The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marcel Bisson. Bisson joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and after training was assigned as a replacement to the 5th Marine Division just prior to invading Iwo Jima. On the twelfth day, Bisson was wounded and evacuated. After some stays in hospitals, he was medically discharged in July 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Tsuneishi. Tsuneishi was living in California when the war started and was soon evacuated to a Japanese-American detention center. He joined his family at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. He did not stay there long as he was allowed to attend Syracuse University. In 1943, he entered the Military intelligence Language School and studied Japanese to become an interpreter. He participated in the invasion of Leyte Island and worked as a translator and interpreter. Tsuneishi also went to Okinawa as a translator. Tsuneishi provides unique insight from the Japanese American perspective of his time in the Army.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Lyman. After completing one year at The Ohio State University, Lyman joined the Navy 1943. He trained at Great Lakes and was assigned to the USS Colorado (BB-45). He was assigned to the 40mm anti-aircraft guns aboard the Colorado and participated in the invasions of the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands. He describes the Colorado receiving fire from a Japanese shore battery at Tinian. Lyman then describes operations in the Philippines at Lingayen Gulf where the Colorado suffered from friendly fire. Lyman then speaks about the Okinawa invasion. At the end of the war, Lyman was aboard the Colorado when it was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony where he spied the Missouri through binoculars as he was posted in his 40mm gunmount. Afterwards, Lyman describes having former POW on board and how they appeared after released from the Japanese. Lyman stayed on the Colorado through the fall while the ship transported Army soldiers home from the Pacific. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to Ohio State.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J B Magers. Magers joined the Navy in 1943 and, after training, got assigned to USS Sanborn (APA-193). Once they arrived at Iwo Jima, they spent nine days unloading. Magers served on an LCVP and made several trips to the beach delivering supplies and removing wounded. When the war ended, the Sanborn transported soldiers and marines to various places all over the Pacific.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Huffines. After graduating from high school, Huffines enlisted in the Marine Corps and was shipped to San Diego for boot camp. After boot camp, he went to telephone school at Camp Pendleton, then went into the 3rd Battalion, 13th Marines, 5th Marine Division. John trained for 7-8 months, then he was shipped out to the Hawaiian Islands, in Oahu from late 1944-early 1945. Upon arriving in Hawaii Huffines helped unload Coca Cola off ships for the entire Pacific area. They left from there to Iwo Jima. Once in Iwo Jima, they landed on Green Beach, at the foot of Mount Suribachi. His outfit supported the 28th Marines. Their 105mm Howitzers were set up at the bottom of Suribachi shooting into the caves. With the help of Rufus Taylor, he established a switchboard up to the front lines. He returned to Hawaii with the 20th Marines in late March. After his service he went to college.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Ahr. Ahr joined the Marine Corps at 16 years old in November, 1942. He lied about his age. After training, he went overseas and was assigned to the 9th Marine Regiment. He arrived in time for the invasion of Guam. Ahr also was at Iwo Jima and shares several impressions and anecdotes of the battle.

Transcript of an oral interview with Major General Yoshihiro Minamoto. Through the work of the translator, Minamoto recalls attending a military academy in Tokyo and granduating in April, 1944. From there, he was assigned to a Japanese Army shipping division in Hiroshima. Through the translator, Minamoto describes training a special squadron of suicide boat operators for deployment on Okinawa. He arrived on Okinawa in September, 1944. Minamoto never got a chance to attack with his suicide boat squadron at Okinawa, so he was folded into an infantry unit already on Okinawa. Minamoto also describes surrendering once he heard the war was finished. When he returned to Japan after the war, he volunteered for service in the Japanese Defense Forces.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Gourley. Gourley joined the Navy in 1944. Once he finished boot camp, he was assigned to USS President Adams, (APA-19) bound for the invasion of the Philippines. When he arrived at Iwo Jima, Gourley went ashore for several days to help unload supplies. After the war, Gourley remained aboard and made several trips to Japan to haul troops back home. He took his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gilberto S. Trevino. He attended Texas A&M before serving in the Marine Corps. He was in the 28th Replacement Battalion when assigned to the 3d Marine Division and deployed to Iwo Jima. He discusses his first impressions of landing on the island: the sights and smells. He describes the constructed Japanese defenses on the island and the use of Japanese Nisei interpreters to convince defenders to surrender. He returned to Texas A&M where he was in the Corps of Cadets (ROTC) and accepted his commission in the Army in time to serve in Korea. He eventually earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine dgree from A&M and a PhD. in Pathology from Michigan State University. He retired from service in 1976 as a colonel.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marcel Bisson. Bisson joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and after training was assigned as a replacement to the 5th Marine Division just prior to invading Iwo Jima. On the twelfth day, Bisson was wounded and evacuated. After some stays in hospitals, he was medically discharged in July 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hannibal Tadlock. Tadlock joined the Navy in 1940. He worked as an oil king aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36). Tadlock was aboard the Nevada while docked at Pearl Harbor during the attack on 7 December 1941. He was then stationed on the USS Lexington (CV-2) in the fire room during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. He was then assigned to similar work aboard the USS Core (CVE-13) beginning December of 1943. They travelled across the Atlantic to England and Scotland, in search of German U-boats. They protected cargo and liberty ships and encountered German sailors from a bombed U-boat. In April of 1945 he was transferred to the USS Boxer (CV-21), working as a machinist’s mate. Tadlock was honorably discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Takeo Fukuchi. Fukuchi lived in Tokyo as a child and recalls being moved to Chiba because Tokyo was under attack. He recalls the bombings and then hearing the Emperor's voice announcing the surrender and the end of the war. As an adult, Fukuchi joined the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force after World War II. Fukuchi's father served in the Japanese Navy as a secretary to Admiral Yonai and helped raise money in Japan to install the Garden of Peace at the Nimitz Museum.

Transcript of an oral interview with Kenneth J. Ruff. Ruff joined the Army Air Forces while attending college in Missouri in 1942. He describes all the places he trained as a pilot, from Texas to Wisconsin and Oklahoma. He eventually was selected to be a flight instructor. He ferried one aircraft to Australia and when he returned, he went to Reno, Nevada for more flight training. Upon completion, Ruff ferried an airplane to India via Brazil and Africa. Once he arrived in India, his job then consisted of flying material in C-46 transport planes over "the Hump" to China. He flew 72 missions from India to China over the Himilaya Mountains. Ruff shares several experiences of his while flying in China and India. After the war, while Ruff was in the Reserves, he was recalled to fly supplies to German citizens in the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949). Ruff spent 20 years in the Air Force after WWII.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Dotson. Dotson joined the Navy at 18 when he finished high school in 1943. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Center outside Chicago. From there, he went to Maryland to train in the Navy's Amphibious Forces. Upon completing training, Dotson joined the crew of a brand new Landing Craft, Infantry (USS LCI-471) and headed throught the Panama Canal for the Pacific. Initially, he served as a helmsman while his LCI carried underwater demolition teams (UDT) in support for the invasion of Guam. During the campaign for Guam, USS LCI-471 served as a Japanese prisoner-of-war clearing station. About 100 Japanese POWs came on and off USS LCI-471. After assembling at Ulithi, Dotson sailed with the invasion force to Iwo Jima. USS LCI-471 continued to operate supporting he UDTs prior to the invasion. The Japanese fired on and hit USS LCI-471, causing some damage and killing 11 crewmen. When the UDT completed their tasks prior to the invasion, USS LCI-471 continued on station as a support vessel ferrying supplies to shore, escorting members of the press, and making smoke screens for the fleet. After the battle, Dotson went …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Colonel Ken Miller. Miller was born in Toronto, Canada and raised in California. As a student, he became interested in radio communications and went into the California National Guard in 1939. In the Guard he was wth 102nd Signal Radio Intelligence Company. Miller was on his way to Hawaii and then the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. The ship he was on returned to San Francisco and he was sent to Officer Candidte School. Upon graduating, he was assigned to the 8th Army Air Force Radio Squadron Mobile at Camp Pinedale where he trained units headed for the field overseas. Eventually, he shipped out with the last unit he trained and was stationed at Guam prior to the invasion of Iwo Jima. Once the island was secure, Miller went in and established his radio station where he intercepted Japanese radio traffic. Miller continues with several anecdotes about being on Iwo Jima: recovering Japanese code books from aircraft crashes; surfing; being attacked by Japanese planes; witnessing airplane ditches and crashes; receiving mail; being attacked at night by Japanese holdouts; working with Japanese Americans on Iwo Jima; a typhoon; etc. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Hafter. Hafter went into the Air Force right after Pearl Harbor, attended radio school in Illinois and then was sent to Colorado Springs, CO Air Base. His unit (17th Photo Recon, flying P-38s) was shipped overseas via a Dutch freighter ending up on Guadalcanal on 6 Jan 1943. While on Guadalcanal, Hafter transferred to the 70th Fighter Squadron which was flying P-39s. Had malaria five times. His unit moved to Ondonga Island in the New Georgia Group about Aug 1943, then to Munda, and then Sanspore, New Guinea. At Munda, they switched over to P-38s. After Sanspore, his unit went to Morotai, Dutch East Indies, then to Lingayan Gulf and finally Mindoro in the Philippines when that island was taken. From there, his unit moved to Mindanao and Palawan, which is where he came home from. His first relief was after 21 months in the islands. Got back to the States right before Thanksgiving 1945 and mustered out shortly afterwards.

Transcript of an oral interview with Al Heigel. When Heigel finished high school in June, 1944, he joined the Navy at Little Rock, Arkansas and went for boot training at San Diego. He was assigned as a radar operator and reported aboard the USS Independence (CVL-22) at Pearl Harbor. Heigel describes the light carrier and its construction and features. He also speaks of the time the Independence was hit by a torpedo off Tarawa in 1943. Heigel then describes events off Okinawa: watching the USS Franklin (CV-13) being bombed off Okinawa; locating and shooting down kamikazes; describing battle stations; aircraft water landings; being in a typhoon, etc. After the war ended, the Independence served as a troop transport taking GIs back home to the US. He describes bunks in the hangar deck and arriving in Portland, Oregon. As the Independence was being prepared for the Bikini Atoll atomic tests, Heigel got off becuase he had the requisite amount of points allowing him to be discharged. He then entered the lumber business, married and raised family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gene F. Dauer. Dauer joined the Marine Corps and trained at San Diego. While on leave after training, he missed returning in time to join his original unit and shipped out later to Hawaii. Eventually, he landed at Iwo Jima on D+4 four days after the initial assault. His duty on Iwo Jima included driving ambulances and working in the field hospital ward. He was on Hilo when the war ended and describes a tsunami on that island after the war.

Transcript of an oral interview with Wesley Visel. Visel joined the Army shortly after war's outbreak and was sent to Texas for training. He ended up as an LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) driver and describes the operation of the amphibious vehicle. Visel describes loading up onto LSTs (Landing Ship. Tank) and invading Luzon, Philippines. He describes dropping infantrymen off, then returning to the side of a liberty ship where cargo was craned over the side into his LVT. Visel then headed back to shore to unload. He would perform this task for 12 hours straight. Visel also describes experiences on Palawan and Mindanao. Visel was still in the Philippines training for the upcoming invasion of Japan when the war ended.

Transcript of an oral interview with Doug Aitken. When the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, Aitken was nineteen and in college in California. He remained in college, earned his degree and was commissioned an ensign upon finishing school in 1944. He then went to radar school and trained for a position in the combat information center (CIC) of a destroyer. He soon reported aboard the USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) in San Diego and headed for the Pacific. Soon, the Hadley was escorting other ships to Okinawa fo rthe invasion. Once there, the Hadley went on picket duty north of Okinawa on the lookout for kamikazes. Aitken describes a day in which the Hadley and other destroyers on picket station #15 off Okinawa were attacked by approximately 150 kamikazes in less than two hours. His battle station was inside the CIC. He also describes the Hadley being struck by three kamikazes and the crew abandoning ship. The Hadley was taken under tow to Kerama Retto for repairs, where she tied up alongside the USS Aaron Ward (DM-34), which had also been struck by numerous kamikazes. After repairs, the Hadley was towed to San Francisco. The war ended while she was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Tice. Tice was born in Detroit 3 January 1924. After joining the Navy in 1943 he went to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for boot training. Upon completion of training he entered gunnery school in preparation for Armed Guard duty. After training, Tice served as instructor at the Armed Guard school for four months. He then volunteered for aircraft carrier duty and was assigned to a gunnery crew aboard the USS Franklin (CV-13). He went aboard late in December 1943. Tice recalls meeting a childhood friend, Bob Harrison, an armament specialist who was also on board. Soon after arriving at Pearl Harbor the Franklin sailed to the Marianas. He recalls the ship being involved in many operations including the Bonin Islands, Peleliu, Guam, Luzon and Iwo Jima. It was also involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf where a Japanese aircraft crashed on the deck. He went into an ammunition magazine to wet down the area with water. He received a citation from Admiral Halsey for this action. He also describes burials at sea. The ship returned to Bremerton for repairs. On 19 March 1945 a …

Transcript of an oral interview with Lieutenant Commander Louis G. Lacy. Lacy enlisted in the Navy in July, 1941 after he graduated from Texas Christian University. He received orders to report to officer training school in Chicago shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After getting commissioned, Lacy went to Naval Mine Warfare School in Virginia for more training. From there, Lacy was assigned to the USS Adroit (AM-82) briefly. After that, he was assigned to the USS Starling (AM-64). Before long, he was assigned back to Virginia for more mine warfare training. Then he was ordered to report aboard the Starling, which he did at New Caledonia. From there, the Starling provided minsweeping duties for convoys in and around the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Lacy then describes being present for the invasion of Guam. From there, the Starling went back to California for some overhaul work before heading back out, this time for the invasion of Okinawa. Lacy was serving as the ship's Executive Officer at this point. Their duty was to sweep for mines prior to the invasion. Lacy also speaks of being attacked by kamikaze planes off Okinawa. In November, 1945, Lacy rotated home and was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Clayton. Clayton was drafted into the United States Navy. After training, he joined the Amphibious Forces and was assigned to USS Alpine (APA-92). His crew made assaults on Guam and the Philippines. He was a yeoman for 2 years. He was aboard the Alpine when it was commissioned and decommissioned. After the war, the Alpine pulled troops out of battle zones in Japan and China. He was discharged in New Orleans.

Transcript of a simultaneous oral interview with Clarence and Delia Wood. Delia reveals she worked for North American Aviation in Inglewood, Claifornia building P-51 fighter planes. She met Clarence Wood at a USO show. Mr. Wood served on a submarine chaser (SC-1012) and an APA during the war.