Texas Oral History Collection - 71 Matching Results
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- Oral History Interview with Gilberto S. Trevino, February 18, 2005
- Interview with Gilberto S. Trevino, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He attended Texas A&M before serving in the Marine Corps. He was in the 28th Replacement Battalion when he was assigned to the 3d Marine Division and deployed to Iwo Jima. He discusses his first impressions of landing on the island. He describes the constructed Japanese defenses on the island and the use of Japanese Nisei interpreters to convince defenders to surrender. He returned to Texas A&M where he was in the Corps of Cadets (ROTC) and accepted his commission in the Army in time to serve in Korea. He eventually earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M and a doctorate degree in pathology from Michigan State University. He retired from service in 1976 with the rank of colonel.
- Oral History Interview with Norman Apelt, September 23, 2001
- Interview with with Norman Apelt, an airplane mechanic during World War II. He discusses his service in the US Army Air Corps as an airplane mechanic in Pampa, Texas. After the war ended, Apelt was assigned duty in occupied Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Lowell Dean Cox, February 1, 2005
- Interview with Lowell Dean Cox, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses joining the Navy and serving aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He was on board when the cruiser was attacked by a Japanese submarine and survived for five days in the water before being rescued.
- Oral History Interview with Wilburn L. Snyder, 1979
- Interview with Wilburn L. Snyder, a resident of Baytown, Texas since approximately 1920. Topics include World War Two and the history of Baytown, TX.
- Oral History Interview with Buck Gibson, October 19, 2002
- Interview with Buck Gibson of Waco, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War Two. The interview includes some of Mr. Gibson's background before and after the war as well as his personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of his training, life in the Navy, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and what happened after he was rescued.
- Oral History Interview with Buck Gibson, October 19, 2002
- Interview with Buck Gibson of Waco, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War Two. The interview includes some of Strauss' background before and after the war as well as his personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of his training, life in the Navy, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and what happened after he was rescued.
- Oral History Interview with Garvin Kowalke, January 23, 2001
- Interview with Garvin Kowalke, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, and training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot; he shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a U.S. submarine that was in the Bay, getting pulled down to the fires when they were trying to hide in the smoke to avoid Japanese fighter planes, and getting caught in a storm by Mount Fujiyama, as well as collecting data such wind direction, speed, and temperature over Hiroshima for future bombing runs, which turned out to be for the bombers who dropped the atomic bomb. He also talks about flying over Hiroshima two days after the bombing and gauging how high the radiation levels were at different altitudes. He also talks about being in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, becoming a B-57 pilot, and adopting a baby boy from Germany after the war, then a little girl while he was stationed in Hawaii after the Korean War.
- Oral History Interview with James Macia, July 21, 2000
- Interview with James "Herb" Macia of San Antonio, Texas, who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces during World War Two. In the interview, Mr. Macia recalls memories about growing up as well as his days as a mining engineer, the Doolittle Raid, North Africa, Normandy, and D-Day.
- Oral History Interview with James Macia, July 21, 2000
- Interview with James "Herb" Macia of San Antonio, Texas, who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces during World War Two. In the interview, Mr. Thomas recalls memories about growing up as well as his days as a mining engineer, the Doolittle Raid, North Africa, Normandy, and D-Day.
- Oral History Interview with Charles Pase, April 12, 2001
- Interview with Charles Pase, a marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines and training on New Zealand and other Pacific islands. He describes landing on Tarawa, the battle of Tarawa itself, and locating and burying the dead bodies after the battle. He also talks about going to Hawaii for more training before going to Saipan, various guns and artillery he used, encountering natives on Saipan and being in Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped. He relates ancedotes about having tonsillitis during the Tarawa attack, fights that some Marines got into with local Hawaiians while training there and prejudices against Japanese-Americans, mistaking a land crab that pinched the back of his neck for a bayonet, getting Dengue Fever, and faking a landing on April Fools' Day.
- Oral History Interview with Hermi Salas, February 14, 2005
- Interview with Oral interview with Hermi Salas, a U. S. Marine during World War II. Salas was assigned to the Third Marine Division and was present for the invasion of Guam in the Mariana Islands. He was wounded on Guam and evacuated to a hospital ship, the USS Solace. He also participated in the Iwo Jima landings. After a few weeks at Iwo Jima, Salas was wounded again and placed aboard the USS Solace. He discusses his experiences in the hospital recovering from the wounds he received in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Eventually, he made his way back to San Antonio. He also discusses a brief leave at home before he reported to prison guard duty in Corpus Christi. Upon being discharged after the war, Salas went to radio school and worked at Kelly Air Force Base in the Civil Service.
- Oral History Interview with James F. Sansom, October 8, 2004
- Interview with James F. Sansom, an officer in the U. S. Army during World War II. Sansom joined the Army in 1940 and began training on anti-aircraft guns in Florida. He was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1942. He was assigned to the 843rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Air Warning Battalion, which made its way to India via the Panama Canal and Australia. Shortly after reaching Calcutta, the unit moved to Myitkyina, Burma. After the war, Sansom was assigned to Sagumo Prison outside Tokyo where Japanese war criminals were being held while on trial for war crimes. He describes some of the routines and residents in the prison. Sansom taught Hideki Tojo how to play card games like gin rummy. Sansom also describes the process of executing convicted prisoners as he carried out some sentences. In all, he executed nine convicted war criminals.
- Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001
- Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
- Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001
- Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
- Oral History Interview with Elliott Ross, May 1, 2001
- Interview with Elliott Ross who joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. He discusses being a landing craft coxswain carrying troops and supplies from ships to the shore in seven invasions: Guam, Leyte, Luzon, Santacristo, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and as an occupation force in Japan after the surrender. He talks mostly about Guam, Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan, but also mentions burials at sea and on the beachs, seeing his brother's ship get hit by torpedoes, and the emotional toll of the war.
- Oral History Interview with O. H. King, September 28, 2002
- Interview with O. H. "Karl" King of Fort Worth, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. King recalls memories of his travels, the Japanese attack on Clark Field, the Battle for Bataan, and when he was a Japanese prisoner-of-war. He also talks about other experiences he had while serving in the Marines and his life before and after the war.
- Oral History Interview with O. H. King, September 28, 2002
- Interview with O. H. "Karl" King of Fort Worth, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. King recalls memories of his travels, the Japanese attack on Clark Field, the Battle for Bataan, and when he was a Japanese prisoner-of-war. He also talks about other experiences he had while serving in the Marines and his life before and after the war.
- Oral History Interview with David Braden, September 30, 2000
- Interview with David Braden, a member of the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He discusses his training in the U.S. to become a navigator; his deployment to Saipan with the 870th Squadron, 497th Bomb Group, 73rd Wing; initial attacks on Tokyo in a B-29 bomber at high altitude (during which the jet stream interfered with the bombing raids); a low-altitude fire-bombing mission over Tokyo in March, 1945; living conditions on base at Saipan; a mission in which the B-29 he was on ditched in the ocean and his subsequent rescue; Victory in Europe (V-E) Day on Saipan; completing 35 missions; and going home.
- Oral History Interview with Roy Allen, November 4, 1970
- Interview with Roy Allen, an Army Air Corps WWII veteran and POW from Denton, Texas. Allen served during the invasion of the Philippines in December 1941, after which he fought with Filipino guerrillas until his capture by Japanese forces in mid-1942. He was interned at the Del Monte Plantation, Mindanao, and later at Yokkaichi, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971
- Interview with Tom Blaylock, an Army Air Corps WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Blaylock was stationed in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion of December 1941, was captured, forced to partake in the Bataan Death March, and was interned at several major POW camps in the Philippines before transferring to a coal mine camp at Omine-machi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with George Burlage, November 18, 1970
- Interview with George Burlage, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Visalia, California. Burlage was stationed in the Philippines before the war and fought at Corregidor in 1942 before his capture by the Japanese, after which he was interned at Camp Cabanatuan #3 in Central Luzon, Las Pinas airfield near Manila, and Moji, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Frank Fujita, November 9, 1970
- Interview with Frank Fujita, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Abilene, Texas. Fujita recounts his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "the Lost Battalion"), including: joining the Guard and deploying to East Asia; diversion to Brisbane and assignment to Malang, Java; repelling a Japanese infantry assault; attempted evasion of Japanese forces before being captured; and internment and labor at Surabaja, Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and Omori Camp in Tokyo. Fujita recorded his POW experiences in an encrypted diary.
- Oral History Interview with John Breckenridge Garrison, September 18, 1970
- Interview with Brack Garrison, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Amarillo, Texas, accompanied by Nita Boynton. Garrison details his experiences defending Guam in the Japanese invasion of December 1941, and his subsequent surrender and internment in Japanese POW camps at Zentsuji and Osaka.
- Oral History Interview with William G. Adair, May 27, 1971
- Interview with Major William G. Adair, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Birmingham, Alabama. Stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded in December 1941, Adair was captured, survived the Bataan Death March, and interned at Cabanatuan before going to Osaka and Zentsuji, Japan for the remainder of the war.
- Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976
- Interview with Billy Allen, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Van Alstyne, Texas. Allen discusses his entry into the Marine Corps, deployment to Shanghai with the China Marines in 1940-41, arrival in the Philippines, the Japanese attack on Mariveles Navy Yard, the retreat to Corregidor, capture by the Japanese, and experiences in internment at Bilibid Prison in Manila, Cabanatuan, Osaka, and Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
- Oral History Interview with Leland D. Bartlett, September 13, 1972
- Interview with Colonel Leland D. Bartlett, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Springfield, Massachusetts. Bartlett discusses his education, his experience as a teenager in the Pancho Villa Expedition, becoming a commissioned officer in the Army, his pre-war career, his deployment to the Philippines, the Japanese attack, the Battle of Bataan, the siege of Corregidor and the American surrender, and his internment at Cabanatuan, Tanagawa, and Zentsuji.
- Oral History Interview with Donald C. Brain, March 11, 1981
- Interview with Donald C. Brain, a United States Navy veteran from Long Beach, California. Brain discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after his cruiser, the USS Houston, was sunk off the coast of Java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with Loren H. Brantley, November 19, 1971
- Interview with Loren Brantley, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Daingerfield, Texas. Brantley discusses being stationed in Shanghai before the war, his experience in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked on December 8th, the Battle of Corregidor, and his internments at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, and a coal mine near Nagasaki.
- Oral History Interview with Karl A. Bugbee, December 8, 1971
- Interview with Karl Bugbee, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from New Orleans, Louisiana. Bugbee discusses his time in the Philippines at Cavite Naval Yard before the war, the Japanese invasion, the Battle of Bataan, the Battle of Corregidor, his capture, and his internment at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, and the Ashio Copper Mine in Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Paul Bunch, December 7, 1971
- Interview with Paul Bunch, a New Mexico National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Atlanta, Missouri. Bunch served in I Troop, 111th Horse Cavalry, which became F Battery, 200th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft); he recounts going to the Philippines before the war in 1941, his action during the bombing of Clark Field on December 8th, the fight for Bataan, and his capture and internment at Camp O'Donnell, after which he was held at Cabanatuan #2, Bilibid Prison, and then Yodagawa Steel Mill, Osaka, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Martin Chambers, April 8, 1982
- Interview with Martin Chambers, a United States Army veteran from Milam, Texas. Chambers discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II and as a member of the 26th Brigade and eventually the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, also known as the "Lost Battalion."
- Oral History Interview with T. G. Crews, January 22, 1972
- Interview with T. G. Crews, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Stephenville, Texas. Crews, among the first Americans taken prisoner by the Japanese during the war, discusses his time with the North China Marines in Peking, his unit's duties there, his capture, and his experiences during internment at Tianjin, Shanghai, Peking, Busan, and Hakodate.
- Oral History Interviews with Pete Evans, 1984
- Interview with Pete Evans, a Texas National Guard veteran and POW from Hamby, Texas. Evans discusses his time as a member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion") which was captured by the Japanese in March, 1942, including: his upbringing; entering the Guard and training; mobilization, the Louisiana Maneuvers, and deployment to East Asia; diversion from the Philippines to Brisbane and then Java, after December 7th, 1941; assignment to Sangosari near Malang; the Japanese invasion and the American surrender; and experiences in internment at Surabaya, Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and the Orio district of Kitakyūshū.
- Oral History Interview with Marshall E. Fields, February 13, 1972
- Interview with Marshall Fields, a Marine WWII veteran from Arkansas. Fields discusses his deployment to Wake Island shortly before the war, the Battle of Wake Island, his capture, and his experiences in internment at Woosung, China, and Sapporo, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Herbert M. Fish, July 31, 1985
- Interview with Herbert M. Fish, an executive at Caltex Petroleum Corporation from Boston, Massachusetts. Fish discusses his time working at Shell Oil during the Depression, experience in the U.S. Army, his duties at Caltex, marketing with Chinese agents and visiting China, dealing with Japanese executives, and Caltex European operations.
- Personal Diary of Frank Fujita, Jr.
- A copy of Frank Fujita Jr.'s war diary, obtained by Dr. Ron Marcello to accompany Fujita's oral history interview. Fujita was an Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment captured on Java in March 1942. Included is Fujita's original bound diary, and a rewritten version he made in a Japanese logbook in internment and continued. They contain daily activities, doodles, lists of dozens of servicemen and captives encountered, and the key to an encoded script Fujita developed for sensitive information. Also included is a postwar newspaper clipping about Fujita's unit.
- Oral History Interview with James W. Gee, March 13 and March 19, 1972
- Interview with James W. Gee, a sales executive, a Marine Corps veteran, and a survivor of the sinking of the U.S.S. Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Gee talks about the sinking of the Houston (1942), his capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), the hell ship to Japan (1944), coal mining near Nagasaki (1944-1945), and his liberation.
- Oral History Interview with Bryghte D. Godbold, April 7, 1972
- Interview with Bryghte D. Godbold, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Coy, Alabama. A brigadier general at retirement after the war, Godbold discusses his time in the Marine Corps before the war, his duties on Wake Island shortly before December 7th, 1941, his experiences during the Battle of Wake, the Japanese landing and American surrender, his internment at Woosung and Kiang Wang in China, and his last internment at Ashibetsu (Hakodate #4) in Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Albert E. Kennedy, April 15, 1987
- Interview with Albert E. Kennedy, a United States Navy veteran from East Prairie, Missouri, regarding his experiences and memories as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese after surviving the wreck of the USS Houston during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972
- Interview with James L. Kent, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Duncanville, Texas. Kent discusses joining the Marine Corps, being AWOL, his judicial punishment, his deployment to the Philippines at Cavite Navy Yard, the Japanese attack, his experiences in the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, his capture, and his internment at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan #1 & 2, and Mitsushima.
- Oral History Interview with Frank H. King, December 12, 1978
- Interview with Frank H. King, a United States Marine Corps veteran from Shamrock, Texas. King discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after his cruiser, the USS Houston, was sunk off the coast of Java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with George Koury, Jr., April 27, 1972
- Interview with George Koury, Jr., Marine Corps veteran and survivor of the Bataan Death March. The interview includes Koury's personal experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Koury talks about the Fall of Bataan and his capture, the Bataan Death March, Camp O'Donnell, Nichols Field, hell ship to Formosa and to Japan, Prison Camp No. 7, and liberation.
- Oral History Interview with Dean M. McCall, February 26, 1971
- Interview with Dean M. McCall, Army Air Corps veteran and survivor of the siege of Corregidor. The interview includes McCall's personal experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. McCall talks about the Japanese bombing of Nichols Field, the fall of Bataan, the fall of Corregidor and his capture, Bilibid Prison, hell ship to Japan, copper mining at Motiyama, Honshu, American air raids and naval bombardment, and liberation.
- Oral History Interview with Eldridge Rayburn, January 16, 1980
- Audio interview with Eldridge Rayburn, a veteran of the Texas National Guard from Lubbock, Texas, about his experiences as a member of the "Lost Battalion" captured at Java in 1942 by the Japanese army during World War II. Rayburn discusses his memories of being in a Field Artillery unit, a prisoner of war, and surviving.
- Oral History Interview with Louis B. Read, November 3, 1972
- Interview conducted in 1972 for the World War II Prisoners of War Oral History Project with Louis B. Read, a businessman, an Army veteran, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with Marvin Robinson, May 25, 1982
- Interview with Marvin Robinson, a veteran of the United States Marines from Handley, Texas. Robinson discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after his cruiser, the USS Houston, was sunk off the coast of Java in the Sunda Strait in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with Clyde J. Shelton, July 27, 1987
- Interview with Clyde J. Shelton, a United States Army veteran from Mexia, Texas, regarding his experiences and memories as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after being captured when his artillery unit, the "Lost Battalion," was captured off the coast of java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with J. L. Sherman, March 4, 1976
- Interview with J. L. "Smokey" Sherman, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Ponder, Texas. Sherman discusses joining the Army in 1940, going to the Philippines and being stationed on Corregidor, the siege and fall of the island, his escape from capture and time as a guerrilla, surrender, and experiences in internment at Cabanatuan and Kobe.
- Oral History Interview with O. R. Sparkman, May 6, 1971
- Interview with O.R. Sparkman, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Stationed in China before the war, Sparkman was captured in December 1941 by the Japanese in Beijing and interned at various camps in occupied China and Korea before finishing the war at Hakodate, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Jess Stanbrough, April 15, 1985
- Interview with Jess Stanbrough, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Wichita Falls, Texas, who served and was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion.") Stanbrough discusses his time in the Guard before the war, deployment to the Pacific, the fall of Java and being captured, experiences in internment at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, operating a clandestine radio, transfer to Japan, being an iron smelter at Kamaishi, Honshu, American air and naval bombardment, and liberation.