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Oral History Interview with Vernon Oates, October 21, 1942: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vernon Oates. He discusses his childhood, education and growing up during the great depression. He talks about joining the US Army Air Corps, now called the Air Force, and the experiences he had at various different training camps around the country.
Oral History Interview with a Palau Native: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with a native of Palau born in 1917. He lived briefly in Saipan and returned to Angaur, Palau, as a young man. In 1943 when the bombing of Palau first began, he volunteered for the Japanese Navy to avoid starvation, since natives were prohibited from buying imported food such as rice. He boarded a ship that was sunk by an American submarine and spent the night floating amidst 12-foot sharks. In the morning, he swam to a damaged but surviving Japanese ship and repaired their engine upon boarding. He then spent 10 months on an island at a Japanese airbase that sustained daily bombings. When the base was invaded by Australian troops, he hid in the jungle for three months before surrendering. He spent 10 months at a prisoner-of-war camp on Morotai. In 1946, he returned to Saipan and was reunited with his family.
Oral History Interview with A. R. Evans: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue by A R Evans. Evans was the coastwatcher on Kolombangara who facilitated the rescue of the PT-109 crew, led by John F. Kennedy. One of his scouts noticed a fire on the water at night and saw an unidentified object floating the next day. Evans, having been informed that PT-109 was missing, instructed his scouts to search for crewmen. Two natives encountered the crew, who for want of a common language carved a message on a coconut to be delivered to Evans. Evans met Kennedy that afternoon and dispatched a message coordinating his safe return. When Evans visited the White House in 1961, he found a framed copy of the dispatch and the carved coconut in the Oval Office.
Oral History Interview with A. W. McCasker: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with A W McCasker. McCasker joined the Royal Australian Navy and at the end of 1942 was stationed on Guadalcanal. He took a small party behind enemy lines to Lord Howe Island on a reconnaissance mission, accompanied by two American soldiers and a Javanese guide. There he was greeted by a Polynesian king who held a formal ceremony declaring war on the Japanese. McCasker brought along a radio that could reach several hundred miles; however, moving its heavy battery chargers required the labor of 12 natives. For nine months they moved from island to island, observing aircraft, reporting to headquarters at Guadalcanal. At one point they found two islanders who had drifted over 700 miles off course in a canoe. When enemy forces landed in August 1943 and McCasker was evacuated by PBY, he brought with him the two displaced islanders, who were eventually flown back to their homeland.
Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron C. Kulow. Kulow grew up in Michigan and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. After training, he joined the ship USS Pollux AKS-4 at Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the ship runs trips down to the Carribbean and Brazil but in 1943 is fitted with radar and sent to the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, the general stores issue ship visited Australia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the New Hebrides Islands. He then returned to San Francisco in 1944 where his wife met him to get married. He left for the Pacific again and in 1945 traveled to the Philippines. In 1945 Kulow met survivors of the Bataan Death March that had been liberated. He remembers going to a friend's burial in the Philippines. On V-J Day Kulow was at Manila Harbor. He left for America in October 1945 and was discharged in New York December 12, 1945.
Oral History Interview with Agadito Silva: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Agaito Silva. Silva was inducted into the US Army in January 1941. Trained in anti-aircraft guns at Fort Bliss, Texas he was assigned to the 200th Coast Artillery. Several months later the unit was shipped to Fort Stotsenberg, Luzon, Philippines. He describes the Japanese attack on 8 December 1941 and the serious shortages of food and medical supplies that developed. He tells of retreating to Corregidor and of being wounded by shell fragments. After surrendering on 6 May 1942, Silva tells how the prisoners were treated. They sent to Bilibid Prison and then to Cabanatuan. He was then taken to Japan to work in the mines and gives several anecdotes describing the inhumane treatment of the prisoners by the Japanese. He relates how after the Japanese surrender, food and medical supplies were dropped to the POW camp. Silva returned to the United States on 18 October 1945.
Oral History Interview with Alex Trentoff: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alex Trentoff. Trentoff was born to Russian parents who immigrated to Yap during the Russian Civil War. He recalls his childhood in Chamorro Bay as peaceful and easy. His family tended livestock and the island had a rich agricultural foundation. He worked as a domestic servant for a Japanese military officer who may have been an American spy. He remembers hearing the officer speak English with his parents during evening visits. Trentoff followed instructions to lay certain-colored pieces of laundry in specific formations in the field by the officer’s house. He would often see the officer climb a mountain wearing all white so that he would be plainly visible to American planes. The officer’s home was never bombed or came under machine gun fire, despite the rest of the valley being decimated. He also went past the reef and left handwritten messages in a bottle daily. When the war ended, the officer disappeared with American troops and was never seen again. Trentoff trained with the American Navy at Yap, and although he enjoyed the work a great deal, the salaries paid to Chamorros were too low. The cost of living rose with the establishment of the Trust Territory, but Trentoff was still eventually able to retire after working for many years in the construction industry.
Oral History Interview with Alfred Wunderlich: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alfred Wunderlich. Wunderlich recalls working on restoring the old Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg when he was a young man prior to being married.
Oral History Interview with Allan Champion: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Allan Champion. Champion was born in New Guinea in 1905 and spent his career in the Australian civil service. He was stationed at Buna in 1942 as assistant resident magistrate when a B-17 piloted by Fred Eaton went missing. Champion received a coded message instructing him to locate and rescue the crew. He traveled up the Musa River and found them in a small village. He brought them back to Buna and coordinated their safe return. Eaton resumed his missions, signaling hello to Champion whenever he flew over Buna. Champion abandoned his station later that year when the Japanese invaded. After the war, he was tasked with rehabilitating war-torn villages. He retired from civil service in 1960. This interview was conducted in 1988 as part of the effort to recover Eaton’s plane, which is now on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum.
Oral History Interview with Alpha Bowser: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alpha Bowser. Bowser joined the Marine Corps and completed basic training at the Philadelphia Naval Yard in June 1933. He received further training at fleet gunnery school and attended field artillery school at Fort Sill. In February 1937 he served as Roosevelt’s security guard at Warm Springs and got to know the president well. In June 1940 he returned to Quantico as an artillery instructor. He joined the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune and was promoted to major. In July 1942 he activated the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines. He became G-3 of the 3rd Marine Division during the Bougainville operation. On 24 July 1944 he went to Guam as a lieutenant colonel. He landed just after the assault waves with his recon party under heavy fire. He sent for his batteries early and lost 35 men that day. His landings at Saipan and Tinian were much easier, and he lost no men at Iwo Jima. Bowser returned home in June 1945 and was tasked with demobilizing the Marine Corps. He describes the origin and efficacy of the points system. Bowser went on to participate in the planning of the Inchon landing. He marveled at the mobilization of the Reserves, and he served alongside some of the same men in both World War II and the Korean War. Bowser enjoyed a prestigious career and retired as Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, in June 1967.
Oral History Interview with Anthony Geer: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Anthony Geer. Geer was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He completed boot camp in San Diego, then served as a yeoman. He received additional training in aircraft recognition. He traveled to the Philippines aboard the USS Tazewell (APA-209), and worked on Samar Island until the atomic bombs were dropped, then transferred to Manila until the surrender of Japan. He traveled back to the U.S. aboard the USS Menard (APA-201). Geer was honorably discharged in late 1945.
Oral History Interview with Antonio Borja: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Antonio Borja. In 1938, Borja left his home in Tinian to attend navigator school in Saipan. He was in school and aboard ships until 1942 but did not graduate, due to the war. He sailed mostly in the Marianas and requested to leave for a vacation in Rota as he became increasingly concerned about his safety aboard ship. He was recruited for the Japanese army in Rota and served for two years in the artillery. When the United States liberated the island, Borja recalls that he was treated well and provided with clothing, food, and healthcare. Presuming that his parents had been killed during the war, Borja was surprised to learn in 1953 that they had been sent to Okinawa. His parents remained there for the rest of their lives, while Borja remained on Tinian.
Oral History Interview with Arleigh Burke: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Arleigh Burke. In March of 1944, Burke was promoted to Chief of Staff to the Commander of Task Force 58, the Fifth Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force, which was commanded by Admiral Marc Mitscher. Burke shares two versions of his bedtime story on the incident of Turn on the Lights during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. He shares the events that ensued, while aboard the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), in the Philippine Sea beginning 19 June 1944. He describes the day long battle, also known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot, when the Japanese fleet launched an attack against the US Fleet the Mariana Islands campaign. He provides vivid details of his experiences through this battle.
Oral History Interview with Artie Stocks: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Artie Stocks. Stocks joined the U.S. Marine Corps on 13 September 1940. In December of 1941 Stocks was taken prisoner during the Battle of Wake Island. He vividly describes this event. He was held as a prisoner of war for 44 months. Stocks was discharged in February of 1946. In early 1952 he went back into the Corps and served in the Korean War. And, in 1966 Stocks served in the Vietnam War. He provides some details of these experiences. He retired in October of 1967.
Oral History Interview with August Wickert: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with August Wickert. Wickert joined the Army around February of 1943. Around late 1943, early 1944, they traveled to Italy, where Wickert was captured and imprisoned for 13 months. He shares vivid details of his experiences as a prisoner of war and liberation by the Russians.
Oral History Interview with B. J. Pumphrey: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with B.J. Pumphrey. Pumphrey joined the Navy in June of 1942. He served for a short time as crewman on a PBY flying anti-submarine missions. Pumphrey was then sent to the USS Midway (CVE-63) where he served as a phone talker on the bridge. He describes the superstitions of the crew when the name of the ship was changed to the St. Lo. Pumphrey describes Taffy 3 coming under attack and seeing the Japanese shells land near the ship. He details being hit by a kamikaze and the damage that resulted. He discusses his time in the water and eventual rescue. Pumphrey describes being inspected by Admiral Nimitz and the impression he received. He was then sent to commission the USS Little Rock (CL-92). Pumphrey left the service in September 1945.
Oral History Interview with B. K. Atkins: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by B K Atkins. Atkins was the skipper of the destroyer, USS Melvin (DD-680). His ship provided escort support for naval forces. He provides some details of the Melvin. They participated in the occupation of Majuro, Guam, the Caroline Islands, Ulithi and the invasion of the Philippine Islands. Atkins provides details of their involvement in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They operated with fast carrier attack forces until the final Japanese surrender.
Oral History Interview with Bernard Isaacs: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Bernard Isaacs. Isaacs joined the Navy after attending the University of Wisconsin. Upon completion of basic training, he was sent back to UW to become a medic. However, he asked to be transferred to the School of Athletic Specialists and sent to Camp Lawrence, Great Lakes, where he trained recruits who would become the Navy’s first African-American commissioned officers, also known as The Golden 13. Isaacs was proud that his boot company competed against all-white companies and won the E Flag, or flag of excellence. Isaacs was next sent to OTS at Columbia University, graduating with a specialty in navigation. He was assigned to USS LCI(L)-965, participating in the Philippines campaigns. While in French Indochina, he once flew as a passenger with an ace pilot who kept a cocker spaniel by his side. Isaacs narrowly survived a typhoon at Okinawa, assuming the role of captain and circling the USS Hope (AH-7) until the weather cleared. He went on to China to help evacuate Nationalists before returning to the States. His family had much to celebrate, as his brother, who had been a prisoner-of-war in Europe, also returned home safely.
Oral History Interview with Bernard Peterson: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue with Bernard Peterson. Peterson joined the Navy in February of 1941. He completed Aviation Machinist School, and joined Torpedo Squadron Three. Peterson, with his squadron, served aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) beginning July 1942, supporting landings on Guadalcanal 1942. On 24 August 1942, Enterprise exchanged blows with a powerful Japanese carrier force, and Enterprise sustained severe damage from three bomb hits received during an intense dive-bombing attack. Peterson returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.
Oral History Interview with Bernard Synder: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Synder. Synder joined the Navy in January of 1944. Beginning in July, he served as Radarman aboard the USS Roi (CVE-103), transporting supplies to the Hebrides Islands. He was then transferred to USS Chenango (CVE-28), where he remained through his service in the Navy. Synder participated in the invasions of the Marianas, Leyte and Okinawa. He returned to the US and received his discharge in June of 1946.
Oral History Interview with Bill Carty: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue of Bill Carty. Carty was an Australian war correspondent . He discusses how he got t oNew Guinea to cover the war and his relationship General Robert Eichelberger. He discusses his role in the infantry and armor assault at Buna. Carty also mentions meeting John Bulkeley and going out with him on PT boats. Carty made the landing at Hollandia with the 42nd Infantry Division and Eichelberger. Later in 1944, Carty joined General MacArthur for his return to the Philippines and was able to shoot some footage of the general. Carty also discusses traveling to Japan for the surrender ceremony with Eichelberger and meeting MacArthur there. Carty also photographed the reunion between MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright. He also managed to travel to Hiroshima and photograph the damage. During the occupation, Carty stayed clse to General Eichelberger and was along for the trip when General Eisenhower toured Japan.
Oral History Interview with Bill Pampe: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Pampe. Pampe joined the ROTC in 1940 and was called to active duty in June 1943. After receiving coast artillery training at Camp McQuaide, he was sent through the Army Specialized Training Program. When the program ended, Pampe was assigned to the Ammunition and Pioneer Platoon, 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division. At the Battle of the Bulge, he delivered ammunition to troops and went ahead of the front lines to lay minefields. After the war, he directed athletic activities at Camp Philadelphia in France. Pampe returned home and was discharged in August 1946.
Oral History Interview with Bill Wasson: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Wasson. Wasson joined the Marine Corps and was trained as a radioman. He served on an amphibious tractor and then was transferred to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines. Wasson landed on Saipan and Okinawa and describes the combat that he encountered including having a radio he was wearing get destroyed by incoming shell fragments. He also describes being given the order to relay the message that Okinawa had been secured. Wasson also discusses working with two Navajo Code Talkers. He took part in the occupation of Japan and then left the service.
Oral History Interview with Bill Winnekins: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Winnekins. Winnekins’s older brother John joined the 23rd Marines in April 1943. The two corresponded until his brother’s death, which occurred on D-day at Saipan. His mother never recovered from the loss, and she searched for the exact location of her son’s remains until her death. Winnekins struck up correspondences with members of his brother’s unit and eventually found the burial site in Saipan. He dedicated his free time to helping members of G Company find one another and was honored at a reunion in 1995, where he was presented with a plaque and a 15-minute standing ovation. Winnekins located 150 Marines from the company and has collected many of their oral histories.
Oral History Interview with Bryghte Godbold: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bryghte Godbold. Godbold joined the Marine Corps in 1939 and received basic training in Philadelphia. He served aboard the USS Pensacola (CA-24) in Hawaiian and Alaskan waters before being stationed on Wake Island. He surrendered to the Japanese on 23 December 1941 and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp outside of Shanghai. There he served as the recreation officer, managing athletic fields and equipment, as well as the library. Food scarcity depleted the men’s interest in athletics over time, but otherwise conditions and treatment were fair. Godbold spoke very highly of James Devereux, whose character and dress were always impeccable and professional, even during the period of imprisonment.
Oral History Interview with C. Elizabeth Callahan: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with C. Elizabeth Callahan. Callahan was born to Japanese parents in San Francisco. Her name at birth was Cho Elizabeth Ishi. Her parents couldn’t sustain their family in America during the Depression, so Callahan and her sister were sent to Japan in August 1935. When the war broke out, Callahan was caught completely by surprise, due to the extensively censored news available to her. While her parents were sent to an internment camp back home, she watched the Doolittle Raid above her in Tokyo. Food was scarce, and she regularly traveled 30 miles to the countryside where she could barter with farmers. On 25 May 1945, incendiary bombs hit her neighborhood, and she and her sister had to run through fire to escape. They were taken in by friends in the suburbs of Tokyo, and together they heard the emperor’s voice for the first time, as he instructed the people of Japan to surrender peacefully. Callahan found the first batch of occupation soldiers to be extremely friendly, but she felt that their replacement troops, who had not endured the hardship of war, were disrespectful to the Japanese people. Callahan got a job at the 376th Station Hospital and then at Letterman General Hospital when she returned to the States. She completed her career as a teacher at the Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston.
Oral History Interview with C. W. Horner: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with C W Horner. Horner joined the Navy in 1938. He served in the Fire Control Division aboard the USS Helena (CL-50). The Helena was moored at 1010 Dock Navy Yard on the base (southeast) side of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Horner recalls his experiences through that fateful event.
Oral History Interview with Calvin Graef: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue with Calvin Graef. Graef was born in 1913. In 1941 he was stationed at Fort Stotsenberg, Philippine Islands with the New Mexico National Guard 200th Coast Artillery. After the surrender to Japanese forces he participated in the Bataan Death March to Camp O’Donnell, then to Cabanatuan. He comments on the treatment of the prisoners and their diseases. Graef was among the POWs placed aboard the Arisan Maru for shipment to Japan. He describes the horrific conditions on the ship and comments on the Japanese guards being young and extremely cruel. Recounting that the prisoners were seldom allowed to dispose of those who died, he estimates 300 to 400 bodies were in the hold when the ship was sunk. He saw the torpedo soon after it was launched by the American submarine and was ordered down into the hold soon after the ship was struck. The guards locked the hatch covers on the sinking ship to prevent any escape by the prisoners. Graef says it was only through American ingenuity and it taking hours for the ship to sink that the prisoners were able to force open the hatch covers. Once on deck they found the ship’s crew had taken all the life boats. He was in the water for hours and any attempts to get aboard Japanese ships in the area were met with long sharpened poles. Early the next morning, Graef swam to a lifeboat and found it occupied by three fellow prisoners. They found their way to a safe-haven. Only nine of the prisoners on board survived the sinking.
Oral History Interview with Calvin Shahan: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Calvin Shahan. Shahan was working in an airplane factory when he decided to join the Marine Corps in 1944. He joined the 3rd Marine Division at Guam. He landed at Iwo Jima on the third day of battle. Shahan describes the combat conditions he encountered on the island. He was concussed by a shell and evacuated to the beach. When he came to, he returned to the line. He shares several anecdotes from his time in combat. After the battle, his unit went back to training, preparing to invade the home islands of Japan. When the war ended, Shahan returned to the US.
Oral History Interview with Carl Matthews: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Carl Matthews. Matthews joined the Marine Corps around August of 1941. He served with the 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In 1944, he participated in the battles of Kwajalein and Saipan. He was wounded on Saipan the day before the surrender of the Japanese. Matthews returned to the US in January of 1945 and was assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He received a medical discharge in March of 1945.
Oral History Interview with Carlyle Herring: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carlyle Herring. Herring joined the Navy in 1937. He served as First Class Aviation Machinist Mate with the Scouting Six (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). Herring participated in the Battle of Midway, the Solomon Islands Campaign, the Battles of Santa Cruz Islands and Guadalcanal. He participated in the Doolittle Raid in April of 1942. He continued his service after the war ended, retiring around 1959.
Oral History Interview with Chaney: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Chaney. Chaney became friends with Nimitz in 1926 while teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. He and Nimitz enjoyed drinks together during the Prohibition era. Chaney would hire kids to scavenge for empty bottles, and Nimitz would find bootleggers to fill them. Sometimes the two would even drink salty brandy sold to restaurants. When Nimitz left Berkeley, Chaney set aside their last bottle of liquor for a special occasion. After the war, Nimitz visited Chaney, and they celebrated with some of their old brandy. The two remained lifelong friends.
Oral History Interview with Charles Carpenter and Bob Hart: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Carpenter and Bob Hart. Carpenter served aboard USS South Dakota (BB-57) and shares anecdotes about his time aboard the ship as well as impressions and experiences. Ingram also interviewed Bob Hart about his experiences aboard the South Dakota. Hart came aboard in 1939. He shares opinions about various captains of the ship as well as anecdotes about his experiences.
Oral History Interview with Charles Rosendahl: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Admiral Charles Rosendahl. Rosendahl was the commanding officer of the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey in May 1937 when the German airship Hindenburg arrived from Hamburg. He witnessed the accident and describes the ship’s destruction. Ray Porter, a Naval Airship service veteran, describes an eight-day endurance flight in which he participated during 1957. Fred Cline, another airship veteran, also describes his experiences in airships while in the Navy. Cline recalls an anti-submarine exercise conducted during the winter of 1960.
Oral History Interview with Charles Smith: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Smith. Smith joined the Army in May of 1944. He was placed in the Army Specialized Training Reserve Program. In the spring of 1945, he traveled to an infantry replacement center in Leyte, in the Philippines. He was assigned to the Americal Division on Cebu Island, the 164th Regiment, aboard a Landing Craft Infantry. He was trained to work on the radio. Smith’s regiment was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the bombs were dropped and the war ended. They traveled to Japan in September of 1945 and served as occupation forces. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1946.
Oral History Interview with Charles Towers: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Towers. Towers joined the Navy V-12 Program in 1942, graduating in February of 1944. He then completed Midshipman School in June. He served as Gunnery Officer aboard the USS LCS(L)-118. They traveled to Hawaii in February of 1945, and participated in the Battle of Okinawa in April. They traveled to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines and Japan by September. They returned to the US in December, and Towers was discharged in the spring of 1946.
Oral History Interview with Charles Walton: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Walton. Walton was drafted into the Army Air Forces. He was initially assigned to an administrative position and was then sent to the European Theater. Walton briefly describes his experiences on the frontlines including how hard it was to stay warm. He tells one particular story about being in a convoy on the autobahn at the end of the war. Walton left the service at the end of the war and eventually became a Methodist minister.
Oral History Interview with Charlie Slover: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue by Charlie Slover. He jumped onto Corregidor with the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment in February 1945. Two weeks afterwards, he was summoned by his commanding officer and ordered to deliver a car to Lieutenant General Charles P. Hall, commander of 11th Corps in the Philippines. Slover recalls his drive to Baguio from Subic Bay.
Oral History Interview with Chester W. Nimitz: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral recording of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. In this statement, Nimitz exhorts the nation to remain alert by keeping a strong navy.
Oral History Interview with Christion De La Cruz: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Christion De La Cruz. De La Cruz was born in 1926 in Saipan. He recalls life in Japanese-occupied Saipan as a child. He attended a Japanese school, and witnessed several family members imprisoned by the Japanese. He recalls his experiences in Saipan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. De La Cruz was recruited into the Japanese Imperial Army, and remained on Saipan for the duration of the war.
Oral History Interview with Clayton Mishler: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clayton Mishler. Mishler served in the Navy in China with the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO), within a weather-reporting project that played a role in the US submarine campaign against Japanese shipping, in B-29 raids on Japanese cities and in rescuing downed Allied airmen. Mishler served in the Fukien Province with the Rice Paddy Navy, and traveled the Nine Dragons River in the course of his duties. He recounts numerous stories of his day-to-day life in rural China.
Oral History Interview with Clayton Scharnhorst: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clayton Scharnhorst. Scharnhorst joined the Army Air Forces in October 1941 and received basic training at Wendover Field. Upon completion, he was assigned to China and India as a medic in a B-24 outfit. In Agra, India, he contracted malaria and was hospitalized. With treatment from antimalarial pills, he recovered within a month. He recalls one humorous incident of helping a man recover his oxcart from a slit trench. Scharnhorst says in closing that after traveling around the world twice, his favorite place is Texas.
Oral History Interview with D. H. McClintock: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with D H McClintock. McClintock graduated from the Naval Academy in 1935 and spent two years aboard the USS Arizona (BB-39). He attended submarine school and was assigned to the USS Plunger (SS-179) at Pearl Harbor. While returning from the States, where the Plunger had been fitted with radar equipment, his submarine was strafed by a Japanese plane. On 9 December 1941 he returned to a devastated Battleship Row, then immediately embarked on war patrols. In June 1944 he took command of the USS Darter (SS-227), sinking a ship off Halmahera Island. While on patrol in the Philippines, together with the USS Dace (SS-247), the Darter was the first vessel to identify and attack the Japanese fleet in the Palawan Passage. When the Darter ran aground at Bombay Shoal, the Dace helped sink the submarine and destroy confidential materials. McClintock and his crew stayed together and were assigned to commission a submarine just before the war ended.
Oral History Interview with Dale Barker: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Barker. Barker joined the Marine Corps in May 1942 and received basic training at Parris Island. He received radio operator training for 15 months. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion as a communications chief. He participated in landings at Kwajalein, Guam, and Okinawa, primarily maintaining radio equipment in LVT(A)-1 and LVT(A)-4 amphibious tanks in combat. During rest periods at Guadalcanal and Saipan, he outfitted new tanks with radio equipment. Barker returned home and was discharged in November, 1945. He attended Georgia Tech on the GI Bill, originally pursuing electrical engineering. He took a liking to his job at the university library and eventually earned both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in library science. He compiled an anthology of reminiscences from men in his battalion entitled “Hitting the Beaches.” Six hundred eighty copies were distributed to battalion members and their families, and another 160 copies have been sold to non-members.
Oral History Interview with Dale Van Vlack: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue with Dale Van Vlack. Van Vlack joined the Navy in November of 1942. He completed Radio School. In early 1943, he traveled aboard the liberty ship SS George S. Boutwell (1943) to Australia. He served as Radioman Second-Class in the in the Royal Australian Navy communication center, maintaining radio transmitters. In 1944, Van Vlack went aboard the USS Anthedon (AS-24). They carried out refits and voyage repairs on submarines returning from war patrols. They traveled to New Guinea and the Philippines, where they remained for the duration of the war. Van Vlack worked in a Radio Shack at Subic Bay. He returned to the US after the war ended in 1945. He went through the Navy V-12 Program at Stanford University until it was cancelled in 1946 and was discharged.
Oral History Interview with Daniel Samuelson: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Daniel Samuelson. Samuelson joined the Army Air Forces after spending one semester in the ROTC at LSU. He received basic training in Texas and aerial gunnery training in Arizona. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 95th Bombardment Group, stationed at RAF Horham. He flew 35 missions as a tail gunner, beginning on Christmas Eve 1944. Samuelson flew his last mission in April 1945.
Oral History Interview with Darol Lee: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Darol Lee. Lee enlisted in the Marine Corps in June, 1942 and trained at San Diego. He was attached to the Third Marine Division and shipped overseas and landed on Guadalcanal in February, 1943 in time to complete mop-up operations. He also landed at Bougainville, and then later on Guam, where he was wounded by mortar fire and evacuated. He was ambulatory, so he rejoined his unit the next day without having received much treatment. Lee recalls a banzai charge in which his foxhole mate got killed. From there, Lee went to Iwo Jima and landed on the third day. Around the first of March, Lee was wounded and evacuated to Saipan via a hospital ship. He was transported back to the US and was discharged from a hospital in Illinois.
Oral History Interview with Dave Dobie: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Davie Dobie. He began flying in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. He became a ferry pilot in the Air Transport Command. Initially, he flew as a civilian pilot, but was later commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was stationed in India in January 1944. He flew over “the Hump” 75 times. He describes his living and flying conditions as well as flight navigation. He shares a story about experiencing a severe thunderstorm when flying supplies to Chengdu, China. He was discharged from active duty in September 1945. He completed his law degree with the aid of the GI Bill. As a member of the Reserve, he was mobilized during the Korean War. He served in the JAG Corps in Middletown, Pennsylvania. He spent about six years in the Reserve.
Oral History Interview with David Hughes: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Hughes. Hughes joined the Navy in February 1941 and was assigned to the USS Northampton (CA-26)as a coxswain. He went ashore at Pearl Harbor two weeks before the attack, while the Northampton traveled on to Wake Island. On the morning of the attack, he was in a whaleboat at Battleship Row. He went ashore and hid behind a tree until the attack ended, at which time he began transporting officers and wounded personnel in his whaleboat. On one of his trips, he carried men with acetylene torches to the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and overheard an engineer warn them about the danger of depleting oxygen, which ultimately killed several men. Hughes spent a short time aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8) and describes the sea conditions during the Doolittle Raid launch. He was back aboard the Northampton for the Battle of Tassafaronga and abandoned ship when it was torpedoed. He returned to the States as an aviation machinist’s mate and towed targets for VJ-2, VJ-7, and VJ-12 utility squadrons on the West Coast. He did the same at Henderson Field, where he also served as George Burns' personal driver during his USO tour. Hughes returned home and was discharged at the end of the war.
Oral History Interview with Dean Woodward: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dean Woodward. Woodward joined the Marine Corps in April 1942. He was trained as a radio operator and sent to the 2nd Marine Division. Woodward describes the landing at Tarawa and his role as a member of a shore party. He tells of a narrow miss by a sniper at the end of the battle. Woodward also discusses his involvement in the landing on Saipan as a radio operator. He rotated back to the US and was there when the war ended. Woodward was discharged in April 1946. He was commissioned as an officer in the Army a few years later and tells of his service from Korea through his retirement as a lieutenant colonel.

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