National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection - 285 Matching Results

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Oral History Interview with Edmund Thomassen, May 4, 1993

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edmund Thomassen. Thomassen entered the Merchant Marine Academy in October, 1941 and completed his education in April, 1943. When Thomassen was assigned to the USS Sheridan (APA-51), Eddie Albert was one of his shipmates. He went to New Zealand and embarked Marines ahead of the Tarawa invasion and discusses the practice landings. At Tarawa, he delivered Marines to the shore in a small landing craft. He also delivered Marines to R… more
Date: May 4, 1993
Creator: Thomassen, Edmund
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with A. K. Sheffield, May 20, 2016

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A K Sheffield. Sheffield joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Armed Guard School in San Diego. He served with the Navy Armed Guard aboard a transport ship, and traveled to the Philippine Islands. In May of 1944, Sheffield was aboard the SS Henry Bergh when it ran aground on the Farallon Islands, and shares details of those events. He traveled through the Pacific Islands, to Japan and throughout the Atlantic. Sheffield does … more
Date: May 20, 2016
Creator: Sheffield, A. K.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Scott West, May 17, 2005

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Scott West. West joined the Navy in 1935. He was assigned to the USS Lexington (CV-2) for four years. In September of 1942 he served aboard the USS Copahee (CVE-12). He describes the planes aboard and the process of getting all the aviation equipment aboard the carrier. They traveled to New Caledonia to deliver planes, as well as to Munda, in the Solomon Islands. He completed catapult and arresting gear school at the Naval Air St… more
Date: May 17, 2005
Creator: West, Scott
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Gowen. Gowen joined the Merchant Marine in 1934. He trained aboard the USS Annapolis (PG-10) for two years. He graduated from the training program in 1937 as an engineer, then worked aboard a ship delivering oil as third assistant engineer. From 1940 to 1942 he continued working in his same role on the USS Santee (CVE-29). From there he went to Bath, Maine to work as an assistant engineering officer aboard USS Chevalier (D… more
Date: May 3, 1993
Creator: Gowen, George
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Wallace Short, May 4, 1984

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wallace Short. Short entered the Naval Academy in 1920 and upon graduating, went aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). Later, Short joined the Civil Engineer Corps and worked with the Naval Construction Battalions during WWII. He recalls several anecdotes about their work on Manus Island and Okinawa. He describes the destruction caused by typhoons at Okinawa. Short covers several aspects of his career in naval construction after World Wa… more
Date: May 4, 1984
Creator: Short, Wallace
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Marvin Russell, May 17, 2005

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with Marvin Russell. Russell, who graduated with a petroleum engineering degree from the University of Houston, describes his role in the testing of fuel used in the Pacific and in North Africa during the war. He discusses the homefront, including the politics of war, rationing, the Japanese American internment, the use of the atomic bomb, and the reaction to the end of the war. There is also a brief comparison of World War II and the Iraq War. After the war, Rus… more
Date: May 17, 2005
Creator: Russell, Marvin
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Edmond Drake, May 13, 2004

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edmond Drake. Drake joined the Navy in April of 1943. Beginning early 1944, he served as Electrician’s Mate aboard USS President Adams (APA-19). They transported troops and supplies during the Battle of Guam, the invasion Luzon and the Battle of Iwo Jima. He returned to the US in April of 1945.
Date: May 13, 2004
Creator: Drake, Edmond
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Albert Skiles, May 1, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Skiles. Skiles joined the Army in March 1943. He was sent to the Pacific as a replacement. Skiles eventually joined the 96th Infantry Division and landed at Leyte. He served as a switchboard operator and company clerk with a headquarters company. He was later sent to Okinawa and landed in one of the first waves of the invasion. He was wounded by a mortar shell and evacuated to Hawaii. During his time on Okinawa he wit… more
Date: May 1, 2010
Creator: Skiles, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Marshall Barrett, May 4, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Marshall Barrett. Barrett went to Duke University in 1941 and joined the Naval ROTC just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He participated in the V-12 program, receiving an accelerated four-year degree and his commission by February of 1944. Around August, Barrett began serving as a training officer aboard the USS YMS-339. They traveled to Panama, New Hebrides, and the Admiralty Islands and joined the Seventh Fleet. They partici… more
Date: May 4, 2010
Creator: Barrett, Marshall
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Eleanor Hughes, May 12, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eleanor Hughes. Hughes was working for Pacific Co-op in Roseburg, Oregon when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She volunteered and worked nights on the local plotting board watching for planes and ships coming near the Oregon coast. When a blip appeared in their sector, they phoned in and someone checked to see if it was enemy or friendly. Hughes enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) on 27 September 1943 at Little Rock… more
Date: May 12, 2010
Creator: Hughes, Eleanor
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Harper Gruber, May 12, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harper Gruber. Gruber was an electrician's apprentice at the Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina. He joined the Navy soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was sent to the Panama Canal Zone to join the 13th Headquarters. He was later transferred to YMS-339 where he served as an electrician's mate for the remainder of the war. He describes in detail minesweeping operations for the various types of mines. His minesweeper… more
Date: May 12, 2010
Creator: Gruber, Harper
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with George Croft, May 12, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Croft. Croft joined the Navy in February of 1941. He completed Aviation Radio School before working at Pearl Harbor. He later was assigned to the USS McFarland (AVD-14). They transported aviation gas to the neighboring islands. Croft witnessed the Japanese attack on 7 December from the veranda of the US Naval Hospital on Pearl Harbor. He was later assigned to the USS Vega (AK-17), where he served in the engine room and Rad… more
Date: May 12, 2010
Creator: Croft, George
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Gladys Kizziar, May 7, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gladys Kizziar. Kizziar was training as a nurse at the beginning of the war. She became a US Army nurse after she graduated from nursing school. Kizziar was sent to the Philippines to help prepare for the invasion of Japan. She was on board a hospital ship in Tokyo Bay during the surrender ceremony. Kizziar served with the 42nd General Hospital in Yokohama helping to process POWs as they were being liberated. She tells of Ge… more
Date: May 7, 2010
Creator: Kizziar, Gladys
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Gordon Spencer, May 19, 2010

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with Colonel Gordon Spencer. Colonel Spencer discusses his family lineage briefly before shifting to his education up through his years at Harvard. Before finishing at Harvard, Spencer joined the US Army Air Corps flight training program, but was eventually rejected. He went to communcations school instead and was commissioned in Wichita Falls, Texas in October 1941. Eventually, he was sent to England and joined the 306th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. Spencer relate… more
Date: May 19, 2010
Creator: Spencer, Gordon
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Maurice Thoresen, May 21, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Maurice Thoresen. Thoresen joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938. He joined the Coast Guard around late 1939, working shore duty. In the summer of 1941 Thoresen went aboard the USCGC Taney (WHEC-37), serving in the ship’s radio shack. In July they traveled to Honolulu, where they were stationed when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred in December. After 7 December and into 1942, the Taney conducted many depth charge atta… more
Date: May 21, 2010
Creator: Thoresen, Maurice
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Campbell, May 20, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Campbell. Campbell joined the Merchant Marine in March of 1942. He began as a wiper working in the engine room. Campbell soon found work on the North Atlantic convoy. His ship was torpedoed and sunk on the way to Murmansk. His next ship hit a mine and was forced to run aground. Campbell was a crewman on a ship that arrived at Cherbourg after the storm that destroyed the Mulberry Harbor. He also manned a diesel engine on… more
Date: May 20, 2010
Creator: Campbell, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with William Bullard, May 24, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William E. Bullard. Bullard joined the Marine Corps in 1938 and received a discharge before the U.S. entered WWII. He then joined the Army Air Forces and trained to become a fighter pilot. He joined the 354th Fighter Group and began flying missions over Europe. Bullard was part of an escort for C-47s that dropped airborne troops on D-Day. His plane was damaged on a mission over Germany and he was captured and became a prison… more
Date: May 24, 2010
Creator: Bullard, William E.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Harold Evans, May 19, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Evans. Evans joined the Navy in August of 1942. He served aboard the USS Savo Island (CVE-78) as 3rd Class Petty Officer Ordnanceman, beginning in February of 1944. Evans also worked with a PBY squadron as a Blister Gunner, loading bombs and ammunition. Aboard the Savo Island, they provided air support for the landings on Peleliu Island, Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Okinawa. Evans was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: May 19, 2010
Creator: Evans, Harold
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Wallace Morger, May 20, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wallace Morger. Morger enlisted into the Marine Corps Reserves on 13 October 1942. After boot camp in San Diego, Morger went to the naval station in Newport, Rhode Island to study electronics for three months. Morger then went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where he joined the 16th Pioneer Battalion. They joined the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. Morger was transferred out of the pioneer battalion and became the pol… more
Date: May 20, 2010
Creator: Morger, Wallace
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Roger Moore, May 26, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roger Moore. Moore joined the Navy in 1943. Shortly after basic training, he was given the opportunity to train as a US Navy photographer taking classes in Pensacola, Florida and Washington DC. While in Washington DC, he volunteered for the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO). He was shipped to Chongqing, China and trained Chinese guerilla troops in the use of photography. In 1945, Moore was sent to Shanghai to tak… more
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: Moore, Roger
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Carroll Layton, May 24, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carroll Layton. Layton joined the Navy in May of 1944. He completed Electrician School and PT boat training. In April of 1945 he traveled to PT Base 17 in Samar, Philippines and later to Mindoro. He worked out of an electrician shack, serving as a motor mechanic on boat engines, and gunner when needed. He was later switched over from PT boats to a Landing Craft Tank vessel. He was discharged around late 1945 and served in the Nav… more
Date: May 24, 2010
Creator: Layton, Carroll
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Edwards, May 5, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Edwards. Edwards joined the Army Air Forces in 1944. He was trained as an aircraft engine mechanic and was sent to the Philippines where he became a crewman on an A-26 bomber. Edwards describes how his plane flew missions with P-61s as escorts and gives some detail on the types of targets that were selected. He talks about how his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and forced down during an attack on a Japanese airfiel… more
Date: May 5, 2011
Creator: Edwards, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Bianca Cunningham, May 5, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bianca Cunningham. Cunningham was born in Brazil to an Italian mother and a German Jew who was a sculptor and architect that had won a competition to build the Presidential Palace. Eventually Cunningham traveled with her mother to her hometown in Capri where she remained throughout the war. She witnessed life under Mussolini, the German occupation, bombing of Naples, and the American occupation. Cunningham became a hostess f… more
Date: May 5, 2011
Creator: Cunningham, Bianca
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Galbraith, May 10, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Galbraith. Galbraith joined the Marine Corps in February of 1942. He describes the training he received to become a pilot. Galbraith became a flight instructor and then trained on twin engine planes. He was sent to the Pacific and flew C-46 transport planes into Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. Galbraith discusses flying into Iwo Jima during the battle. He flew into Japan on several missions after the war had ended. Galbraith … more
Date: May 10, 2011
Creator: Galbraith, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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