my full name is Nolan self
I was born the first day of September
1918
my dad was Brack self that's all they
ever knew dad is Brack my mom own was
named Joanna we were raised to work my
daddy was a farmer in Leesville and he
believed in working and he was a hard
worker
wherever dad was that's where I was in
fact he he always called me sweet boy in
the knee nine that what that means I
don't know but my dad I was crazy about
my daddy and he was crazy about his baby
boy he was a real man he when he was a
young man he drank that whiskey and ride
his horse and go through the town and
shoot the town up my family had five
boys and six girls eleven of us well mom
had to do most of the raising and she
she made us cool went out while I was
going but see we were so cool your dad
left us early I remember coming on one
day I came in through the back door mama
was it stretch as me I came in through
the back door mama was out on the front
porch in the swing she heard me and she
said no there's some biscuits in the
oven
pick the last of the collard green they
are sitting on the stove but I didn't
have no fat to put in them Nolan so I
cooked them with love that told me up
I quit school and she didn't have to
jail me to quit I quit Roosevelt had
started the CCC Civilian Conservation
Corps the CCC was a forerunner Your
Honor States Army Roosevelt was a
forestry and man he knew that Hitler was
raised in sand at that time and we were
gonna have to tangle with him and so he
started with CCC
there was no bridges no roads and those
trees the saw was eroded roads are fixed
all that he told us that he wanted every
man to work because there was no work
the everybody was a hobo trains was
running but full of men going from state
to state
ruthless I'm gonna stop this I'm gonna
start to CCC and put everybody to work
but he told you when he hired you he
said I'm gonna pay you a dollar a day in
a month to me only has 30 days you get
$30 at the end of the month but you can
only keep five of them dollars the 25 is
going on mom and dad I'm gonna see to
that we were glad to do that
at the same time Roosevelt was building
barracks in temps because he knew we
don't need him later on stayed in the
CCC for two terms so I said to the two
years that I was allotted and I had to
go back home to Pine Bluff Arkansas they
sent me back home and my mama and my two
sisters they were the only ones there
needed me and I could see what conditions
they were living in I went that back
down to the CCC headquarters and begged
the lady to let me go back for one more term
I over powered her she let me go back
in for another two years for the sake of
my sister's and my mama she agreed with
me because I begged her on my knees all
When I came out of the CCC it was 1940
so I was old enough then to fight to be a soldier
Well I never thought about the
United States Army I hadn't even thought
of that really, but the Buffalo Soldiers
they got a tremendous history
My mother had a letter, she said Nolan you
have a letter from the President
when I opened the letter he told me he
said I want you Nolan Self
to be one of my soldiers
he greeted me of course or the letter did
But he told me, I want you to take a physical and he told me where I'd have to go to get the physical
and if you pass the physical I
want you to report to Fort Leavenworth
Kansas and become a member of the 10th Calvary and be one of my soldiers then
when I told my mom she started crying
and said Oh Nolan they can't, whatcha mean
going to the army. .  I said mama
don't cry
I said it's a good thing for
you and the girls. I said mama you gonna
get a check if I pass the physical.
She don't understand that,  don't take my babyboy no no no
now a lot of the guys were
taking balls of soap and making a pill
out of it
and swallowing it and drink a
lot of water to make the blood pressure
go up they don't want to go into the
army, I told em, I said I don't want
nothing to do with that I want to pass
this physicals
I passed and then Roosevelt got the word
that I had passed,  he not only took
me he took 400 blacks out of Pine Bluff
Arkansas on the Missouri Pacific train
and took us all the way to Fort
Leavenworth Kansas. I've never been away
from home in my life.
Pine bluff was a pretty good place to
live we never had any troubles there, never
and so I went into the army at Fort Leavenworth, 
Fort Leavenworth
ain't nobody gonna act up there if you got good sense.
The officers were kind.
They were hand-picked. You just don't
become an officer in the 10th cavalry
or the 9th cavalry.
I had a good time when I was in the service.
The best thing I can remember is you could eat like I wanted to.
I was a youngster then
what they called a private,  buck private
But the army was a salvation to me and my family.
I was glad to be a soldier.
I loved horses in the army
I had a beauty,  I had two horses in fact
in the service and when your in a horse cavalry
they assign you two horses so you
have a spare because you know one might
break a leg or he might get sick
anything could happen cuz they have sick
call every morning ten o'clock it's just
like they did for us soldiers.
I had a horse named Funston. He had a beautiful build he was wide
and that's kind of a horse I need because at that time I'm learning
I don't know a whole lot about em
and he was a good horse to ride cuz he
was one when they say gallop
all you got to do is sit in the saddle
cuz he's gonna give you that ride you
know
anyway but he ran away with me though one day so
we were out riding for
pleasure
learn how there's different things he
needs know when you ride the horse
how to properly handle him and they teach
you if he gets spooked which he will get
a lot of time and he's gonna start
running in they said never jumped from
that horse but
take up your reins and cut him in a
circle because he can't stand that
cuddle in his mouth well he got the run
and he got spooked and took off and I
was right along the Kansas River we were
riding that morning whole bunch of us
and the sergeant in charge he way up
in front he didn't know the horse that
done broke out of the ranks that started
running away with me and he headed right
for the river and I can't swim they
teach you to never jump from a horse
when he gets spooked and starts you know running
because if your foot should
happen to get caught in that stirrup
he dragged you to death he was he was
going with me
and I said well Lord I can't swim and
you had your people to say don't jump
but I'm jumping
to this date if I had it
all to do over and sooner buying a home
I'd buy me a farm on where could have me a
horse at least
because I love to ride
and it's nine and six I don't people
tell me you can't ride anymore
But I believe I can
I met Joe Louis went
running with him
well not just me
every black and was in the unit and
could run
ran with him one morning
Joe Louis built the conditioning
camp at Fort Riley
because the government moved the tenth Calvary
to Fort Riley Kansas where the ninth calvary was at already
so the two units
could train together both black units
so it was a joy to run with Joe. Joe didn't
do no work naturally
just just being Joe Lewis he was a fine
man though
he was a gentleman perfect gentleman In fact he was living in Junction City
he had Marvell and he knew that the
soldiers didn't have nothing for him to do
so what he did was he contacted Count
Basie to come here with his big pretty good band
and I'm gonna be a responsible
fall two young ladies so the soldiers
would have someone to dance with
and I don't have basic to play the music
and he could do that somebody got the
young ladies together Joe paid for the
bill he paid for the buses and all the
girls Joe Crowe remember the bus loads
well Wilma came to this dance a job
sponsored in Topeka Kansas but a friend
of hers I had met her and I thought are
we gonna be with her but she has another
fella she was going to be with and Wilma
said she asked her if she would
entertain me well I thought I just watch
kids kid I never seen it was so handsome
and he seemed so good in great manners
my mother just thought that was the best
thing that ever happened ever kid
because he was from the south it was a
little bit different than then the
northern boys were and I found out we
were got on the dance floor's you know
what to do and Joe Lewis even played the
drums that night well you know Joe can't
play no Jerome but that's Joe Louis the
girls just went crazy over Joe Lewis
Lewis anyway well me and Wilma we hit
the dance floor and I found how good she
was all right and so we began to talk to
Oh lands and we were set outside on his
front steps and talked a long time I
knew right then I said that's the girl
that I want I had to go back to camp the
next day and they had to go home
naturally that night not long after that
he was transferred and said to
Mississippi and I thought well that's
the end of that but but then we started
writing and things progressed I remember
Normandy you never forget that
Eisenhower was walking with a big old
bullhorn greeting the soldiers and
telling them telling us brother what a
fine thing we were doing for our country
and a whole lot of other things he was
telling us and I remember these words to
mean I'm a very touching and I know
there must have been touching to others
also he said you guys are doing a great
thing this is your country which is true
you're doing this for your country but I
want you to know that some of you are
going to go in and then some of you
won't come back
when they're loaded us up on an LST to
go into the show there was so many young
man floating at that time we ain't got
to show it yet
rifles afloat packs will float him it
was dead already
couldn't swim I couldn't swim and a lot
of those I imagine was in and see if I
was the end because we don't have time
to be talking man but God Almighty had
something in store for me I don't know
how I got ashore but I got a skill
don't worry about it I remember d-day
that I was in Toledo with his family and
gone out there to visit them as I go
back on the bus I just dropped off to
sleep and just as distance I'm talking
to you I heard his voice calling my name
I woke of course kind of frightened me
when I got home the radio said it was
d-day it started and I just I just was
terrified because I knew he was in
Europe
I didn't know what was you know you
didn't get letters that often and of
course they were all censored so that
you there wasn't anything in them about
really what was going on yes that was
that was the worst time for me I went in
is of everybody does he's known as a
book probably but I knew my background I
knew I wasn't a smart boy I knew I was a
poor boy I knew it was a black boy but I
thought things would be different
when I came back because I told him five
campaigns I fold into our Deniz and I
fought in central you I also went over
into southern Wales I didn't have to
fight but I went over there to fight I
came out naturally when the war was over
and I had some good things happened to
me I was able somehow to become the
first size
now the first song is the eyes drink
a black or white who as is an enlisted
man could reach it that day I served for
over 20 years and when I got out I
didn't know what I was gonna do because
they don't need no first sergeant's out
here they need him in Army Navy Marines
and I told my wife I said honey I don't
know what I'm gonna do I got this big
family and I ain't no First Sergeant
anymore it was there was very little
work you could do nobody to hire you
wanted to hire you rather as a roof I
was lucky enough to get a job my city
only tail in the garbage truck so I told
my wife I said I'm working I got a job
but I don't want to work on the back end
a little jog garbage truck I'm gonna
quit it
that girl told me don't quit it
the Lord has something for you that's
the word she used
I continue to work but I sure didn't
like it I wanted to quit so what would
you do honey you got a big family family
was growing she said I don't know look
excuse me she said the Lord has
something for you Ola so I took the job
and I worked for about two months
on the back end of the truck picking up
people's garbage and emptied it one day
I went to work as usual and all the
trucks ever radio was in so that
headquarters can talk to a truck driver
radio came homes and have Nolan's self
report to the daily Union newspaper
office and he drove look to me said
Nolan what are you done
I said he does nothing score cool but
they won't meet for
I walked in and see the man who said no
this is so much so as so much so on the
shoulder said we had you come up here in
order because we have decided that you
are the new superintendent of the
Sanitation Department for this city
almost fainted but I was so thankful
and I took the job
and I held a job for 17 straight years
until I went to California with my wife
first of all when I took my bowels to
death don't die till we die
I meant that because I've Alvar to God
so we just worked things out one way or
the other and it's been a wonderful
marriage I had some beautiful kids that
have been have been wonderful they they
truly truly worry about their mother
used to pray that I want to have a girl
but God knows best and I'm so thankful
what I had the boys cuz they're very
close to me and my husband was so good
at being first sergeant that it all boil
down to the family all we had to do was
look at him then they really snapped and
just and I'll say they didn't give us a
lot of troubles for a lot of sleepless
nights we've got a lot of memories and
love experiences and that's only
happened because like I married Norman
and he was understanding enough to allow
me to to express myself the Lord has
been good to me
Lord's been good to me I have to go to
church on Sunday we called I hold this
to my god know the Lord and then let him
run things for you everyone's gonna have
some kind of a problem and you can't do
it by yourself
I think every man should go to war it
will discipline them and they need that
discipline war is inevitable we know
that and I very believe from just
experiences muck with my children that
every young man and young woman spend
two years in the service it's good
training it's a good mixture of
different cultures because there had to
work as teams and send the service they
have to be concerned about their fellow
soldier early to bed early to rise makes
a man healthy wealthy and wise learn to
work I got to know how to work you can't
get through this life taking for granted
that you're supposed to have it soft and
easy I don't care what kind of work it
is but good honorable work and to be
honest and trust God to do the rest I
worked hard I worked hard but I was the
type of guy do any kind of work that man
gonna pay me some money
if it's don't get better dog that's a
dollar I didn't have and I do the job
but whatever your hand finds to do do it
with your heart
you
you
you
