National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection - 137 Matching Results

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Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The exp… more
Date: March 6, 2006
Duration: 45 minutes 18 seconds
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Albert Barton, November 6, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Barton. Barton joined the Navy and was trained as a radioman. He became a crewman on an Avenger torpedo bomber in October 1943. Barton flew off of the USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) and the USS Tripoli (CVE-64) and performed anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic. He describes how depth charges were dropped, the armament of the plane, and how they were trained to skip-bomb. Barton was then sent to the Pacific where he… more
Date: November 6, 2010
Duration: 58 minutes 08 seconds
Creator: Barton, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Albert Montague, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Montague. Montague joined the Navy in August 1941 and went to boot camp at San Diego, California. He recalls being sent to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor and attending signal school. His first assignment was at the signal tower where incoming ships were assigned docking positions by the use of lights and signal flags. One of his frequent visitors was Admiral Chester Nimitz who would often take his daily walk in th… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 36 minutes 35 seconds
Creator: Montague, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Albert Voss, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Voss. Voss joined the Navy in late 1938. He completed Radio Signaling School, and served aboard USS West Virginia (BB-48), USS California (BB-44) during the attack on Pearl Harbor and USS New Mexico (BB-40) during the invasion of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the bombardment of Guam, Saipan and Tinian and the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Voss additionally served aboard USS Menifee (APA-202) during the invasion of Okinawa… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 1 hour 22 minutes 23 seconds
Creator: Voss, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Albert White, July 6, 2013

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert White. White finished high school in 1934 and shares several anecdotes about making a living during the Great Depression. During most of the war, White was working in an essential oil and gas industry job and was deferred from military service, until he was drafted into the Army in early 1945. He shipped out for occupation duty in Japan, arriving in November, 1945. WHite eventually received a hardship discharge because hi … more
Date: July 6, 2013
Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes 56 seconds
Creator: White, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Annabel Ring, July 6, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Annabel Ring. Ring was in college on 7 December 1941, completed one semester and then went to work in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She went into the Navy on 6 May 1943 as a WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and took boot camp in the Bronx, New York for six weeks. The Navy took over a women’s college there and they stayed in apartments across the street. From there, Ring went to medical school at Great Lakes, Ill… more
Date: July 6, 2010
Duration: 36 minutes 11 seconds
Creator: Ring, Annabel Robb
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Arlos L. Awalt, July 6, 2006

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arlos L. ""Curly"" Awalt. Curly was drafted into the Army shortly after he finished high school in August, 1944. After basic training, Curly describes getting overseas to Europe. He was shipped to England then sent to France before being assigned to a unit. Once he was in France, he was attached to a heavy mortar section in H Company, 2nd Battalion, 424th Regiment, 106th Infantry Division. Curly arrived as a replacement in t… more
Date: July 6, 2006
Duration: 1 hour 19 minutes 50 seconds
Creator: Awalt, Arlos L. (Curly)
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Arthur Rees, December 6, 2008

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Rees. Rees joined the Marine Corps in October 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. After training a few platoons as a drill instructor, he was transferred to Combat Engineers as a crane operator. He improved the airstrip at Guadalcanal and transferred supplies from LCTs to amphibious vehicles at Guam. He arrived at Iwo Jima just after D-Day and left for the States two weeks later. Although he was never on th… more
Date: December 6, 2008
Duration: 20 minutes 09 seconds
Creator: Rees, Arthur
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Barton Messler, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Barton Dale Messler. Messler joined the Navy in January of 1940. He served as a Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). They were in Dry Dock No. 1 in Pearl Harbor undergoing a refit when the Japanese attacked. He was transferred to the USS Columbia (CL-56), and traveled to Guadalcanal. He also served aboard the USS Amsterdam (CL-101), traveling to Leyte, Okinawa and Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Peace Treaty. Messler p… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 29 minutes 28 seconds
Creator: Messler, Barton
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Ben Howden, June 6, 2006

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ben Howden. Howden joined the Navy in 1942. He received preliminary flight training Wisconsin and Iowa and further training in Corpus Christi, Melbourne, and Vero Beach. Upon completion, he was assigned to VF(N)-106 and then transferred to a squadron aboard the USS Independence (CVL-22). He performed combat air patrols and anti-submarine patrols for three months in the Philippines. Howden traveled through a typhoon during hi… more
Date: June 6, 2006
Duration: 9 minutes 52 seconds
Creator: Howden, Ben
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Bernadine Bircher, February 6, 2014

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernadine Bircher. Bircher was working as a psychiatric nurse in October 1943 when she joined the Army Nurse Corps. Upon completion of basic and specialized training, she deployed in June 1944 to a station hospital in Holland. Her unit was short on anesthetists, so Bircher volunteered, despite having no specific training. Nurses and doctors at the adjacent operating tables assisted Bircher with her first patients, and she be… more
Date: February 6, 2014
Duration: 1 hour 29 minutes 31 seconds
Creator: Bircher, Bernadine
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Bernard Campbell, December 6, 2008

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernard Campbell. Campbell joined the Navy in May 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was sent to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, where he became a barber. During the attack on 7 December, he was assigned to an officer, as his foot messenger. He recalls that American planes were shot down by friendly fire later that evening, before personnel were quickly advised on nighttime Identify Friend… more
Date: December 6, 2008
Duration: 39 minutes
Creator: Campbell, Bernard
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Betty J. Blalock, September 6, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Betty Blalock. Blalock joined the Navy in 1945 and received basic training in Yonkers. She was assigned to the hospital corps and sent to the amputee ward at Quantico. Once a day, an airplane would arrive with amputees whom Blalock would visit and encourage. She remembers them as having good morale. After the war, she was discharged and married a tech sergeant, Hugh Blalock, who went on to serve in the Air Force for 30 years… more
Date: September 6, 2011
Duration: 23 minutes 05 seconds
Creator: Blalock, Betty J
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Bill Davis, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Davis. Davis entered the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was sent to Wheeler Field, Hawaii and spent a short time with the 19th Pursuit Squadron. He was transferred to the 58th Bomb Squadron. He recalls he was a crew chief on an A-20 (Havoc) bomber when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Field on 7 December 1941. Davis describes the actions he took on that day, which included two days of intense labor repairing a… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 59 minutes 11 seconds
Creator: Davis, Bill
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Bill Knuth, May 6, 2009

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Knuth. The Great Depression caused Knuth and his father to relocate often due to financial hardship. After the tenth move, Knuth sought refuge in the Navy in 1944. After basic training he was assigned as a deckhand to the USS Tulsa (PG-22). His battle station was at the 20-millimeter trunnion, unloading spent magazines. In his spare time he managed to converse with Chinese crewmen, despite the language barrier. Arriving… more
Date: May 6, 2009
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes 14 seconds
Creator: Knuth, Bill
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Bill Oliver, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Oliver. Oliver quit school at the age of sixteen and joined the Army in September 1939. He was sent to Hawaii, where he joined the 19th Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He attended cooks school in Honolulu for sixteen weeks then he drove trucks. He describes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and tells of clearing the beach area of vegetation and installing rolls of barbed wire in anticipation of a landing by Japanese… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 39 minutes 24 seconds
Creator: Oliver, Bill F.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Burdell Cobb, December 6, 2008

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Burdell Cobb. Cobb joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1940. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to USS Concord (CL-10) and then transferred to an aviation squadron on Ford Island. On 7 December 1941, Cobb was on the flight line when he heard an explosion and saw smoke rising from his hangar, prompting him to sound the fire alarm. Soon, a plane emerged from the smoke and flew towards Cobb, strafing… more
Date: December 6, 2008
Duration: 1 hour 3 minutes 40 seconds
Creator: Cobb, Burdell
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Butler Irving, December 6, 2012

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Irving Butler. Butler joined the Navy in October of 1942. He completed Aviation Mechanic School in Memphis, Tennessee, and Gunnery School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was trained as an Air Crewman. In September of 1943 he went to Tarawa, Makin and Guam aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He was made Second Class and placed in charge of 62 men going to the Admiralty Islands. He was later assigned to USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) as … more
Date: December 6, 2012
Duration: 33 minutes 48 seconds
Creator: Irving, Butler
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Carrie Milan, February 6, 2002

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carrie Milan. Milan’s husband Joe served with the Army Engineers during World War II from around 1940 to 1945. He served in both the European and Pacific theaters, and was stationed in England, North Africa, Sicily, Corsica, Italy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima during his service. Milan shares that Joe was a Staff Sergeant in charge of supplies. Milan shares a number of Joe’s experiences while on Iwo Jima, including his work with fellow s… more
Date: February 6, 2002
Duration: 35 minutes 30 seconds
Creator: Milan, Carrie
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Charles Herndon, December 6, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Herndon. Herndon joined the Navy in January of 1940. In April he was assigned aboard USS San Francisco (CA-38). He maintained the decks of the ship and worked as a mess cook. They were in Pearl Harbor Navy Yard awaiting an overhaul of their engineering plant when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. In late 1943 Herndon was assigned to a beach landing party aboard the USS Oxford (APA-189). He served in visual communicatio… more
Date: December 6, 2001
Duration: 54 minutes 28 seconds
Creator: Herndon, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Charles Ide, December 6, 2008

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Ide. Ide???s father completed the Naval ROTC program at the University of California at Berkley while Admiral Chester Nimitz was there. His father was among Nimitz???s first students. His father joined the Naval Reserve and became a Lieutenant in1940. His father was assigned as skipper of a net tender and he and his family of six headed to Pearl Harbor. They lived at the officer???s quarters. Charles provides some details… more
Date: December 6, 2008
Duration: 43 minutes 34 seconds
Creator: Ide, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Charles Wray, January 6, 2016

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Wray. Wray entered the Navy in 1942. He completed flight training in Kansas, California, and Texas. He was commissioned in August 1943 and sent to Opa-Locka, Florida to fly a Brewster Buffalo and completed various gunnery missions and field carrier landings. He joined the Composite Squadron 75 (VC-75) flying the FM2 and the F4F. His squadron was sent to Kaneohe, Hawaii and boarded the USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79). They w… more
Date: January 6, 2016
Duration: 41 minutes 58 seconds
Creator: Wray, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Charlie Boswell, December 6, 2003

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charlie Boswell. After boot training in San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Tennessee in April 1941. The Tennessee was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 tied up on the inside of the USS West Virginia, next to the pier. Boswell's battle station was as an ammunition handler on one of the 5-inch guns. He went down there and stayed there all day, sending up rounds. Boswell states that the Tennessee took two bombs hits. After… more
Date: December 6, 2003
Duration: 34 minutes 42 seconds
Creator: Boswell, Charlie R.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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Oral History Interview with Cleatis Roach, January 6, 2005

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cleatis Roach. Roach joined the Army Air Forces in April, 1943 and had basic training at Sheppard Field, near Wichita Falls, Texas. After basic, he went to Texas Tech in Lubbock for preflight training. When he learned it would take a lot of time to learn to fly and then be assigned to a combat unit, Roach quit flight school and went to aerial gunnery school. After training, he was assigned to a B-17 crew and went overseas in… more
Date: January 6, 2005
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes 37 seconds
Creator: Roach, Cleatis
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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