Oral History Interview with Sister Antoinette Ada

Oral History Interview with Sister Antoinette Ada

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Track One 1:23:04

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Antoinette Ada. Ada’s idyllic childhood in Saipan was interrupted when Japanese troops occupied her school. Subsequent bombing by the American military drove Ada and her family to hide in caves. Three of her siblings went ahead of Ada and her parents to the cave, never to be seen again. It would be another 50 years before she learned that they were killed by a bomb. Her father led the family to a cave near Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff. He was shot and killed while foraging for food … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 23 min., 4 sec.)

Creation Information

Ada, Sister Antoinette Creation Date: Unknown.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Ada, Sister Antoinette

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Antoinette Ada. Ada’s idyllic childhood in Saipan was interrupted when Japanese troops occupied her school. Subsequent bombing by the American military drove Ada and her family to hide in caves. Three of her siblings went ahead of Ada and her parents to the cave, never to be seen again. It would be another 50 years before she learned that they were killed by a bomb. Her father led the family to a cave near Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff. He was shot and killed while foraging for food at night. Ada’s mother tried to leave the cave and bring her children back home, but she too was shot. Ada and her brother hid in the jungle until surrendering to Americans as a last resort to avoid starvation. She was initially sent to Camp Susupe, where conditions were much worse than the Chamorro camp, Chalan Kanoa, to which she was transferred. Ada remained in Saipan after the war, but her surviving brother was sent to Japan. She found him in the 1960s. Ada attended college in the United States, entered a convent in her late 20s, and spent 11 years as a missionary in Japan.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 23 min., 4 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00547
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607834

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Sister Antoinette Ada, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604022

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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