National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection - 211 Matching Results

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Oral History Interview with A. J. Dunn, July 13, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with A J Dunn. Dunn joined the Navy in 1940 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Oglala (CM-4) at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of 7 December 1941, he was returning from liberty when the attack began. Unable to find his ship, he jumped aboard the USS Mugford (DD-389) just as it was getting underway. After seven days of patrols, he returned to the harbor and was transferred to the US… more
Date: July 13, 2011
Creator: Dunn, A. J.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jeffers. Jeffers joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in Illinois. He received diesel engine maintenance and repair training at submarine school in Connecticut. Upon completion, he was assigned to the engine room aboard the USS Threadfin (SS-410) as a fireman, first class. He participated in the tracking operation that led to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. He was transferred to the USS M… more
Date: December 28, 2011
Creator: Jeffers, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Kenneth Spray, September 1, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kenneth Spray. Spray joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training at Great Lakes. During sonar training, he developed a system to cheat the tests; however, on patrol in Florida he was the first to detect an enemy submarine. In 1944, he deployed to the Pacific aboard the USS Sierra (AD-18) and completed his shellback initiation just before a torpedo attack. In Manus, Spray worked around the clock repairing radar, sonar… more
Date: September 1, 2011
Creator: Spray, Kenneth
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Karel Dahmen, April 20, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Karel Dahmen. Dahmen was born in the Netherlands and witnessed the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940. He recalls the chaos of fires burning and people being shot. With two friends he quickly manned a vacant boat and carried 45 Jews across the North Sea to England, using only a compass and school atlas for navigation. He joined the Dutch Navy in February 1941 and was assigned to HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck as a radar operator. … more
Date: April 20, 2011
Creator: Dahmen, Karel
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with J. B. Young, February 7, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Reverend J.B. Young. Young enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December 1936. He became a cook and then was trained as an airplane mechanic. Young was sent to Hickam Field in Hawaii to serve as a crew chief on a B-17. He describes the attack on 7 December and how he taxied his plane out of danger and the patrols that they flew in the immediate aftermath. Young was then sent to New Caledonia where his plane flew photo reconnais… more
Date: February 7, 2011
Creator: Young, J. B.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Clemens Kathman, January 26, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clemens Kathman. Kathman was drafted into the Army in March 1941. He joined the 200th Coast Artillery and traveled to the Philippine Islands. He describes the Japanese bombing Clark Field and then being sent to Bataan. Kathman was captured and became a POW. He details the march to camp that followed and the difficulties that he endured. Kathman was assigned to the burial detail at Camp O’Donnell and describes the duties he p… more
Date: January 26, 2011
Creator: Kathman, Clemens
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Thomas Walton, February 15, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Walton. Walton joined the Navy in December 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion in August 1943, he was then assigned to USS Neches (AO-47) as a seaman. At Okinawa he saw an ammunition ship explode after a kamikaze hit. On the way back to the States, the Neches hit a mine that blew a 15-by-22-foot hole in the side of the ship. After it was repaired, Walton returned to sea until the end of the … more
Date: February 15, 2011
Creator: Walton, Thomas
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with James H. Goemmer, February 15, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with James H. Goemmer. Goemmer begins by describing a three-month trip he took with his family in 1930 in which they traveled all over the US in a Chevrolet. After finishing high school in Yakima, Washington, Goemmer worked various odd jobs before joining the Navy in October, 1942 and going to Farragut, Idaho for basic training. Afterwards, he went to aviation radio school and aerial gunnery school. He qualified as an aircrew member at the naval air station in Da… more
Date: February 15, 2011
Creator: Goemmer, James H.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John W. Underwood, February 18, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with John Underwood. Underwood joined the Navy in November 1942 and went to boot camp at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Florida. Finishing in the top of his class, he had his choice of trade schools and went to aviation radio school in Jacksonville. From there Underwood went to aviation radar school and then to aerial gunnery school in Alameda, California. His gunnery officer was Robert Stack, the actor. After survival school and learning how to jump, he was ass… more
Date: February 18, 2011
Creator: Underwood, John W.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Donald Bentley, February 22, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Bentley. Bentley joined the Navy in 1942 and went through the V-12 program. He was assigned to the Seabees. Bentley was trained on ship loading and unloading and joined the 30th Special NCB stateside. He was transferred to the 4th Special NCB and traveled to Okinawa. Bentley describes the work that his unit performed and life on Okinawa at the end of the war. He left the service after four years in March 1946.
Date: February 22, 2011
Creator: Bentley, Donald
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Charles Slaten, February 24, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Slaten. Slaten joined the Navy at the age of 16 in August 1942. He traveled to New Caledonia as a replacement and joined the crew of the USS Neches (AO-47) in the deck department. Slaten describes standing lookout in the crow’s nest in the Aleutian Islands and the ship running aground in Cold Harbor. He also goes into detail on refueling operations including an incident where a carrier broke away due to a submarine t… more
Date: February 24, 2011
Creator: Slaten, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Gordon Sage, February 22, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Sage. Sage joined the Marine Corps in mid-1941. He served aboard USS Maryland (BB-46) as an orderly for Rear Admiral Walter Stratton Anderson, commander of battleships in the Pacific Fleet. Sage was aboard the ship the morning of 7 December. They were moored along Ford Island, with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on Battleship Row. Sage describes his experiences through the attack, including passing ammunition down a line to the anti… more
Date: February 22, 2011
Creator: Sage, Gordon
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Richard Taylor, March 24, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Taylor. Taylor was a young boy in Canada during World War II. He describes the effort on the homefront, including growing Victory gardens and rationing gasoline. Beginning in 1943 he received training in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Air Cadets, and the Army Cadets. He helped with the manufacturing of Fairmile D-motor torpedo boats. In 1946 he joined an antitank unit in the Irish Regiment of Canada and received … more
Date: March 24, 2011
Creator: Taylor, Richard
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Buchanan, February 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Buchanan. Buchanan joined the Navy in 1939 and was assigned to the USS Holland (AS-3). He was then sent to submarine school and joined the USS Cachalot (SS-170) to work on diesel engines. Buchanan was on duty the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor and describes the events that he witnessed from the Navy Yard where his ship was undergoing repairs. He describes seeing the plane that launched a torpedo on the USS Helena… more
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Buchanan, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with William T. Carroll, Jr., February 25, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with William T. Carroll, Jr. Born in 1922, he volunteered for service in the Army in March, 1941. He was assigned to a Signal Corps company on the northern tip of Luzon in late 1941. He tells the story of the Japanese invasion, eluding the enemy, and surviving in the mountainous jungle for three years. He talks about contracting malaria and harrying Japanese forces. In May 1945 he was flown to Lingayen Gulf where he was processed following his ordeal. He returned… more
Date: February 25, 2011
Creator: Carroll, William T., Jr.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Edgar Granger, March 9, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edgar Granger. Granger was born in Beaumont, Texas 2 July 1916 and graduated from high school in 1934. In 1935 he joined the Merchant Marines as a deck hand with the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company. In 1941 he entered the Merchant Marine officers training class at Alameda, California. After receiving his third-class mate’s license he went aboard the SS San Antonio. He tells of picking up survivors of the merchant ship SS Ci… more
Date: March 9, 2011
Creator: Granger, Edgar
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Joseph Finigan, March 4, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Finigan. Finigan joined the Navy in January 1941. He worked at a Navy radio station and then was sent to the USS Bootes (AK-99) to serve as a yeoman. Finigan describes his ship picking up wounded Marines at New Caledonia. The Bootes was then designated as an ammunition ship and operated out of New Guinea. He discusses what it was like to serve on an ammunition ship. Finigan traveled to the Philippines where the Bootes… more
Date: March 4, 2011
Creator: Finigan, Joseph
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with William Blythe, March 13, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Blythe. Blythe joined the Navy in September 1942. He was assigned to the USS Sandpiper (AVP-9) and describes some of the missions performed as a part of convoy escort along the northeastern US. Blythe then joined the commissioning crew of the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). He describes the commissioning and the journey through the Panama Canal. Blythe talks of life aboard ship, his duties as a machinist mate, and how the c… more
Date: March 13, 2011
Creator: Blythe, William
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Charles Hayes, March 13, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Hayes. Hayes joined the Navy in March 1943 and received basic training in Illinois and received further training with Navy commandos in San Francisco. Upon completion, he was assigned to CUB 7 as a rifleman and sent to Bougainville but instead diverted to Australia due to a storm. He was assigned to Gamadodo, a supply depot in New Guinea, where he refueled ships. During his year-long stay there, he was bombed daily u… more
Date: March 13, 2011
Creator: Hayes, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Joseph Doyon, March 16, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Doyon. Doyon worked as a machinist at Bath Iron Works until he joined the Navy in March 1943. He was sent to diesel school and then small boat training to become an engineman on a LCVP. Doyon was assigned to USS LST-506, which traveled to England. He tells of the preparations for D-Day taking part in the landing on 6 June at Normandy. Doyon describes picking up wounded on the beach and several Asian POWs in German uni… more
Date: March 16, 2011
Creator: Doyon, Joseph
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Milton Loss, February 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milton Loss. Loss joined the Navy in January 1942. He was assigned to the USS Haddo (SS-255) and took part in a patrol off England. Loss describes the Haddo receiving new engines at Mare Island. He discusses the arrival of Captain Nimitz and how well he was liked by the crew. Loss participated in five war patrols. He describes his duties as a Quartermaster, planning a torpedo attack, and problems with malfunctioning torpedoe… more
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Loss, Milton
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with William E. Steigerwald, March 24, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with William E. Steigerwald. He begins by describing the conditions he grew up in during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He joined the Marine Corps and went to boot camp at Parris Island. He trained on radar and shipped out to New Caledonia for more training, this time with Marine Raider battalions. He contracted malaria on Guadalcanal and was assigned to the 3rd Defense Battalion, and antiaircraft artillery unit. Eventually, he was assigned to the 4th Battali… more
Date: March 24, 2011
Creator: Steigerwald, William E.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with James M. Jones, March 29, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with James Jones. He discusses joining the Army, being shipped to France to join the 3rd Army in Germany in early 1945, being in charge of a machine gun section in the 387th infantry regiment of the 97th division, then returning to the States for leave when he heard of Japan's surrender. Then he was shipped to Japan to be part of the occupation force after the war. He ancedotes about having to search the woods in Czechoslovakia for werewolves, riding in boxcars, … more
Date: March 29, 2011
Creator: Jones, James M.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Marvin T. Alexander, April 4, 2011

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with Marvin T. Alexander. Alexander grew up in Louisiana and entered the Navy in early 1941. Upon completion of basic training at San Diego, Alexander was assigned as an engine mechanic to Patrol Squadron 12 (VP-12), which flew PBY airplanes at Coronado Naval Air Station. His unit was sent to Pearl Harbor in October, 1941. Alexander describes what he witnessed at Ford Island on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Alexander was also present on… more
Date: April 4, 2011
Creator: Alexander, Marvin T.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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