The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ken Barhite. Barhite was born in Alden, Iowa on 9 January 1921. Graduating from junior college, he was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Wolters, Texas for thirteen weeks of basic training. He was then sent to Chenango, Pennsylvania for four weeks of advanced training prior to being sent to San Francisco where he boarded a liberty ship for a twenty-two day voyage to a replacement center in New Caledonia. After four weeks he was sent to Fiji where he joined the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) in July 1943. The unit was sent to Bougainville where they performed patrols and were involved in some combat. He witnessed friends killed and wounded during these actions. While there, he was selected to attend 18 weeks of Officer’s Candidate School (OCS) in Australia. Upon his graduation in June 1945 he received his commission as a second lieutenant. He reported to the 158th Regimental Combat Team in Manila to prepare for the invasion of Japan. After the war, the unit boarded a ship for Japan as part of the occupation forces. Barhite returned to the United States in November 1945 …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Breyer. Breyer enlisted in the Army and was attached to the 922nd Field Artillery Battalion after a brief stint in the Army Specialized Training Program (which was discontinued before he could complete the course). He was shipped to India, landing in Bombay (Mumbai) in April, 1944. From there, he went to Burma and fought the Japanese with Merrill’s Marauders. Breyer was evacuated back to India because of an infection. He managed to return to his outfit and continue fighting with them in Burma. He shares several anecdotes about his experiences jungle fighting in Burma. He also traveled to Kunming to train Chinese troops. He also comments on the nationalist and communist Chinese starting to fight after the war ended. Breyer was discharged in December, 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Frederick M. Bidwell. Bidwell joined the Army in 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 69th Infantry Division and headed for France in mid-1944. He eventually was attached to the 35th Infantry Division and fought in France at the Battle of St. Lo. He also briefly mentions the Battle of the Bulge.