Oral History Interview with Richard Johnson (open access)

Oral History Interview with Richard Johnson

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Johnson. Johnson forged his birth certificate changing the 1928 birth year to 1925 so he could enlist in the Navy. Though he was court-martialed for the offence, he was allowed to stay in the Navy with parental consent. He discusses his time in boot camp, taking a 7 day vacation when he was given the weekend off, being assigned to the fleet oiler, USS Taluga and refueling ships throughout the Pacific. He talks about going through a typhoon, being hit by a kamikaze, being in Toyko Bay after the peace treaty was signed and becoming a Maine police officer after the war.
Date: unknown
Creator: Johnson, Richard
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Johnson transcript

Oral History Interview with Richard Johnson

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Johnson. Johnson forged his birth certificate changing the 1928 birth year to 1925 so he could enlist in the Navy. Though he was court-martialed for the offence, he was allowed to stay in the Navy with parental consent. He discusses his time in boot camp, taking a 7 day vacation when he was given the weekend off, being assigned to the fleet oiler, USS Taluga and refueling ships throughout the Pacific. He talks about going through a typhoon, being hit by a kamikaze, being in Toyko Bay after the peace treaty was signed and becoming a Maine police officer after the war.
Date: unknown
Creator: Johnson, Richard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Be a Marine, Free a Marine to Fight] (open access)

[Be a Marine, Free a Marine to Fight]

Recruiting booklet for the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve. Address stamped with "U.S. Marine Corps Rectg, Sta., Room 408, U.S. Court House Bldg. Fort Worth, Texas"
Date: [1941..1945]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Philip Schneiderman, April 10, 2014 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Philip Schneiderman, April 10, 2014

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Philip Schneiderman. Schneiderman joined the Coast Guard in 1944 when he was 15 years old because he was able to get the doctor to waive him as a result of procuring a set of tires for the doctor. He was shipped to New Guinea to catch his ship and was in the hospital with a tropical disease when his ship came in. He snuck out of the Navy hospital to join his ship. He shares several anecdotes about life aboard an LST in the Pacific during WWII. He recalls going to Luzon and Okinawa as well as other points around New Guinea landing supplies and equipment. He was discharged in May 1946.
Date: April 10, 2014
Creator: Schneiderman, Philip
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pacific Stars and Stripes, Occupation Forces Souvenir Edition, Tuesday, December 25, 1945 (open access)

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Occupation Forces Souvenir Edition, Tuesday, December 25, 1945

Souvenir edition of a magazine providing news and information to occupation forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Also included in this edition are Christmas messages from service members and information about Christmas celebrations in Japan and Korea.
Date: December 25, 1945
Creator: United States. Army. Forces, Pacific
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Harry Ferrier, September 15, 2007 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Harry Ferrier, September 15, 2007

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Ferrier. Ferrier joined the Navy in January 1941 and received basic training in Newport. He attended aviation radio school in Jacksonville was and assigned to an Avenger crew as a radioman. On 4 June 1942 his plane was attacked at the Battle of Midway by enemy fighters while targeting the Japanese fleet. His turret gunner was killed, his pilot wounded, and all five accompanying airplanes were shot down. He was reassigned to Torpedo Squadron 3 on the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and then to an SBD squadron attached to the USS Yorktown (CV-10). After attending Aviation Electronics Officer School, he participated in nuclear weapons tests and taught nuclear weapons firing. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars as an aircraft maintenance officer. At the time of his retirement in 1970, he was overseeing 2,000 maintenance personnel. Ferrier is also known for his involvement in finding the Titanic and searching for the Yorktown (CV-5) and other sunken Japanese carriers.
Date: September 15, 2007
Creator: Ferrier, Harry
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with George Terrell, October 10, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George Terrell, October 10, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Terrell. Terrell joined the Marine Corps in April of 1946. Beginning in June, he was assigned to occupation duty in Northern China. He comments on how some of the Japanese still occupying mountain regions in China were unaware that the war had ended. Terrell served with the 1st Marine Division, and their job was to guard the Kunming railroad. He was discharged in December of 1947. Terrell reenlisted in September of 1950, participating in the Korean War through September of 1953.
Date: October 10, 2002
Creator: Terrell, George
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Hazael R. Olivares, March 29, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Hazael R. Olivares, March 29, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hazael R. Olivares. Olivares dropped out of high school and decided to join the Navy right after hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He took his 16 week basic training course at Great Lakes in Illinois where he learned how to fire various guns and recognize aircraft. After basic training, he was assigned to the Algiers, Louisiana where he learned how to weld. Aboard the USS Bordelon (DD-881), he served as a Ship Fitter in the damage control department. After WWII, he remained in the reserves and was called up for duty in Korea. He served aboard the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86). After Korea, he worked as a civilian for he Army Corps of Engineers as an oiler on a dredge; then served in the Merchant Marines hauling refined petroleum products from South America to North America. He also speaks of going into French Indochina up the Saigon River in a merchant vessel.
Date: March 29, 2003
Creator: Olivares, Hazael R.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Facts You Want to Know About the WAC] (open access)

[Facts You Want to Know About the WAC]

Recruiting booklet for the Women's Army Corps. Stamped with "U.S. Army Recruiting Station Women's Army Corps Section Syracuse Savings Bank Bldg. Syracuse 1, New York."
Date: [1941..1945]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Glynn Hull, March 7, 2013 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Glynn Hull, March 7, 2013

The National museum of the Pacific War presents an ortal interview with Glynn Hull. Hull grew up on a farm in Iowa during the Depression. Hull entered the Army Air Forces in January 1943. He trained as a navigator. He was then assigned to a B-17 in the 551st Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb GRoup and went to England in 1944. Hull discusses a few missions and other experiences. On one mission, Hull had to bail out and became a prisoner of war. He shares several anecdotes and experiences about being a POW in Germany.
Date: March 7, 2013
Creator: Hull, Glynn
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Oscar Mitchell, September 9, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Oscar Mitchell, September 9, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Oscar Mitchell. Mitchell joined the Army in November of 1941. He completed Officer Candidate School and served as commander of an all-black engineer combat battalion. Beginning in 1943, they traveled to North Africa and Calcutta, India, and worked as drivers along the Ledo Road. He returned from India to the US, and was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: September 9, 2003
Creator: Mitchell, Oscar
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Double-Edged Secretes, Part 1] captions transcript

[Double-Edged Secretes, Part 1]

Video footage from a symposium sponsored by the National Museum of the Pacific War Double-Edged Secretes which covers US intelligence in the Pacific Ocean during and after World War Two. This recording features the opening of the symposium and remarks given by John R. Braizil, Walt Davine and R. James Wilson.
Date: 1999-10-09/1999-10-10
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Taylor, March 24, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Richard Taylor, March 24, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Taylor. Taylor was a young boy in Canada during World War II. He describes the effort on the homefront, including growing Victory gardens and rationing gasoline. Beginning in 1943 he received training in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Air Cadets, and the Army Cadets. He helped with the manufacturing of Fairmile D-motor torpedo boats. In 1946 he joined an antitank unit in the Irish Regiment of Canada and received training at Petawawa. He then left the Irish Regiment and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, 400th Squadron. Taylor was discharged in 1949 and became a master plumber.
Date: March 24, 2011
Creator: Taylor, Richard
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arles Cole, January 16, 2009 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Arles Cole, January 16, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arles Cole. Cole joined the Navy in December of 1940. He provides details of his boot camp experiences. He completed communications school and became a signalman. In August of 1941 he served aboard the USS West Virginia (BB-48). Cole was on board during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Cole provides vivid details leading up to, during and after the battle. He then served aboard a tugboat, the USS Turkey (AT-13), beginning in March of 1942. It doubled as a minesweeper and a tugboat. They traveled to the South Pacific around the Samoan Islands and the trade routes, where he became proficient in handling a line towing the vanes for mine sweeping and towing a barge with food and supplies for the Marines. In January of 1944 he began serving aboard the USS Pritchett (DD-561). They traveled to the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. He provides great detail of his travels aboard the Pritchett and their participation in various battles. He was discharged in January of 1946.
Date: January 16, 2009
Creator: Cole, Arles
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Greg Cabrerra transcript

Oral History Interview with Greg Cabrerra

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Greg Cabrerra. Cabrerra’s father was an engineer in the phosphate mines on Angaur, Palau, during the German and Japanese occupations on the island. Cabrerra was born on Angaur in the late 1920s and recalls his life experiences on the island, and his father’s work in the mines. Cabrerra and his mother moved to Garapan, Saipan in 1932, while his father continued work on Angaur. He recalls losing his home in Saipan in 1943 during the Japanese occupation. He and his family were moved to Gualo Rai. Cabrerra became a policeman on the island of Rota after the war. He shares his story as a child civilian during the war in Japanese-occupied Saipan.
Date: unknown
Creator: Cabrerra, Greg
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Dr. Edward Drea, September 17, 2005 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Dr. Edward Drea, September 17, 2005

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Edward Drea. Drea joined the Air Force in 1965 after college and trained as an intelligence officer. He was eventually assigned to the Fifth Air Force in Fuchu, Japan in 1968 where he monitored communications between communist countries. After a tour with the Air Force in Vietnam, Drea returned to Japan in 1971 to attend university on the G.I. Bill and study for a masters degree in international relations. He returned to work on a Ph. D. at the University of Kansas and was able to return to Japan for some doctoral work where an interest in the Imperial Japanese Army grew and matured. Upon completion of the degree, he took a position at the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as a civilian historian. The conversation drifts into breaking the Japanese code during World War II and using it to Allied advantage. From there, the conversation goes into Japan's decision to go to war against the United States. From there, it moves to the occupation of Japan after the war ended and the Imperial Japanese Army.
Date: September 17, 2005
Creator: Drea, Dr. Edward
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arthur Talmage, October 19, 2012 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Arthur Talmage, October 19, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Talmage. Talmage joined the Marine Corps around 1942. He served with the 4th Marine Division, 24th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion. Talmage worked as a runner and bodyguard for Alexander Vandegrift during each campaign. They participated in the battles of Kwajalein, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. Talmage was discharged in October of 1945.
Date: October 19, 2012
Creator: Talmage, Arthur
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Robert Hilburn, January 19, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Robert Hilburn, January 19, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Hilburn. Hilburn joined the Marine Corps after he graduated from journalism school. He describes his time in boot camp at Paris Island. Hilburn received some assistance from a congressman who recommended he be placed in a correspondent role. He was sent to headquarters in Washington D.C. where he began writing stories about marines who had been awarded medals for home town newspapers. Hilburn was then sent to the 2nd Marine Division to become a Combat Correspondent. He describes some of his fellow correspondents and the equipment that they used. Hilburn landed on Okinawa towards the end of the battle and describes being with General Buckner when he was killed. He also traveled to Nagasaki after the surrender. Hilburn left the service after the war, but continued his career as a journalist. He was in a press vehicle that was part of the motorcade when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Hilburn describes the events and aftermath.
Date: January 19, 2011
Creator: Hilburn, Robert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Philip Schneiderman, April 10, 2014 transcript

Oral History Interview with Philip Schneiderman, April 10, 2014

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Philip Schneiderman. Schneiderman joined the Coast Guard in 1944 when he was 15 years old because he was able to get the doctor to waive him as a result of procuring a set of tires for the doctor. He was shipped to New Guinea to catch his ship and was in the hospital with a tropical disease when his ship came in. He snuck out of the Navy hospital to join his ship. He shares several anecdotes about life aboard an LST in the Pacific during WWII. He recalls going to Luzon and Okinawa as well as other points around New Guinea landing supplies and equipment. He was discharged in May 1946.
Date: April 10, 2014
Creator: Schneiderman, Philip
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Clint Morse, March 12, 2014 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Clint Morse, March 12, 2014

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clint Morse. Morse was born in Berkeley, California on 16 June 1920 and entered the Navy in 1942. He was assigned to the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard University and upon graduation, was assigned to the USS Mugford (DD-389) as the supply officer. Morse recalls the crew of the Mugford picking up survivors of an Australian hospital ship that had been sunk. His ship was based at Milne Bay, New Guinea and participated in troop landings on various islands. He tells of the ship being under attack on several occasions and the experience of losing one of the crew members as the result of an attack. He returned to Mare Island Navy Yard in 1946 and was assigned the job of ship liaison officer until his discharge.
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: Morse, Clint
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Clyde Simpson, March 11, 2016 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Clyde Simpson, March 11, 2016

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clyde Simpson. Simpson joined the Navy in June of 1940. He went to boot camp in San Diego, California. From there he went to Aviation Radio School to learn Morse Code. He also completed gunnery school. He was then transferred in early 1941 to the air group on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and placed in Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3). They traveled back and forth from San Diego to Hawaii for training cruises. Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor they traveled back to Hawaii. They were then sent out to look for the Japanese fleet, and ended up getting hit by a Japanese submarine. He talks about this experience. In July of 1942 he was back out to sea headed to the Solomon Islands, providing air support for the Marines at Guadalcanal. He provides details of the fighting at Guadalcanal. He was medically retired by the Navy in June of 1951.
Date: March 11, 2016
Creator: Simpson, Clyde
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Maynard Saugstad, April 5, 2019 transcript

Oral History Interview with Maynard Saugstad, April 5, 2019

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Maynard Saugstad. Saugstad joined the Navy in July of 1943. He served as Storekeeper 2nd Class, and worked on bases including Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Island and Maui, where he was working when the war ended. Saugstad was in charge of several warehouses, where he distributed supplies. He was discharged in late 1945.
Date: April 5, 2019
Creator: Saugstad, Maynard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Lester McClanahan, May 12, 2012 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Lester McClanahan, May 12, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lester McClanahan. McClanahan joined the Navy in 1944. He was assigned to the USS Algol (AKA-54) in June of 1944 and served as a deck hand and gunner. He provides some detail of the ship and the equipment it carried. They traveled to Eniwetok, Ulithi and Saipan, carrying supplies for troops after the invasions. They were at the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in early 1945, and later at Okinawa. He recalls the kamikaze plane attacks while at Okinawa. They also provided towing services for ships to the Philippines. They traveled to Qingdao, China and he discusses his experiences there. He was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: May 12, 2012
Creator: McClanahan, Lester
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph Cook (open access)

Oral History Interview with Joseph Cook

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Cook. Cook joined the Navy in 1942. He completed boot camp at Norfolk Naval Operating Base. He was then assigned to the Submarine Chasers Training Center, Miami, where he remained through 1943. He served as an officer’s steward. Beginning in mid-1944, Cook continued his work aboard USS Phantom (AM-273). They completed minesweeping and escort duties along the US East Coast and off Bermuda for the remainder of the year. In January 1945, they traveled to McNabs Island, Nova Scotia. In mid-1945, they traveled to Pearl Harbor. From there, Cook traveled aboard YMS-267 to Saipan and Japan, providing escort duty. He describes going on liberty in Kobe, Japan. They returned to the US and Cook received his discharge on 6 July 1946.
Date: unknown
Creator: Cook, Joseph
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History