Corporal Oliver Omanson Company D, 179th
Regiment, 45th Division United States Army Canova, South Dakota. Traces
“We bring history to life”. http://www.traces.org/index.html
4/23/04.
“Traces is a non-profit educational organization created to gather, preserve and present stories of people from the Midwest and Germany or Austria who encountered each other during World War II. Many of these stories have lain beneath the dust left in the wake of a World War most never thought touched the American Heartland. Traces brushed away that dust, unearthing an amazing legacy. As we learn about these stories, may we rise above-and eventually defeat-the prejudices, fears and conflicts that otherwise demean and destroy us.” Oliver is the pastor of my (Drew) church and is presented on this website.
Skelton III, William Paul. American Ex-Prisoners of War.
Veterans Health Initiative, Tampa, Florida. 4/23/04.
“This module provides the opportunity to better understand what our captured soldiers experienced, and the medical conditions related to the atrocities and sub-human treatment many of them received.” It shows the area where camps were and what the men were treated like at each different camp.
Reynolds, Gary K.WWII: The Issue of Compensation. Copyright: POW-MIA Archives. July 21, 2001. http://www.aiipowmia.com/wwii/RL30606ww2.html 5/7/04.
This website provided a lot of information. It talked about survival rates in prisoner of war camps, and how many men and women were captured, as well as civilians. It gave background information on the beginning and end of World War II.
Omanson, Oliver. Interview: April 21, 2004.
We interviewed Oliver about his experience in World War II and as a prisoner of war. He shared how he was treated and how he was able to get away from the Germans and come back home.