The 68-page Robert A. Green memoir contains Green's reminiscences about his service with the United States Navy during World War II. The document begins with a 2-page introduction in which Green explains the importance of the war to those who lived during the 1940s and reflected on the occasional inaccuracy of his memory. The typescript is written from memory, with excerpts from Green's war-era letters and diaries (Green directly addressed occasional inconsistencies). The memoir covers Green's experiences between the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which occurred just before his graduation from high school, and the summer of 1946, when he fully returned to civilian life. He described his training and military experiences at Harvard University, where he was a member of the V-12 Navy College Training Program; at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California, where he mainly worked in offices; and at the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago, Illinois, where he began his medical education. Green recalled specific stories about his friends in the military, friends from home, girlfriends, and superior officers. He often traveled around California and was sometimes able to accompany wounded sailors home. The typescript concludes with brief notes about the post-war lives of Green and his military acquaintances.
Robert A. Green was born in 1925, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Green of Brooklyn, New York. He had a brother named Robert. In the fall of 1942, Green entered Harvard University, where he joined the V-12 Navy College Training Program. From February-March 1944, he attended boot camp at Sampson Naval Training Center, after which he was assigned to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. He worked in the psychiatric ward, the laundry facilities, the staff personnel office, and the public relations office. In January 1945, he began classes at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1946 and an M.D. in 1948. He worked for New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital, the Bronx VA Hospital, and the U.S. Public Health Service. In 1959, he became an instructor at the University of Michigan Medical School; he was later promoted to professor. While teaching at the University of Michigan, Green also worked for the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center and held various administrative positions at the university. Robert A. Green is professor emeritus of internal medicine for the University of Michigan.
