John "Jack" Huston Oral History Interview

IdentifierNHF_WC_2017_Huston_John

Date2017 July 6

Description John Huston was enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 17 and was relieved from active duty in December 1945. After the war, he served on the history faculty of the US Naval Academy for 20 years and subsequently as the Chief of the Office of Air Force History. During his interview, he spoke about his experiences during the war, particularly his initial flight to Berlin and D-Day. He also spoke at length about studying the war as a historian. Looking back at his experiences, he muses on the values and motivations behind his (and others’) actions during the war. He also examines leadership – what it means to be a leader and what it means to follow a leader. Interspersed with intriguing ruminations regarding the ideas of freedom, ethics, leadership and war, John Huston’s interview contains poignant, yet humorous stories about his roommate in the barracks, Paul Tibbets and his experience para-trooping among others.

Material TypeDigital

LanguageEnglish

Duration1h 26m 51s

Preferred CitationJohn "Jack" Huston, Interview, National Home Front Project, Washington College, Chestertown Maryland

ProvenanceInterview was recorded by Andrew Darlington, Jeannie “Saoirse”, and David Ruano Velasquez for the Starr Center of the American Experience National Homefront Project