National Museum of the Pacific War - 12 Matching Results

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Oral History Interview with Ray William Rouch, September 5, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy William Rouch. Born in 1924, he joined the Marine Corps in July, 1942. He describes boot camp in San Diego, California. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. He describes the conditions on board ship en route to Camp Pakarariki, New Zealand. The Division was transported to Guadalcanal in January 1943. He talks about the deplorable living conditions on Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Tenaru River. He describes lan… more

Date: September 5, 2012

Creator: Rouch, Ray William

Oral History Interview with Edwin V. "Bud" Niewenhuis, September 21, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin V. ""Bud"" Niewehuis. Niewenhuis left the family farm in South Dakota and went looking for work in California in December, 1941. He was drafted into the Army in June, 1942. He trained with an anti-aircraft artillery unit before shipping to New Guinea. Niewenhuis participated in the invasion of Morotai and describes defending a captured airfield with the 389th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. From Morotai, his unit wen… more

Date: September 21, 2012

Creator: Niewenhuis, Edwin V.

Oral History Interview with Cecil D. Bettes, September 25, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cecil D. Bettes. Bettes joined the Army after finishing high school in Houston, Texas, in 1943. After basic training, Bettes was shipped to Italy and assigned to E Company, 2nd, Battalion,339th Regiment, 85th Infantry Division. He describes the death in combat of a close friend. In Italy, Bettes was wounded severley and sent to the hospital. Instead of allowing himself to be shipped to France, he broke out of the hospital an… more

Date: September 25, 2012

Creator: Bettes, Cecil D.

Oral History Interview with Larkin Dilbeck, September 4, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Larkin Dilbeck. Dilbeck was born on 29 September 1918. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in several areas of Arkansas, helping farmers prepare their fields, building roads and log benches for Arkansas State Parks. He attended Eastern New Mexico State University in Portales, studying Forestry before being drafted into the Army in December 1942. He served with the 740th Tank Bat… more

Date: September 4, 2012

Creator: Dilbeck, Larkin

Oral History Interview with Aaron Mendoza, September 7, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron Mendoza. Mendoza joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. He attended torpedo school and was assigned to an aircraft torpedo lab at Kaneohe Naval Air Station. There he filled warheads with air so the torpedo could be retrieved after test fires. Torpedoes that passed quality control would then be filled with explosive warheads and loaded into underground silos. After 14 months, his unit was disp… more

Date: September 7, 2012

Creator: Mendoza, Aaron

Oral History Interview with Bernard Kahn, September 22, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Kahn. Kahn joined the Navy in December of 1942. Beginning July of 1943, he served as Third Class Signalman aboard USS LST-118. From April through July of 1944, Kahn participated in the Hollandia and Mariana operations. He was transferred to USS LST-605. From October of 1944 through July of 1945, he participated in the Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa operations. Kahn returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

Date: September 22, 2012

Creator: Kahn, Bernard

Oral History Interview with William Wright, September 11, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Wright. Wright joined the Army Air Forces in January of 1943. He completed training as a bombsight mechanic, and served aboard a B-29 with the 331st Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force. In 1944, Wright learned how to maintain the Norden bombsight. In April of 1945 he deployed to Guam. They completed missions over Japan, bombing enemy petroleum industries. He returned to the US in December of 1945. Their group was inactivate… more

Date: September 11, 2012

Creator: Wright, William

Oral History Interview with Melvin Brandenburg, September 6, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Melvin Brandenburg. Brandenburg joined the US Army in September 1942. He was assigned to the 78th Infantry Division, 310th Infantry Regiment. He provides details of his extensive infantry training. They arrived in England in late October 1944, then crossed to Le Havre, France in late November 1944. They participated in the Battle of the Bulge, where Brandenburg was wounded on 16 December. He provides details of their actions duri… more

Date: September 6, 2012

Creator: Brandenburg, Melvin

Oral History Interview with Ernie Bowdre, September 5, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ernie Bowdre. Bowdre joined the Navy in mid-1943. He served as a Storekeeper aboard a liberty ship and traveled to Noumea, New Caledonia and Guadalcanal. He was then assigned to USS President Jackson (APA-18). In 1943, they participated in the Bougainville Campaign, transporting troops from island to island. They landed troops in the reinforcement landing at Lingayen Gulf and Iwo Jima. Bowdre recalls the ship being hit by enemy f… more

Date: September 5, 2012

Creator: Bowdre, Ernie

Oral History Interview with Richard L. Nielsen, September 4, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard L. Nielsen. Nielsen joined the Navy in 1960 after two years of college at San Francisco State. Nielsen discusses his father's service aboard liberty ships as a radio operator in the Merchant Marine during WWII in the Pacific. He also shares anecdotes about time in boot camp at San Diego. After boot camp, Nielsen went to hospital corps school. Upon completion of that, he was stationed in the intensive care unit at Oak… more

Date: September 4, 2012

Creator: Nielsen, Richard L.

Oral History Interview with Ken Barhite, September 1, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ken Barhite. Barhite was born in Alden, Iowa on 9 January 1921. Graduating from junior college, he was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Wolters, Texas for thirteen weeks of basic training. He was then sent to Chenango, Pennsylvania for four weeks of advanced training prior to being sent to San Francisco where he boarded a liberty ship for a twenty-two day voyage to a replacement center in New Caledonia. After four week… more

Date: September 1, 2012

Creator: Barhite, Ken

Oral History Interview with Santiago Diaz, September 24, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Santiago Diaz. Born in Chinampas, Jalisco, Mexico in 1915, he enlisted in the Army in 1943. He discusses his military training which included medical training as well as training for tropical regions. He was assigned to the 446th Malaria Survey Detachment and stationed on Guadalcanal. It was there that he was sworn in as an American citizen. He mentions Tokyo Rose. He also mentions the conditions aboard the ship, USS General… more

Date: September 24, 2012

Creator: Diaz, Santiago