Interviewer
Dan Hall
Files
Description
Earl Cooley describes developments in the smokejumper program from World War II until he left the organization in 1951. He discusses the use of conscientious objectors as smokejumpers during the war through the Civilian Public Service program (CPS). Cooley also recalls the smokejumper program training men for the military during the war, including the all-African American 555th Battalion. He describes the transition to using returning military veterans after the war, the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire, and the filming of Red Skies of Montana. He talks about returning to run the smokejumper program in 1958 and offers his thoughts on its future.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Smokejumpers Montana Biography; Smokejumping Montana History; World War, 1939-1945 Conscientious objectors; Forest fires Montana; Red Skies of Montana
Original Date
6-20-1984
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Smokejumpers 1984 Reunion Oral History Collection, OH 133, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use of this item. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 133-021
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound cassette (01:30:00 min.) : analog + 1 transcript (20 pp. : 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
01:28:42 minutes
Local Filename
OH_133_021.mp3; OH_133_021.pdf
Citation
OH 133-021Cooley, Earl, "Earl Cooley Interview, June 20, 1984" (1984). Smokejumpers 1984 Reunion Oral History Project. OH 133-021.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/smokejumpers/117