Oral History Interview with Kermit Gebert, June 27, 2009 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Kermit Gebert, June 27, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kermit Gebert. Gebert joined the Army Air Forces in August 1941 and attended technical school at Scott Air Force Base. He was stationed in Hawaii until 1945 and then served on Guam in the Signal Corps. He recalls that although the battles were over on Guam, there were still many Japanese holdouts on the island. Gebert operated a radio, receiving coded messages in the jungle. The longest message he received consisted of over 2,000 five-letter code groups and took three hours to transcribe. He had an early interest in radio but grew up on a farm without electricity, so he was elated to receive an assignment that enabled him to work with cutting edge technology, particularly the radio teletype. Gebert was on a ship coming home when the atomic bombs were dropped. He was discharged and earned a college degree on the GI Bill.
Date: June 27, 2009
Creator: Gebert, Kermit
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Kermit Gebert, June 27, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Kermit Gebert, June 27, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kermit Gebert. Gebert joined the Army Air Forces in August 1941 and attended technical school at Scott Air Force Base. He was stationed in Hawaii until 1945 and then served on Guam in the Signal Corps. He recalls that although the battles were over on Guam, there were still many Japanese holdouts on the island. Gebert operated a radio, receiving coded messages in the jungle. The longest message he received consisted of over 2,000 five-letter code groups and took three hours to transcribe. He had an early interest in radio but grew up on a farm without electricity, so he was elated to receive an assignment that enabled him to work with cutting edge technology, particularly the radio teletype. Gebert was on a ship coming home when the atomic bombs were dropped. He was discharged and earned a college degree on the GI Bill.
Date: June 27, 2009
Creator: Gebert, Kermit
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Nelsen. Nelsen joined the Navy in 1940. He was trained as a corpsman and was assigned to LST-347. He took part in the invasion of Sicily and was awarded the Bronze Star for treating wounded soldiers. He was transferred to USS LST-72 and participated in landings at Italy and discusses transporting 90 wounded soldiers to Bizerte. He was part of a landing by British troops behind enemy lines in Burma. Nelsen was also a part of the landings at Normandy and describes some of his experiences. He describes an incident where he witnessed a V-1 bomb land in London and helped treat the wounded. Nelsen remained in the reserves after the war and organized many reunions for his shipmates. He also describes visiting the WWII Memorial.
Date: June 27, 2011
Creator: Nelsen, Dale
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Stayer, June 27, 2013 transcript

Oral History Interview with John Stayer, June 27, 2013

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an interview with John Stayer. Stayer joined the Army in August 1944 and had basic training at Camp Hood. After training, he shipped out to France and joined the 4th Armored Division in Luxembourg in December. After two week, Stayer was severely wounded by mortar fire and evacuated. He eventually lost his right leg below the knee. Stayer relates several anecdotes of his time in hospitals recovering from his wound. He was discharged in April, 1946 after recovering.
Date: June 27, 2013
Creator: Stayer, John
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Neal Siebenbruner, June 27, 2012 transcript

Oral History Interview with Neal Siebenbruner, June 27, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Neal L. Siebenbruner. Siebenbruner quit school in 1943 to join the Army Air Forces. After basic training, he attended gunnery school at Laredo, Texas and shares anecdotes from his training days. He also trained at Tonopah, Nevada and in Hawaii. Siebenbruner also shares anecdotes about some of his combat missions in the Pacific. He flew 40 combat missions and served in the 11th Bombardment Group (heavy), 431st Bombbardment Squadron, 7th Air Force. When the war ended, Siebenbruner returned home to finish high school.
Date: June 27, 2012
Creator: Siebenbruner, Neal L.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Burks, June 27, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with John Burks, June 27, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Burks. Burks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 17 January 1923. After graduating from high school in 1940, he attended the University of Oklahoma until October 1942, at which time he joined the US Army Air Forces. He began a pilot training program, but the Army terminated it. In August 1943, he underwent basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas for twelve weeks. In November, he went to gunnery school at Laredo Air Field in Texas. He was then sent to March Field, California where he was assigned to a B-24 crew as the ball turret gunner. In April 1944 the crew flew to Wheeler Field, Hawaii where they underwent advanced training with the 26th Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, 7th Air Force. In September 1944 they moved to Kwajalein where they participated in bombing missions over Truk and Wake Islands. During October 1944 they moved to Guam where they flew forty missions over various islands including seventeen missions over Iwo Jima in preparation for the invasion. Burks relates his personal experience of capturing a Japanese soldier while on Guam. He returned to the United States in March …
Date: June 27, 2006
Creator: Burks, John
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Nelsen. Nelsen joined the Navy in 1940. He was trained as a corpsman and was assigned to LST-347. He took part in the invasion of Sicily and was awarded the Bronze Star for treating wounded soldiers. He was transferred to USS LST-72 and participated in landings at Italy and discusses transporting 90 wounded soldiers to Bizerte. He was part of a landing by British troops behind enemy lines in Burma. Nelsen was also a part of the landings at Normandy and describes some of his experiences. He describes an incident where he witnessed a V-1 bomb land in London and helped treat the wounded. Nelsen remained in the reserves after the war and organized many reunions for his shipmates. He also describes visiting the WWII Memorial.
Date: June 27, 2011
Creator: Nelsen, Dale
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History