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Transcribed oral history interview with Marion Cashel who’s husband was 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: October 20, 2020

INTERVIEW LENGTH: 1:00:13

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: Marion Cashel was very pleased to be asked to participate in this oral history project. She did the interview in the Nobles County Historical Society museum at its location in the basement of the Nobles County Library at that time She shared her thoughts and memories about her role as the wife of Robert "Bob" Cashel, long-time National Guard member and employee and information about his National Guard career. Bob Cashel served in the National Guard from 1950-1968 in Company I, 3rd battle group, Headquarters Company, 135th Infantry. After the interview Marion Cashel sent Barb Sommer digital copies of some of the memorabilia she has collected and kept about Bob's career and a short history she wrote about his years in the National Guard. All materials were turned over to the Nobles County Historical Society with the project deliverables.

SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW CONTENT: In the interview, Marion Cashel discussed her husband's, Robert "Bob" Cashel's, decision to join the Worthington National Guard, his service at Fort Rucker (Alabama) during the Korean War, her time as a military wife at Fort Rucker, his becoming an employee of the National Guard in Worthington, his responsibilities in the various positions he held with the Guard including those in the Vietnam War years, summer training camps at Camp Ripley, the Alaskan training exercise in 1965, participation by the Guard in various community activities including Turkey Day and, specifically, the visit by Bobby Kennedy in 1966, his re-assignment to the St. Cloud Armory, and his retirement from the National Guard in 1968. She also told of memories of the Armory during the years Bob Cashel was in the Guard and commented on how pleased she is about the Armory's use now by the historical society.

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