The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom D. Ellison. Ellison was born 14 August 1925 in Sierra Blanca, Texas. He joined the Navy in September 1942. After 12 weeks of boot camp at the Farragut Naval Training Center, Idaho, he went for 21 weeks of aircraft maintenance training in Norman, Oklahoma, and 4 weeks of air gunnery training in Purcel, Oklahoma. This was followed by more maintenance and gunnery training at NAS Jacksonville. Next it was to NAS Oceana, Virginia working on and flying in PB4Y patrol planes. Ellison then sailed to England on the USS Matagorda (AVP-22). He spent from December 1943 to August 1945 at Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon. His squadron, VP-105, performed anti-submarine patrols in the English Channel and the North Sea. Following the German surrender, Ellison went to San Diego, Guam, Japan, and finally Shanghai, China to join a PBM Mariner squadron operating from a seaplane tender in the Whangpoo River. They provided passenger, mail, and air-sea rescue services in the area. Having advanced to AMM 1/C, Ellison was discharged from the Navy in San Diego.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ralph Byler. Byler joined the Army in early 1941. He served as the Commanding Officer of the 965th Field Artillery Battalion, in the European Theater, during the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. Byler was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Carey. Carey joined the Marine Corps in an officer candidate class in November of 1942. In July of 1943 he was transferred to the Navy V-12 Program, completing midshipman and landing craft school. He was stationed aboard the USS Venango (AKA-82) beginning June of 1944. In the spring of 1945 they transported cargo for the impending assault on Okinawa, carrying troops, landing craft vehicles and gear of the Army’s 82nd Signal Construction Battalion. Carey was aboard when they participated in the Battle of Okinawa, returning to the US in November of 1945. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Fabian. Fabian joined the Navy in November of 1943. He completed schooling in Engineering, Diesel and Grey Marine Engines. Beginning November of 1944, Fabian served as Fireman First-Class aboard USS LSM-96. From 28 March to 30 June 1945, they participated in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war ended, they traveled to China and participated with the occupation forces. In December, Fabian was transferred to USS LSM-285 and remained in China through January of 1946. He returned to the US and was discharged in May.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Haggerty. Haggerty was employed as a civilian contractor with the US Army when WWII started. When his contract expired, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1942. By June, 1943, Haggerty had been through basic training at Parris Island and was commissioned a second lieutenant after officer candidate school at Quantico. When Haggerty went overseas, he boarded the SS Extavia (1941) for a trip through the Panama Canal to New Caledonia. He was in charge of training a navy construction battalion at Noumea before he was assigned to the First Marine Division and left to join them at Pavuvu. When he arrived on Pavuvu, Chesty Puller assigned him to the 1st Regiment. There they trained for the Peleliu invasion. At Peleliu, Haggerty served as a platoon leader. He recalls the fighting on the day he landed and the Japanese counterattack with tanks and infantry near the airfield. Haggerty was wounded by a shell fragment and evacuated to a transport ship serving as a hospital. He recovered and returned to Peleliu the next day. After reducing a Japanese position, Haggerty was again wounded and evacuated. This time, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Varnum. Varnum joined the Navy in May, 1943 and was trained at Farragut, Idaho. After that, he went to the University of Illinois for diesel engine training. From there, Varnum headed for Little Creek, Virginia to amphibious training as a diesel engineer. He was assigned to an LCVP that had rocket attachments on the side and describes his trip across the Atlantic aboard an LST to Scotland, arriving in March 1944. Then they went to Portsmouth to train for the Normandy invasion. In England, Varnum was transferred to a different boat that relayed messages between ships. He travelled across the English Channel to Normandy aboard her. His boat was tied up to the USS Ancon (AGC-4) and he stayed aboard the Ancon until time to perform his message traffic duties. During the invasion of Southern France Varnum was back aboard a rocket boat. His sank. He returned to the US and was assigned to UST LST-1049 at Pittsburgh. He rode it down river to the Gulf of Mexico and took it to San Diego. Once in the Pacific, Varnum went to the Mariana Islands, the Philippines and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J. M. Taylor. Taylor joined the Army Air Forces in September, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After flight training, he graduated and received his commission in December, 1943. He flew P-40s. He went overseas aboard the USS General H.W. Butner (APA-113) to India. After a while, Taylor flew a P-40 over the Himalaya Mountains to China where he was assigned to the 75th Fighter Squadron in September, 1944. Later that fall, Taylor was shot down over a Japanese airfield he was attacking and was captured. After several months, he was transferred to a POW facility near Kiangwan, outside of Shanghai. In May, he was transported to the Japanese home islands. Taylor was around Sapporo when the war ended.