OH153 Thurman Cowan Oral History
Collection Title
Jackson Purchase Oral History Project - World War II
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Series Number
OH153
Interviewee
Cowan, Thurman
Date Interviewed
October 23rd, 1986
Processed by
Benjamin J. Drake
Date Processed
November 11th, 2011
Description
1 sound disc (34 minutes)
Abstract
Thurman Cowan details his experiences as an African American soldier during the Second World War. He describes the construction of Camp Tyson at Paris, Tennessee prior to the United States entering the war. He discusses his military duties while serving the United States Marines as a "mess-man," life in Hawaii and Guam during the war, and racial issues he encountered while in the military. Cowan concludes the interview with his discharge and his post-war life in Chicago, Illinois.
Biographical/Historical Note
Thurman Cowan was born on September 4, 1924 in Henry County, Tennessee. Prior to the Second World War, he resided in Paris, Tennessee and worked on the construction of Camp Tyson. At seventeen, he moved to Chicago, Illinois and worked in a mattress factory until he was drafted into the United States Marines in August of 1943. He trained with an African American regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was first stationed at Pearl Harbor then at Guam. When the war concluded, he returned to Camp Lejeune and was discharged on February 28, 1946. After the war, he worked for the Electrical Division of General Motors and for the Chicago Main Post Office.
General Information
No user access to original recordings. Use audio user copies, digital derivatives, transcripts, and/or tape indexes. This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission for reproduction must be requested from Murray State University.
Subject Headings/Descriptors
Cowan, Thurman, 1924-
Camp Tyson (Tenn.) - History
Henry County (Tenn) - History
Paris (Tenn.) - History
Chicago (Illinois) - History
World War, 1939-1945 - Participation, African American
World War 1939-1945 - Personal narratives, American
Recommended Citation
Interviewer, Unknown, "OH153 Thurman Cowan Oral History" (2025). World War II. 3.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/oh-wwii/3
Audio Transcript