significant collections is its Voices of Veterans. The “Voices” endeavors to document the oral histories of individuals in communities throughout Rutgers University and New Jersey, including men and women who served in the military. In 1994, Rutgers alumni founded ROHA to collect the oral histories of World War II veterans. Since then, ROHA has expanded its scope to go far beyond that.
At least 17 Rutgers alumni died while serving in the Union and Confederate forces, the origin story for Memorial Day. Among those who died in WW1 was alumnus Joyce Kilmer, noted poet and the author of “Trees”. There were 234 alumni (along with 2 women) who were killed in service during WW II. At least 18 alumni died as a result of their military service during the Korean War era and 15 more in Vietnam. There are several memorials on the Mall at the College Avenue campus honoring those lost in the Second World War and Vietnam.
On this Memorial Day, let us set aside a moment to honor all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. And in particular those who have a Rutgers connection.
