Here we are going to learn more about the George B Hightower diary and the description of this historic document. This document contains information about the US campaigns in China and the Pacific Ocean. The events described take place from January – to May 1945 in China. This document has much historic value and describes the events and the historic circumstances of evacuation and demolition in China in 1945.
What is academic transcription
First, let’s clarify what academic transcription means. Simply put, it means transcribing different materials for educational purposes. Here are the most common services belonging to academic transcription:
- academic interview transcription;
- oral history transcription;
- research transcription;
- seminar transcription;
- conference transcription;
- academic symposia transcription;
- group discussion transcription;
- essays transcription;
- interview transcription.
This all is done because the textual format is the most effective format to take the information and save it in the short-term memory. Moreover, special transcription apps allow converting media into text right on the go. Moreover, you can record the lecture and convert your lecture into your notes right away.
Why is academic transcription important for education?
Converting audio and video files makes them more usable and shareable. Students can simply copy and paste them and use them in their own research and studies. They can also quote them and use this content for presentations, infographics, and many other purposes. Voice-to-text transcription helps students avoid taking notes during lectures, classes, conferences, etc. Moreover, transcription services are also used by professors to prepare handouts and presentations. For their research, students often take interviews and transcribe them using the automated transcription.
There are a few ways to get your transcription done:
- Do it by yourself. If it is just a minor task and you feel that you can handle it yourself, you can avoid working with third parties. If you feel that transcription is going to take too much time, it is better to turn to professionals.
- Hire certified transcriptionists. It is a perfect option that offers accurate results. However, the services of a professional transcriptionist are quite expensive.
- Use automated services. When it comes to the price-quality ratio, this is an ideal option. You receive the results quickly, and for a reasonable cost. AI-based algorithms ensure the highest quality that can even be compared with hiring expert transcribers.
The role of historic documents in WWII
The historiography of World War II is a complex science with different perspectives on the reasons, causes, courses of events, and outcomes of this historic period. Different historic documents, from official plans to private letters allow scientists to become more objective and get a more complete picture of historic events. However, not all the documents are available in digital versions. Most of them are typed or written by hand.
That’s why they need to be processed and transcribed into modern formats suitable for educational purposes.
Who is George B. Hightower?
George B. Hightower was born in Atlanta in 1911. In 1933, he graduated from Virginia Military Institute. In 1942, he entered the US Air Force, and a year after, he left the US by convoy due to the Nazis’ bombing attacks in the Mediterranean region and went to Bombay, India. Then, he served as a Major in the Air Force Flying Tigers who were working in China while the Japanese invasion. When the Japanese forces approached, he was in charge of destroying multiple airbases after the evacuation of the US and Chinese armies, often behind the front lines with the Japanese.
His loyalty and outstanding abilities became well-known because one of his fellow officers wrote about it in a letter to another officer stating ” His evacuation of Sincheng, Namyung, and Kanchow could not have been improved upon Hightower has a keen faculty of grasping a complicated overall picture in one squint, and of retaining it for prompt, balanced and constructive decisions later.” He received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the American Theater Ribbon, and the Asia Pacific Campaign Ribbon.
George B. Hightower’s diary: What is it about?
This is a record of events in which George B. Hightower took place. It contains 38 pages of information about the state of things in China during World War II. The author writes about all the details: places he visited, people he talked to, the weather, exact time of events.
Let’s clarify the historical background in China at that time. You might be interested in what the US army was doing in China during World War II. They were hired by the Chinese government to fight against Japan. They were the members of American Volunteer Group (AVG) and were informally called Flying Tigers for their courage and the way their planes were painted. They reminded a tiger’s face with big teeth and mouth wide open.
From 1941 until 1943 they served as a separate group and in 1943 they became a part of the US army in the war against Japan.
The highlight of this document is that it is very detailed, and basically, you understand how the US soldiers lived and fought in China at that time. Each day starts with describing the weather and the topics and the results of staff meetings. Hightower also mentions the members who take part in these meetings and their roles in the decisions made. He also reports on the number of planes taking part in flights and how many of them returned. The officer also describes the problems they are facing and how they impacted the events. He also mentions how many materials they used. In particular, he calculates how much fuel they used and how much was left.
The ending note
Transcription allows students to access important historical documents and records. Academic transcription is the transcription type aimed at using the materials for educational purposes. Automated and human transcription services are widely used by students to make the documents more accessible and shareable. One of such documents is the diary of George B. Hightower – a US officer who served in China.