General and Mrs. Leonard Chapman Jr. and Bob Womack

Transcription

1 Recollections: The Middle Tennessee Voices of Their Times Series Television Program with General and Mrs. Leonard Chapman Jr. and Bob Womack 1985 Interviewer: Dr. Bob Bullen, Professor of Educational Leadership Middle Tennessee State University Produced by Television Services, Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University ABSTRACT: This is a two-part interview with retired Marine general Leonard Chapman, Jr. and his wife Emily, who are joined by MTSU professor Bob Womack. The Chapmans talk the history of their families in Tennessee, his long military career and service during WWII, and changes in the Marine Corps. PART 1 Time Count Description of Program Content 0:00:00 Music plays. Bullen introduces Bob Womack and their guests Leonard Fielding Chapman and his wife Emily Chapman. Bullen gives a short background on the couple, including the military career of Chapman. 0:01:55 Emily gives a quick overview of her life. 0:02:25 Womack discusses how retired military officers seem to gather and asks Leonard to talk about his ancestral home. Leonard describes how it was passed down to him and Emily. 1

2 0:04:37 Leonard talks about his grandfather s (Robert Lipscomb Singleton, as stated on Disc #2) Confederate military career in the Battle of Shiloh; in the Battle of Stone s River, where he had his leg amputated; and in the prison camps. When he returned to Fairfield he became Clerk of the County Court of Bedford County for 30 years. They joke saying that he had one of the first Tennessee walking horses (he used it for campaigning). 0:07:40 Emily discusses some of her early memories of Middle Tennessee. She says she lived with her great-grandmother and her grandmother. She talks about meeting Franklin Roosevelt and her genealogical ties to John Donelson, the founder of Nashville. 0:09:10 Leonard talks about getting from Fairfield to Florida. He says he was born in Florida, lived in Fairfield for a little while, and then went to the University of Florida where he was involved with the ROTC. 0:10:50 Leonard describes what the Marine Corps, called the old corps was like before WWII. He mentions some of the marines he met and their awards. He went to basic school for new Marine second lieutenants in Philadelphia. 0:13:55 Leonard talks about the bond marines have, and the rigorous tests they must pass. He also describes the pride and ultra-confidence they feel after becoming a marine. 0:15:45 Leonard recalls marring Emily in Birmingham in 1937 while on Christmas leave. They met in Quantico, VA when she was visiting a cousin. 0:16:55 Leonard talks about the background of his father and calls him a great southern orator. His mother had roots in Middle Tennessee. 0:18:05 Leonard talks about getting into artillery. He used mostly old WWI weapons. 0:19:02 Leonard recalls the chatter about war with Japan before WWII. They were trained on the technical details of landing in the Pacific at the marine corps school. He says that most of these training sessions came to life a few years later in WWII. 0:20:20 Leonard says that his persuasions into going into the military lay with his ancestors. 0:20:55 Emily recalls what it was like living on the military base. She mentions the camaraderie between the women on base. 2

3 0:21:25 Emily tells the story of Pearl Harbor from her own personal experience. She was visiting a friend there at the time of the attack. She mentions the black smoke and how angry she was. After the attack she mentions the blackout and the gas masks they were required to wear. Leonard was a Marine captain at the time on the Astoria. The ship was a few hours out from Pearl Harbor when the attack happened. He says their first reaction was disbelief. He tells a story about friendly fire. Emily talks about her concern for her husband. Leonard describes what he saw when his ship came to port in Pearl Harbor. 0:25:50 Leonard talks about his expectations of a war. He talks about their state of preparedness for a war. 0:27:26 Bullen lists Leonard s personal decorations. 0:28:02 Leonard discusses two battles he was involved in: Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. He describes the Astoria and states that she was sunk at the Battle of Guadalcanal (he was not on it). 0:30:55 Leonard talks about Marine training. 0:31:40 Leonard describes in further detail the Battle of Midway. He says that during a battle you have no time to think, you just react as you were trained. He states that though the battle was a huge victory for the Americans they did not find that out until later. He discusses the change in the Marine Corps when the new recruits began arriving. 0:35:15 He recalls that after Pearl Harbor some high-ranking men were relieved of their duties. 0:35:25 Emily discusses her six months in Hawaii some more. She mentions rationing. Leonard is asked to comment on the history preceding the Pearl Harbor attack. 0:37:19 Leonard was promoted to major and became the executive officer of the field artillery school. Leonard discusses the difficulty in training all of the new recruits as the Marine Corps grew from 17,000 to 600,000. Leonard mentions his anxiousness to go back to the Pacific and Emily talks about how trying it was to have her family at war. 0:40:05 Leonard describes the bloody Battle of Peleliu. 0:42:10 Leonard describes the Japanese soldiers and the Asian attitude toward war. Bullen and Emily talk about the letters from family in the military which were censored to protect secrecy. 0:45:05 Leonard talks about the Battle of Peleliu some more; he was there for 4 weeks. He then discusses the battle conditions. 3

4 0:48:50 Bullen and Leonard discuss the nostalgia that prompts some men to want to visit the places of battle again. Leonard says that he has no desire to do so. 0:50:00 Leonard describes some of his duties at the Battle of Peleliu. The next operation was Okinawa. Emily talks about not knowing what was going on in the Pacific. Leonard talks about the mail. 0:53:04 Leonard talks about the Battle of Okinawa. He recalls the surprise that the shorelines were not guarded. 0:55:35 Leonard remembers the uncertainty of life during the war. He also talks about the expectation of an invasion of mainland Japan. 0:56:48 Bullen gives closing remarks and credits roll. 0:57:43 END OF PART 1 PART 2 0:00:00 Music plays. Bullen introduces Bob Womack and their guests Leonard Fielding Chapman and his wife Emily Chapman. 0:00:45 Leonard recalls his reaction to the two atomic bombings. He calls the bombings essential. Emily recalls the celebration at home when the war was over. Leonard remembers his homecoming. 0:05:25 Leonard became executive of the planning and policies division. He says that the Korean War came as a surprise. Now there were only 60,000 marines. He was ordered into Japan for movement into Korea, but the war ended before they went into Korea. 0:08:10 Leonard talks about how the fighting style of the marines changed. Leonard recalls the general dislike of General MacArthur by Marines during WWII and how popular opinion of him changed during the Korean War. 0:10:48 Leonard talks about his promotions. He lived in Japan for three years. He recalls that the Japanese were like ordinary people and he has a respect for them. He states that he thinks the Japanese should re-arm themselves. Emily recalls her experience in Japan for two years. 0:12:45 Leonard discusses becoming a General. He says that he was the originator of the Friday night Marine Parades in Washington, D.C. He talks about more promotions and moving around. Emily recalls the entertaining she would have to do now that they were associating with more prominent people. She tells a story about President Johnson coming to their house. 4

5 0:16:15 [Bob Womack enters the conversation.] Leonard describes what he did as Chief of Staff under General Green. He talks about being nominated by President Johnson to be the 24th Commandant in :18:05 Leonard describes President Johnson. He states that he disagreed with Johnson s plan for a buildup in the Vietnam verses a full on invasion with bombing. 0:19:40 Leonard discusses his group while he was Commandant, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Tom Moore; Chief of Staff of the Army, General Westmoreland; Chief of Staff of the Air Force; and Chairman of the Joint Chief, General Wheeler. He recalls meetings with the presidents. 0:21:30 Leonard recalls being caught up in the Vietnam War at work. Emily talks about her two sons going off to the war. They show a picture of Captain Leonard Fielding Chapman III. Leonard talks about meeting up with his sons. 0:23:10 Leonard describes Henry Kissinger and Robert McNamara. 0:24:30 Leonard talks about how the Marines disconnect with politics. Leonard talks about training recruits despite the opposition to the war. He states that Marine standards were never lowered. Emily says that Leonard loved what he did. 0:28:10 Leonard is asked for his thoughts on an all volunteer army. He says he thought it would be a bad idea for the Army. 0:29:40 Leonard describes the requirements for entrance into the Marines. They also discuss high school education. 0:32:00 They show a video of the old Singleton place in Bedford County. Leonard discusses the history of the house and introduces his family. It is their summer home and was purchased by his great-grandfather. He gives a synopsis of this family history, including his great-grandfather and great-grandmother, Elizabeth Scott; grandfather, Robert Lipscomb Singleton; and his parents. He also gives a tour of the house. He talks about some specific original furniture pieces. 0:41:30 The children read two original letters. 0:42:55 Leonard states that the majority of Marines that get into trouble come from broken families. 0:33:45 Leonard discusses the drug problem that started with Vietnam. He says that now there is little to no drug problem in the Marines because they kick out anyone who uses drugs. 5

6 0:44:50 Leonard discusses television during the war. He says that in Vietnam there was no censorship. He talks about the Lt. William Callie and the My Lai Massacre, discussing particularly what he saw as one-sided coverage. 0:46:55 Leonard describes President Nixon. 0:48:10 Emily talks about knowing all of the first ladies. 0:48:45 Leonard talks about immigration. He calls for a law prohibiting American employers from hiring illegal immigrants and for the government to beef-up border security. 0:50:20 Leonard discusses leadership in the Marines and patriotism. 0:52:15 Bullen gives closing remarks and credits roll. 0:53:33 END OF PART 2 6