Texas Oral History Collection - 754 Matching Results
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- 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 Al Flocke, October 22, 2000
- Interview with Al Flocke, a radio operator during World War II. He discusses his flight training and being the radio operator on a B-24 bomber which did raids on Guam, Turk, Iwo Jima and other islands. He also relates anecdotes about food, rations, and living conditions on the islands.
- Oral History Interview with John Wilson, January 31, 2002
- Interview with John Wilson, an officer in the U. S. Army during World War II. Wilson was born in Illinois but attended high school in the Philippines after his father accepted an engineering position there. He graduated from high school in 1939 and then enrolled in the University of Wisconsin, where he participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He graduated and took his commission in the Army in 1943. After Officer Candidate School (OCS), he was assigned to an engineering unit slated to participate in the invasion of the Philippines. He eventually landed on Luzon. On Luzon he was assigned temporary duty with a small Philippine Civil Affairs unit that was made up of officers and men who had relatives interned by the Japanese in the Philippines. His small unit made their way to Santo Tomas where he liberated many friends and old school mates. A few weeks later, Wilson liberated his father, a civilian internee at Los Banos. Wilson remained with his unit constructing hospitals in the Philippines in anticipation of the casualties expected from the invasion of the Japanese home islands.
- Oral History Interview with Willie Higgs, September 21, 2001
- Interview with Willie Higgs, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He joined the Marines in 1944 and trained at Camp Pendleton before being assigned to the 4th Marine Division. Higgs discusses arriving at Iwo Jima, making a grenade attack on a cave there, and subsequently breaking his leg. He then spent time aboard the hospital ship, USS Solace (AH-5). Upon returning home, Higgs finished his degree at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, where he majored in music.
- Oral History Interview with Chris Walker, February 11, 2003
- Interview with Chris Walker, a carpenter during World War II. He discusses working as a carpenter in the Marines at Camp Pendleton and on Tinian and Saipan. He was present at Okinawa and in Nagasaki after Japan surrendered. He also tells stories about generals, his colonel, rations, and friendly fire. He describes some of the memorabilia he kept.
- Oral History Interview with David Lee Hill, September 20, 2003
- Interview with David Lee "Tex" Hill of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater. The interview includes Hill's personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of pre-war flight training in Florida, the Flying Tigers, and the Salween River Gorge attack.
- Oral History Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, February 18, 2009
- Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, a serviceman in the U. S. Army during World War II. He discusses his childhood and education at Peacock Military Academy. He then joined the army and spent time in Okinawa during and after the war. He recalls being a surgical technician and working with Japanese civilians after the surrender, meeting his wife, and working for saw mills as a salesman and a pilot. He remembers stealing pineapples on Hawaii and getting diarrhea, being treated for jungle rot, selling old Japanese army blankets to civilians, and shipping silk bolts and sabers back home.
- 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 Sam H. Snoddy, April 29, 2004
- Interview with Sam H. Snoddy, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He served in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. After training, he participated in the initial landing at Saipan where he was wounded in the knees and shoulder on the beach by shell fragments. He was loaded onto a hospital ship with several other casualties before going to Hawaii to recuperate. He participated in the Okinawa campaign and spent time at Nagasaki on occupation duty. After being discharged, he went to college on the G. I. Bill, and eventually settled in Texas, where he worked in the oil industry.
- 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 Alan W. Saunders, October 8, 2004
- Interview with Alan W. "Buck" Saunders, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, becoming an airplane mechanic, and going to flight school for pilot training. He was stationed in India and flew supplies into China over the Himalayas (known by pilots as "the Hump"). In China, he traded items such as jewelry or opium for information on Japanese troop placements in Burma. He also discusses his meetings with native Burmese and talks about later experiences he had after the war and during the Vietnam War.
- Oral History Interview with William F. Graham, March 24, 2001
- Interview with Bill Graham, a Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing joining the Navy and becoming a corpsman, then being transferred to the 2nd Marine Division after the Pearl Harbor attack. He also talks being in the first wave on Guadalcanal and various things that happened during the six months there, as well as contracting a severe strain of malaria, getting shipped back to the States and stationed near his home in Fort Worth, then returning to training in Virginia to prepare for an invasion of Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Guinn Rasbury, April 30, 2004
- Interview with Guinn Rasbury, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines, being part of the invasion force at Florida and Tulagi Islands, having multiple malaria attacks, being transferred to Maine to cure his malaria, being transferred around the United States, and finally returning to the Pacific theater. He explains how being sick with malaria and getting bumped from a plane ride home saved his life. He shares anecdotes about sounding "Taps" at a memorial service for President Roosevelt and being chairman of the Second Marine Division Memorial Scholarship Fund Committee.
- Oral History Interview with Ed Carseth, August 6, 2003
- Interview with Ed Carseth, a pilot during World War II. He discusses an early interest in aviation and earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot Training program. He spent a year as an instructor before joining the Air Transport Command. Through 1944 he delivered aircraft to Australia before being assigned to Myitkyina, Burma. He speaks of living conditions at Myitkyina. He flew materials over the Himalaya Mountains (the Hump) from Burma to Kunming, China. Carseth relates anectdotes about General Claire Chennault, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and a squadron mate who kept a baboon.
- Oral History Interview with Valentin R. Ybarra, April 29, 2004
- Interview with Valentin R. Ybarra regarding his experiences during World War II. He discusses his wartime experiences in Peleliu and Okinawa as well as occupation duty in Japan and China. He also had an assignment in Spain. He remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis, the revolt in the Dominican Republic, and his service in Vietnam.
- Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001
- Interview with Joseph Brown, who was in the Marine Corps during World War II. He discusses going to Guadalcanal, various guns and artillery he used, the battle of Tarawa and getting malaria just before it, then going to Hawaii for more training before returning to the South Pacific and fighting on Saipan and Tinian. He also discusses being wounded on Saipan, having a bayonet run through his forearm and keeping the bayonet as a souvenir after the war, and he talks about some of his experiences and travels after the war.
- Oral History Interview with Boyd K. Miller, January 21, 2003
- Interview with Boyd K. Miller, a draftsman and pilot during World War II. He discusses being drafted out of college and working as an artist and draftsman. Since he studied art in college, he worked on diagrams and charts. He then transferred to the Air Corps to become a pilot and trained in Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Georgia, Florida and Texas.
- Oral History Interview with James Phinney, July 15, 2010
- Interview with James (Jim) Phinney, an aircraft electrician for the U. S. Navy during Wold War II. He discusses joining the Navy, going through boot camp and becoming an aircraft electrician. He was assigned to the USS Lexington but abandoned ship after it was hit by a torpedo. He was rescued and was then sent to San Diego to be reassigned to the USS Enterprise. He mentions being at Guadalcanal and later aboard a sub-chaser. The crew crossed the Equator and consequently participated in an initiation ceremony, during which time Admiral Halsey was nearly shot by one of the ship's pilots who forgot to lock his gun. He also recalls some of the food he ate while at sea.
- Oral History Interview with Jessie Clark, June 6, 2002
- Interview with Jessie Clark regarding her experiences during World War II. She discusses having to adjust to a lifestyle of rationing for food products and shoes as well as blackouts and scrap metal drives. Her husband worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was often absent while she stayed home to raise their children in Houston. She discusses the scarcity of toys during Christmas and hosiery.
- Oral History Interview with Richard Bennett, November 15, 2001
- Interview with Richard (Dick) Bennett, a pilot during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Army Air Corps, basic training and flight school. He then went to a base in South Carolina to learn to fly B-25s. At Fort Myers, Florida he flew B-26 bombers and trained to fly them off of aircraft carriers so they could drop torpedos on the Japanese fleet during naval battles. He traveled across the Pacific to Brisbane only to be told that they didn't have B-26s for the crews; the colonel there knew nothing about the plan to launch B-26s from aircraft carriers, so they were sent to New Guinea to fly B-17s and supplement the crews for those bombers. From there they made bombing runs or "Washing Machine Charlie"-type runs to keep people awake at night on various Japanese targets in the islands, particularly the base at Rabaul. In fall of 1943, the Army grounded the B-17s due to the damage they had incurred and replaced them with B-24s. The men received manuals and were given only a few days to familiarize themselves with the new planes. They were then sent on bombing runs. He finished his tour of duty at the end of 1943, came back to the United States, and went on a War Bond drive throughout New York. He then went to Ohio to become a B-17 instructor, and traveled to various bases and training schools, including Alamogordo, New Mexico, where he visited only a day after the first atomic bomb test.
- Oral History Interview with Joyce E. Sarvey, October 21, 2000
- Interview with Joyce E. Sarvey discussing her work with Western Union in San Antonio, Texas during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with Mary Virginia Wall Simmons
- Interview with Mary Virginia Wall Simmons about the history of Grapevine, Texas.
- Oral History Interview with Ruth Mageors, November 10, 1975
- Interview with Ruth Mageors, a resident of Baytown, Texas beginning in 1921 when the town was named Pelly. Mageors explains living in town during the early days of Baytown as being very tough, and also discussing the ferry boat and Herring's Drug Store.
- Oral History Interview with Stephen C. Hughes, February 28, 1960
- Interview with Stephen C. Hughes, a resident of Baytown, Texas since approximately 1920. Topics include periods of the life of a 92 year old man who was visiting in Baytown. Most of his life was spent in the mid-west.
- Oral History Interview with Exxon Oilers Baseball Players, July 18, 1975
- Interview with J. W. Carroll, B. B. Williams, Melvin Barry, and Bob Kalbitz, all members of the Exxon Oilers baseball team from Baytown, Texas. After a short introduction by Webber, these men all answer questions and describe their experiences before they arrived in Baytown and during their playing days for the Oilers.
- Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005
- Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, a bugler in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis and experienced a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. He also describes transporting the crate that contained the first atomic bomb to Tinian, the ship's sinking, and the four days and five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be 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 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 J. Glen Cleckler, November 24, 2006
- Interview with J. Glen Cleckler, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his background, including the day he and seven of his friends skipped school to see a movie. In order to provide a believable excuse for their absence to their principal, they went to a recruiting office to get informational forms. The principal then gave them permission to graduate early to join the Marines. He discusses his experiences in boot camp and other training programs and the Battle of Iwo Jima, including hygiene during the battle and the famous flag-raising there. He shares some stories about one of the flag-raisers, Harlan Block, who had been part of the group that enlisted in the Marines with him. He also recalls returning to the United States on a ship full of Section-8 soldiers (PTSD victims), meeting German prisoners of war, and living with Jim Crow laws.
- Oral History Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, January 21, 2008
- Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, an Armed Guard in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses lying about his age in order to join the navy at 15 and his experience in boot camp. He served as an Armed Guard on merchant ships that transported supplies across the Atlantic and remembers being in London while German bombers flew overhead. He transported German prisoners out of Marseilles and Naples shortly after the liberation of those cities. He remembers going to Times Square upon hearing that the Japanese had surrendered. He claims to have been the sailor in the iconic photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. He describes how he proved he was the sailor in the photo, what he did after the war, and how he learned that his brother survived the Bataan Death March.
- Oral History Interview with L. B. Blackmon, April 10, 2007
- Interview with L. B. Blackmon, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses boot camp in San Diego, his assignment to Pearl Harbor, and his experiences during the attack. He later trained cadets in Corpus Christi.
- Oral History Interview with Dale R. Walker, October 4, 2007
- Interview with Dale R. Walker, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and was trained in mortars at Camp Pendleton, California. He then went to Camp Tarawa at Hawaii for further training with the Fifth Marine Division. Walker landed with the sixth wave on D-day at Iwo Jima. While working with mortars supporting the infantry, he was called on to be a stretcher-bearer on occasion. Walker spent 36 days on Iwo Jima. After the Japanese surrendered, Walker served in the occupation of Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Hazael R. Olivares, March 29, 2003
- Interview with Hazael R. Olivares, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. Olivares dropped out of high school and decided to join the U. S. Navy after hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He took his 16-week basic training course at Great Lakes in Illinois where he learned how to fire various guns and recognize aircraft. After basic training, he was assigned to Algiers, Louisiana where he learned how to weld. Aboard the USS Bordelon (DD-881), he served as a Ship Fitter in the damage control department. After WWII, he remained in the reserves and was called up for duty in Korea. He served aboard the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86). After Korea, he worked as a civilian for the Army Corps of Engineers as an oiler on a dredge. He then served in the Merchant Marines, hauling refined petroleum products from South America to North America. He also discusses going to French Indochina (Vietnam) and traveling up the Saigon River in a merchant vessel.
- Oral History Interview with W. A. Henderson, September 20, 2003
- Interview with W. A. (Bill) Henderson, a pilot during World War II. He discusses his time as a bombardier and navigator on a B-24 in the China-Burma-India Theater. His crew hit the bridge over River Kwai (Mae Klong) while making bombing runs along the Burma Railway and also flew runs to supply gasoline to various bases in China, India and Burma. He relates anecdotes about the food and living quarters on the bases and the time he saved his co-pilot's life. He helped his co-pilot land the plane after a bullet tore through the plane's nose wheel and injured the man's leg.
- Oral History Interview with Paul Jackson, April 10, 2008
- Interview with Paul Jackson, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his time in boot camp at Camp Pendleton and his combat experiences in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
- Oral History Interview with Lloyd C. Fons, October 29, 2008
- Interview with Lloyd C. Fons, an officer in the U. S. Navy during World War II. After completing midshipman's school and earning a commission, Fons served aboard patrol torpedo (PT) boats in the Philippines. He served in Squadron 17 aboard three different boats - 229, 230 and 231. He eventually became the commanding officer of PT 229 in July, 1945. His primary assignment seemed to be delivering guerrillas to various locations in Mindoro and Luzon. After the war, Fons was transferred to Hong Kong where he was commanding officer aboard a yard patrol boat, YP 641, for 11 months. Here, his primary duty seemed to be delivering frozen and refrigerated food to other ships.
- Oral History Interview with Mary Schandua, July 9, 2004
- Interview with Mary Schandua, a riveter for the Boeing Company during World War II. Florence Reeves also participates in the interview. She began working for the Boeing Company as a riveter in Seattle after she married her husband John, who was in the service. She assembled wing sections on aircraft.
- Oral History Interview with Adam Briggle, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Adam Briggle, a professor at the University of North Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Professor Briggle focuses on several topics including his initial engagement with the fracking referendum, being contacted by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), the writing of the fracking ban, his reactions to the passing of the ban, and his arrest for protesting fracking.
- Oral History Interview with Keely Briggs, 2015
- Audio interview with Keely Briggs, a District 2 Denton City Council member, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Ms. Briggs discusses how she became involved with the fracking referendum as well as how she perceives the breakdown of the democratic process in the Texas legislature.
- Oral History Interview with Chad Pearson, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Chad Pearson, a history professor at Collin College in Plano, Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Professor Pearson specializes in the study of employers and business organizations that engage in tactics to present their own personal agendas as the desires of a larger population.
- Oral History Interview with Alana Irby, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Alana Irby, a geography major at the University of North Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum.
- Oral History Interview with Evan Stone, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Evan Stone, a copyright attorney who performs legal services for Frack-Free Denton, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Mr. Stone lists a few examples of how he's aided Frack-Free Denton, continues on to explain why HB40 (House Bill 40) was created, and relays instances where fracking companies have damaged the environment.
- Oral History Interview with Adam Briggle, 2015
- Audio interview with Adam Briggle, a professor at the University of North Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Professor Briggle focuses on several topics including his initial engagement with the fracking referendum, being contacted by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), the writing of the fracking ban, his reactions to the passing of the ban, and his arrest for protesting fracking.
- Oral History Interview with William Hensley, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with William Hensley, a Denton resident, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Mr. Hensley elaborates on the movie "Gasland" and its role in informing Denton about the fracking movement as well as his thoughts on the harms and benefits of hydraulic fracturing.
- Oral History Interview with Elida Tomez, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Elida Tomez, an activist and long-time resident of Denton, Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Ms. Tomez recounts her involvement in the anti-fracking movement and her beliefs concerning the effects fracking has had on Denton and the environment as a whole.
- Oral History Interview with Tara Hunter, 2015
- Audio interview with Tara Linn Hunter, a volunteer coordinator for the Frack Free Denton campaign, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Ms. Hunter is also the president of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group. In this interview, Ms. Hunter speaks to her job responsibilities, how she perceives the Texas State legislature, and the effects the frack-free movement has had on neighboring Texas communities.
- Oral History Interview with Alana Irby, 2015
- Audio interview with Alana Irby, a geography major at the University of North Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum.
- Oral History Interview with Michael Hennen, 2015
- Audio interview with Michael Hennen, president of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Mr. Hennen briefly reviews what hydraulic fracturing is, the purpose of Denton Drilling Awareness, and how he views the impacts fracking has had on the environment.
- Oral History Interview with Evan Stone, 2015
- Audio interview with Evan Stone, a copyright attorney who performs legal services for Frack-Free Denton, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Mr. Stone lists a few examples of how he's aided Frack-Free Denton, continues on to explain why HB40 (House Bill 40) was created, and relays instances where fracking companies have damaged the environment.
- Oral History Interview with Elida Tomez, 2015
- Audio interview with Elida Tomez, an activist and long-time resident of Denton, Texas, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Ms. Tomez recounts her involvement in the anti-fracking movement and her beliefs concerning the effects fracking has had on Denton and the environment as a whole.
- Oral History Interview with Emily White, 2015
- Transcript of an interview with Emily White, a professor of writing, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Professor White briefly defines fracking, explains hydraulic fracturing's effects on the environment, and recites her "Ten Reasons to Ban Fracking".