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Transcribed oral history interview with John Scheepstra a member of the National Guard Unit that was stationed in the Worthington Minnesota Armory. File contains spiral bound and unbound transcribed interview, signed release agreement and notes. Interview was conducted by Barbara W. Sommer.

INTERVIEW DATE: August 25, 2020

INTERVIEW LENGTH: 47:41

RECORDING MEDIUM: digital audio, MP4

TECHNICAL NOTES: The interview was recorded remotely using Zoom, a web-based video conferencing tool. during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was transcribed by Lois Glewwe, project transcriber.

INTERVIEW NOTES: John Scheepstra served in the Minnesota National Guard in Worthington from 1950 to 1952. His unit was 135th Infantry Regiment, 47th Infantry Division. He was on active duty for most of the time he was in the National Guard, at Fort Rucker, Alabama, for 18 months and the rest of the time at Camp Ripley in Minnesota. He was happy to do the interview (at age 91). He remembered that the 135th Infantry Regiment was called up from Fort Rucker to go to Korea and left when he was on leave in Minnesota, getting married. His number was not called for the common Motor Pool, so he didn't go. His wife, Pearl, sat in on the interview and helped answer a couple of questions. The interview was recorded in the Nobles County Historical Society museum, located in the basement of the Nobles County Library building at the time.

SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW CONTENT: During the interview, John Scheepstra discussed enlisting in the National Guard in Worthington, his National Guard unit - an infantry unit, activation and transfer to Fort Rucker in Alabama shortly after enlisting, his Motor Pool assignment and responsibilities, and his memories of the Armory and several community events in the building. His wife, Pearl, also contributed to the interview, describing how, as a young Minnesota woman, she went to Fort Rucker looking for work and ended up meeting and marrying John Scheepstra.

This transcript was made possible by Legacy funding from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund established by the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008, and administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. Funding was awarded to the Nobles County Historical Society through the following grant: R-MHCG-1912-24013 | $9,950 | MN Historical and Cultural

The Minnesota National Guard in Worthington, Minnesota Oral History Project. This oral history project focused on interviews with former members of the Minnesota National Guard in Nobles County who served from the Worthington National Guard Armory building.

Contact the Nobles County Historical Society for more information