The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc.
"Preserving, Exhibiting, Interpreting and Teaching the History of the Manhattan Project"
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The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc. "Preserving, Exhibiting, Interpreting and Teaching the History of the Manhattan Project" |
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| In conjunction with our commitment to the Veteran History Project of the Library of Congress, we proudly present the Veterans of the Manhattan Project. Below are the personal histories of 12 of these veterans. Please "click" on a name below to go directly to that veteran's profile or simply page down to view them all. Please "click" here to go to the Veteran Archives Directory. |
Manhattan Project Veteran Archives
Archive Section
1 of 50
| Michael J. Vickio | Bernice C. Vickio | Monroe Messinger |
| Farron Benjamin | Peter D. Korzaan | Thomas H. Cowley |
| Lee R. Masoner | Jack H. Rose | Andrew Carol |
| Arthur Weisberg | George E. Meyers | William Rose |
1-1
| Name:
Michael J. Vickio |
Table | Location: Los Alamos, NM Assigned Unit: Military Police Detachment Job/Position: Post Security / Motor Pool Dates of Service (if Known): 11/43 to 04/46 Information Submitted By: Bernice Vickio Archival Record #: LA-MP-VICM-0600 Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
Michael J. Vickio was born in upstate New York in October, 1911. He
was drafted by the Army in1943 and graduated from the military police
school at Camp Butner, NC. After a rigorous background check by the
FBI, he was assigned to the 4817th Military Police Detachment at Los
Alamos where he remained throughout the war. He was released from
the Army in April 1946 and returned to upstate New York where he
eventually became a Postmaster. He passed away in 1979 at the age of
67. |
1-2
| Name:
Bernice C. Vickio |
Table | Location: Los Alamos, NM Assigned Unit: Civilian - Non Technical Job/Position: Nurse / Nurse Supervisor Dates of Service (if Known): 09/44 to 04/46 Information Submitted By: Bernice Vickio Archival Record #: LA-CO-VICB-0600 Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
Bernice Vickio was born in upstate New York in February, 1912. After
graduating from nursing school, she worked in various hospitals until she
joined her husband who was then assigned as an MP at Los Alamos. She
worked as a nurse at St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe until she was
cleared to work at Los Alamos. She joined the staff of the Los
Alamos Hospital in Sept. 1944 and was promoted to nurse supervisor in
charge of the maternity ward in March 1945. She and her husband,
Michael, returned to upstate New York in April 1946. She furthered
her education and graduated with a BS degree in nursing from Syracuse
University in 1969. She retired as a School Nurse-Teacher in 1976.
She presently lives in upstate NY and is 90 years old. |
1-3
| Name:
Monroe Messinger |
Table | Location: Los Alamos, NM Assigned Unit: Military - SED Job/Position: S/Sgt; Explosives / Optics Group Dates of Service (if Known): 09/44 to 04/46 Information Submitted By: Monroe Messinger Archival Record #: LA-SD-MESM-0900 | Picture 1 | Document 1 | Document 2 |Document 3 | | Story 1 | |
 Monroe
Messinger was a Staff Sgt. He worked in an Explosives Testing and
Research Group which was involved in the handling and firing of high
explosives and used high-speed rotating mirror cameras and associated
photographic techniques. The latter part of his work at Los Alamos was in
the Optics Group working on applications of photography to data recording
in research techniques. In the above group photo, Monroe is at the far
right, Sanford Jacobson is next to him, and Morris Patapof, the civilian
Group Leader, is in the center. |
1-4
| Name:
Andrew Carol
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Table | Location: Wendover, UT / Tinian Island Assigned Unit: 509th CG - 393rd BS Job/Position: Fitness Instructor Dates of Service (if Known): 1945 Information Submitted By: Mike Carol, Son Archival Record #: CG-MO-CARA-0401 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
 Andrew
Carol was a S/Sgt and the fitness instructor for the 509th Composite
Group. Another veteran contacted us and said that he remembered Sgt.
Carol and that he often gave them athletic equipment to keep them occupied
on the long waits for the planes to return. He also remembered Sgt.
Carol arranging ski trips on the weekends while they were at Wendover
Field in Utah |
1-5
| Name:
Farron Benjamin |
Table | Location: Wendover, UT / Tinian Island Assigned Unit: 509th CG - 1027th AMS Job/Position: Unknown Dates of Service (if Known): 1945 Information Submitted By: Anonymous Archival Record #: CG-MO-BENF-0401 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
 Farron Benjamin served with the 1027th Air Material Squadron
of the 509th Composite Group on
Tinian Island during World War II. Little is known of Mr. Benjamin's
actual role with the 509th. If someone knows of Farron Benjamin, please
contact our organization at
cotmp1@angelfire.com. |
1-6
| Name:
Peter D. Korzaan |
Table | Location: Los Alamos, NM Assigned Unit: Provisional Engineers Job/Position: Sign Painter / Illustrator Dates of Service (if Known): 1945 - 1946 Information Submitted By: Peter Korzaan, Son Archival Record #: LA-MO-KORP-0401 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
 Peter served with the
Atomic Bomb Project, Los Alamos, NM. He was in charge of the silk
screen poster shop. He supervised and directed the work of four
illustrators. He performed original design, layout, and process of
publicity posters, charts, and maps. He painted signs on wood,
metal, glass, paper, and cloth. He did free hand lettering and
used such lettering devices as Wrico, Dietzgen and Keuffel & Esser
lettering sets. He also made photographic screens for posters,
using self-made photographs. |
1-7
| Name:
Thomas H. Cowley |
Table | Location: Los Alamos, NM Assigned Unit: Military Police Job/Position: Post Security Dates of Service (if Known): 1945 - 1946 Information Submitted By: Yvonne Edwards, Dau Archival Record #: LA-MP-COWT-0500 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Document 2 | Story 1 | |
No Picture Available Thomas Cowley was with the 4817th Military Police Detachment at Los Alamos, NM during World War II. He is originally from Alabama. If anyone remembers Thomas Cowley, please contact our organization at gadget1945@msn |
1-8
| Name:
Lee R. Masoner |
Table | Location: Wendover, UT / Tinian Island Assigned Unit: 509th CG - 603rd AES Job/Position: Motor Pool Maintenance Dates of Service (if Known): 1945 Information Submitted By: American Legion Archival Record #: CG-MO-MASL-0501 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
 Lee R. Masoner served with the 603rd Air Engineering Squadron
of the 509th Composite Group on Tinian Island in the South Pacific during World
War II. According to sketchy available records, Mr. Masoner worked in the
motor pool and was responsible for keeping the bomb service trucks operational.
This profile was submitted by an anonymous friend with the American Legion and little else is known
about Lee Masoner. If you know of him, please contact us at e-mail:
gadget1945@msn.com |
1-9
| Name:
Jack H. Rose |
Table | Location: Wendover, UT Assigned Unit: 509th CG - SED Job/Position: Armorer / Machinist Dates of Service (if Known): 11/43 to 4/46 Information Submitted By: Jack H. Rose, Jr. Archival Record #: CG-SD-ROSJ-1001 Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
T/Sgt Jack H. Rose was one of the few SED's assigned to the 509th
Composite Group. The following is in his own words:
"I was T/Sgt Jack H. Rose, serial No.
35898748. I was a member of the 509th Composite Group stationed at
Wendover in 1945.
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1-10
| Name:
Arthur R. Weisberg |
Table | Location: Univ. of Chicago - Met Lab Assigned Unit: Military - SED Job/Position: Mechanical Engineer Dates of Service (if Known): 1943 - 1945 Information Submitted By: Paula Weisberg, Dau Archival Record #: UP-SD-WEIA-1000 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
 Arthur was 28 years old when World War II started. Men his age were being drafted in the armed services for fighting overseas. But Arthur had unusual talents. He developed and improved his advanced engineering and Tool and Die Skills. Generally, it takes 3 to 5 years to become a Tool and Die Maker but he completed his training in far less time. He was tested and immediately assigned to a company making tanks. He was then transferred to the University of Chicago as part of the Manhattan Project.
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1-11
| Name:
George E. Meyers |
Table | Location: Columbia Univ. - SAM Lab Assigned Unit: Civilian - Technical Job/Position: Glass Blower Dates of Service (if Known): Unknown Information Submitted By: George E. Meyers. Archival Record #: UP-CS-MEYG-1001 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
George Meyers was a teenager in New York City, when by happenstance, he happened to mention to someone that he had a special hobby of glassblowing. He was told that he could get a job involving his hobby and was directed to apply at a brownstone in downtown New York. When he arrived for his appointment, he was met at the door by an armed GI carrying a sub-machine gun. The GI thought the "boy" was lost and rudely told him to be on his way. He showed the GI the card he had been given, and was then shown into an office. They spoke with him for awhile and told him to report to an office on the campus of Columbia University. The next day, he showed up at the appropriate office and was again met with extraordinary security. After convincing the guard that he was told to report there, he was again shown into an office where he was advised that they could use his talents of glassblowing for a highly secret project that they were working on. George agreed to come on board. As far as he knows, he was the youngest person to work at the famed SAM Lab where much of the early work on the gaseous diffusion method to separate uranium 235 from uranium 238 was conducted. |
1-12
| Name:
William Rose |
Table | Location: Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. Assigned Unit: Civilian - Non Technical Job/Position: Welder Dates of Service (if Known): 11/43 to 4/46 Information Submitted By: Richard Rose, Grandson Archival Record #: CP-CO-ROSW-1101 Picture 1 | Document 1 | Story 1 | |
William Rose worked as a welder at the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. in West Allis, Wisconsin. Allis-Chalmers was the primary contractor for the production of the giant magnets used at the Y-12 plant at Oak Ridge, TN. |
