The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David P. Newton. Newton was born in Birmingham, Alabama 2 December 1915. In 1937 he enrolled in the Birmingham School of Law, graduating and passing the bar examination in 1942. He was inducted into the US Army in 1943 and had basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 346th Harbor Craft Company. Traveling to Finschhafen, New Guinea he was assigned to a port battalion as a deck officer. He tells of the battalion commander assigning him as the defense counsel for a pending court martial trial. He outlines in detail the cause of the trial and of the favorable ruling rendered toward his client. Soon thereafter, he was sent to Hollandia, New Guinea and assigned to a small boat used for evacuation of wounded from shore. He recalls being part of the invasion force during the landing at Tacloban, Leyte and participating in the evacuation of the wounded. He recollects being ordered to report to the War Crimes Commission in Tokyo in October 1945. He was appointed as a special investigator/prosecutor into the operations of a number of prisoner …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Servando Lopez. Lopez was born in Lara, Texas on 8 April 1925 and attended school until the 8th grade. He was drafted into the Army and sent to Camp Wolters near Mineral Wells, Texas for 18 weeks of basic training. Completing training he was sent to New York City for debarkation. After arriving in South Hampton, England, he was assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, Company K, 175th Infantry. Lopez tells of the unit undergoing amphibious training daily for several weeks. He recounts being in the third wave attacking Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. On 8 September, while leading a combat patrol, he was wounded and sent to England for recovery. He was awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart. He tells of returning to his platoon in December 1944 and soon after crossing the Ruhr River, he was wounded again and treated at an aid station. The unit advanced to the Rhine River and stopped. He relates that massive numbers of German soldiers were surrendering to the US troops to avoid being captured by the advancing Russian Army. In October 1945, Lopez returned to the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joe Rackley. Rackley was born in Nueces County, Texas, 26 April 1926. Graduating from high school in 1943, he was drafted into the Army and sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training. Upon completion of basic he was sent to Camp Stoneman, California and went aboard the USS General John Pope (AP-110) for a 31 day trip to New Guinea. He was assigned to the 37th Infantry Division, 145th Infantry Regiment as a combat radio operator in the headquarters section to serve as radioman for the company commander. He landed at Bougainville and describes the difficulties encountered in landing, the heavy rains that fell and the high number of casualties. During January 1945, the division landed on Luzon unopposed with orders to recapture General MacArthur’s former residence. Rackley remembers being ordered to take Bilibid Prison in Manila and he tells of the condition of some of the former prisoners. After spending two weeks retaking Clark Field they were ordered to conduct mop-up operations. Rackley recalls heavy fighting during the operation and mentions his captain being seriously wounded as he used the radio. He recalls receiving a radio …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ivan Haselby. Haselby joined the Army in July of 1944. He completed Officer Candidate School and served as a first lieutenant in the First Cavalry Division, Eighth Cavalry Regiment. He worked at Camp Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas through May of 1945. Beginning in July, he was deployed to Japan and served with the occupation forces. He was stationed in the Chiba Prefecture, occupying and investigating schools. Haselby returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with L.C. Finger. Finger was born in Garner, Texas. Drafted into the Army in 1943, he was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for three weeks of basic training. He was then sent to Camp Mackall, North Carolina where he joined the 11th Airborne Division, volunteering for parachute training. He made five practice jumps before deploying overseas. Arriving at Leyte in June 1944 they made three practice jumps and conducted routine patrols. He recalls in December a Japanese force came out of the jungles and attacked an airfield and an engineering group killing many Americans. Elements of Finger’s division searched and were successful in finding and destroying the enemy force. That evening the Japanese dropped paratroopers to take the local airfield and he tells of seeing them come down, highlighted by white parachutes, enabling the Americans to kill many of them as they landed. The division retook the airfield the next day. While participating in the action, Finger was seriously wounded by a Japanese sniper. He was taken to an aid station and then to a field hospital where doctors removed his right leg. He was taken to Biak, New …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard R. McTaggart. McTaggart had finished two and a-half years at Texas A&M when he was drafted into the Army on 2 February 1943 and had basic training at Camp Wolters. He also attended the NCO academy and the basic parachute course. After that he attended the German language program at Berkeley, graduating in the spring of 1944. From there his group went to Camp Bowie, Texas where they joined the 13th Armored Division which had just finished its preparation for overseas. Most of the private soldiers suddenly got orders to go overseas as replacements (D-Day was approaching). He landed a La Havre which was just being developed. McTaggart served with B Company of the 59th Armored Infantry Battalion, attached to the French 2nd Armored Division. When the Germans began their offensive in Belgium, his unit was assigned to the 9th Armored Division to bolster the defenses. They went through Luxembourg and then Bastogne and ended up northeast of there. Interview includes discussion of the fighting in this area and his unit's moves. Crossed the Rhine at St. Goar. Assigned to the 513th Counter Intelligence Corps detachment and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Walton. Walton was drafted into the Army Air Forces. He was initially assigned to an administrative position and was then sent to the European Theater. Walton briefly describes his experiences on the frontlines including how hard it was to stay warm. He tells one particular story about being in a convoy on the autobahn at the end of the war. Walton left the service at the end of the war and eventually became a Methodist minister.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arlos L. Awalt. He was born in Brady, Texas, drafted into the Army, and inducted at Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio. After basic training at Camp Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas, he took a troop train to New York Harbor and boarded the Louis S. Pasteur to Southhampton, England where he was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division, 424 Regiment, in the 81mm mortars in H Company, a heavy weapons company. They went right into the Battle of the Bulge where he suffered frost bite and pneumonia. Later assignments included the following: the occupation army in charge of prisoner of war camps interviewing POWs and displaced persons, serving at General Eisenhower's headquarters building in a little red schoolhouse in Rheims, France (where peace was later signed), in the Grand Hotel in Bad Nauheim, Germany where General Patton was officed, and in Renea Lanay, France. He served 22 months in the Army, 19 overseas - returning as a corporal. He received the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, and two medals from the Belgian government.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Warren Newberry. Newberry joined the Army Air Forces in December 1942 and received basic training at Camp Wolters. Upon completion of his training, he was shipped to England, where he served in the 26th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron under the 8th Air Force. His team assembled hundreds of Waco CG-4A combat gliders per day in preparation for D-Day. His unit also was noted for constructing housing with empty glider crates. Watching the glider pilots in training, Newberry recalls brilliant flying by stunt pilot Mike Murphy. On June 6th he saw thousands of planes pass overhead on their way to Normandy, wing-to-wing. In July 1944 he was sent to France to assemble Piper L-4s. He arrived at Omaha Beach at D-Day plus 99 and was upset when he came upon 44,000 freshly dug graves with white crosses. He notes that otherwise the beach was in pristine condition. Newberry returned home and was discharged as a Staff Sergeant in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.D. Tanner. Tanner was born 20 August 1924 in Jasper County, Indiana. He quit school in the seventh grade and worked with his father on a dairy farm. In August 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and had basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. After four weeks of training he went to San Francisco and departed on a twenty-one day trip to Leyte. There he was assigned as a rifleman in the 37th Infantry Division. He describes being on patrol and seeing a friend killed by a Japanese sniper. He was hospitalized with dysentery and recalls meeting General MacArthur’s wife, Jean, as she visited the hospital. After the surrender of Japan, he was assigned to the Military Police for a period of time and also drove a truck. He returned to the United States and was discharged 1 August 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Deverl Goode. Goode was born in 1922 and joined the Army after one semester of college. He received basic training at Camp Wolters and landed on Leyte in 1944 with the Americal Division. He was sent to Cebu as a scout. Cut off behind enemy lines for several days, he subsisted on bananas, wild potatoes, and rainwater. He spent several months on Negros Island using a flamethrower to clear caves of enemy holdouts; one cave turned out to be a makeshift Japanese hospital. After the war ended, he was a guard at Sugamo Prison, where he escorted Tokyo Rose and Saipan Sue to their interrogations. He encountered several imprisoned American sergeants there, presumed to be spies. He visited Hiroshima, where only a small bit of steel infrastructure and bricks were left standing. Goode returned home and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Wishnack. Wishnack joined the Army in August of 1942. He trained to serve as a radio operator. He joined the 6th Cavalry, a reconnaissance unit, and provides some details of their unique training. Wishnack was assigned to an M-8 armored car where he tapped out Morse Code to communicate with headquarters and also worked with an FM radio for short distances. He provides details of his radio training and the M-8 armored vehicle. He served in Ireland from October 1943 to June of 1944, conducting routine training missions and building a motor pool. They landed on Utah Beach July 9. They participated in five campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge and attacking the Siegfried Line. Wishnack provides some details of the tanks and the battles he fought in. He also shares his encounters with the German civilians. He was discharged around December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Cumbie. Cumbie joined the Army in January of 1943. He completed Officer???s Candidate School in May of 1943, earning a commission as a second lieutenant. He began training in the Army Air Forces in November of 1943. He provides details of his pilot training, including glider training in Lubbock, Texas. He graduated in the fall of 1944. Their glider pilot training was in preparation for an airborne crossing of the Rhine River in Germany. He was assigned to the 313th Troop Carrier Group. They traveled to England in November of 1944. On Christmas of 1944 they hauled the 17th Airborne Division up near the front lines in northern France, during the Battle of the Bulge. Cumbie provides details of this experience. He also transported supplies and wounded soldiers. He was discharged in July of 1946, though stayed in the Air Force Reserves until 1952.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richmond Garrett. Garrett was inducted into the Army in November of 1943. He completed Officer Candidate School. He was selected to join Company A, 1252nd Combat Engineer Battalion. In November of 1944 they were sent to England. He describes his travels overseas and accommodations on the ship Tamaroa. While there they built bridges, removed mines and built a roadway. In December 1944 they traveled to La Havre, France, to serve in Patton???s Third Army. In February of 1945 they took part in breaching operations against Siegfried Line. They advanced into Germany. He provides vivid details of these experiences, including dropping TNT-filled tomato cans down chimneys. They traveled to Bastogne, Belgium, completing road work and removing mines. Garrett received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Medley. Medley joined the Army in February of 1943. He volunteered as a paratrooper, serving with the Headquarters Company, 541st Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. In September of 1943 he received the world record for the highest free fall jump at 30,000 feet. He jumped a number of times overseas at 600 feet. Medley describes his training and these experiences. In the fall of 1943 he traveled to Northern Ireland. From there his division was flown into combat, beginning with North Africa. In June of 1944 he jumped behind Utah Beach in Normandy. They traveled to England. He jumped in Southern France and Bad Hall, Austria. Medley assisted in liberating part of Dachau concentration camp. In December of 1944 he participated in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was captured ang taken to Mons, Belgium for 92 days. He escaped in April of 1945. He was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Manuel E. Quijas. Quijas grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and was drafted into the the Army in July, 1942. He describes training at Camp Wolters, Texas. At Fort Hood, Quijas was assigned to the 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Quijas trained as a driver for a half-track. Upon completion of training, Quijas and his unit were shipped to England where they immediately left for France in October, 1944. Eventually, his unit moved into Belgium and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Quijas describes retreating and disabling his half-track and its weapons. QUijas speaks of retraining in medium tanks and taking them across the Rhine River into Germany. When the war ended in Europe, Quijas shipped back to the US and was discharged in November, 1945. Quijas used the GI Bill to finish high school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Creed Coffee. Coffee was in the Army ROTC at Texas Technological College, now Texas Tech in Lubbock, in 1941 and 1942. He was in the Corps of Engineers. He was on active duty beginning June of 1943. He completed Officers Candidate School in June of 1944 and commissioned a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1327th Engineer General Service Regiment. Coffee served as a platoon leader and worked on a 200-mile section of the Ledo Road, connecting Ledo to Myitkyina in Burma. He was discharged in May of 1946. In November of 1950 he was recalled for the Korean War and served as a captain in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Archie Norman. Norman was drafted into the Army soon after high school. He was sent to the 32nd Infantry Division and traveled to New Guinea. Norman then took part in battle for Leyte and describes surviving a nearby explosion and a time when he shot a Japanese soldier. He also discusses how he was wounded when a rifle was accidently discharged in camp. Norman describes his treatment and evacuation back to the US. He was discharged after his recovery in December 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roy Burger. Burger was drafted into the Army in May of 1942. He served with the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in a mortar platoon. He provides some details of basic training and volunteering for the parachute troops. In the spring of 1944 he traveled to England. On 6 June 1944 Burger made his first combat jump at midnight into Normandy, France. In September of 1944 his second jump was into Holland during Operation MARKET GARDEN. They were given orders to head to Bastogne, Belgium, where they defeated a German patrol surrounding their group. Burger was discharged in 1945 and awarded 3 Battle Stars.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leo Itz. Itz was given a one-year exemption in order to help his father on the farm before he was drafted into the Army in March 1945. He was trained in demolitions at Fort Lewis and sent to Luzon to join the 395th Infantry Regiment. Before shipping out to the Philippines, he was assigned to work at Del Monte Foods in California, due to the labor shortage. During his voyage overseas, the war ended. Itz was tasked with guarding an ammunition dump outside of Clark Field. Armed only with an unloaded rifle, he came under fire when Japanese holdouts were raiding the dump. He returned safely to his bunk, only to discover a putrid smell. In the ground beneath him was a shallow grave. In August 1945, Itz was granted a dependency discharge upon learning that his father had suffered a heart attack. He returned to the States in December.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with G. K. Guennel. Guennel moved to the United States from Germany in 1934. From January of 1933 to September of 1934, prior to moving to the States, he lived under the Hitler regime and provides some details of this experience. While attending Butler University in Indiana Guennel enlisted in the Army Reserve in the summer of 1942. He was called to active duty in June of 1943 after his graduation. He was invited to take Army Intelligence training at Camp Ritchie in Maryland and graduated in July of 1944. He learned all communication systems, Morse Code, semaphore, map reading, learned Italian and more. He was assigned to the Interrogation, Prisoners of War (I.P.W.) Team 124 as a POW Interrogator. In late 1944 he traveled to Scotland and France where he was attached to the 44th Infantry Division. He provides details of his experiences overseas, including surviving the cold winter and interrogating prisoners of war. At the Rhine River crossing they joined the 3rd Infantry Division and arrived in Berchtesgaden, Germany by April of 1945. They posted Eisenhower???s proclamations in every town and village. Upon his discharge in January of …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank R. Strebel. Strebel was born in San Francisco 31 August 1919. He graduated from high school in 1938 and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. Strebel joined the Army National Guard in 1937. His unit, Company F, 159th Infantry, 40th Infantry Division, was called to active duty in March 1941. The unit was sent to Camp San Luis Obispo for three months of training. Following maneuvers at Fort Lewis, the 159th was assigned to a coastal gun battery at Fort Cronkite, California. In May 1942, Strebel was assigned as a first sergeant in the 96th Infantry Division. From there, he attended Officer Candidate School and graduated with a commission. On 15 March 1944 he reported to Company F, 415th Infantry Regiment, 104th Division as a platoon leader. On 25 August 1944 the company arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and boarded the USS Lejeune (AP-74). They landed at Cherbourg, France 7 September 1944. On 15 October they boarded boxcars to Belgium where they joined the 1st Canadian Division in an assault. Strebel describes various combat situations in Aachen and Lammerdorf, Germany. His company suffered 60% casualties in their …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Steenhagen. Steenhagen was drafted into the Army in mid-1942. He was sent to the Pacific as a replacement and joined the Americal Division on Guadalcanal. Steenhagen was then sent to Bougainville. There he suffered from malaria, yellow jaundice, and jungle rot. He discusses conducting patrols and life in a fox hole. Steenhagen traveled with the Americal to the Philippines where he was wounded. He talks about his time at the hospital and going AWOL to rejoin his unit. Steenhagen fought with his unit on Cebu until the war ended. He details the combat conditions and the loss of several inexperienced lieutenants (90-day wonders). Steenhagen was part of the Occupation of Japan and left the Army soon after he returned to the States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gilberto Hernandez. Hernandez was born in Corpus Christi, Texas 13 September 1925. He worked on farms at a very young age with his formal schooling ending after the third grade. After his induction into the US Army in 1943 he was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training. He was temporarily assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division and then shipped to Camp Brackenridge, Kentucky where he joined the 75th Infantry Division. After receiving advanced training the division boarded a ship for Liverpool, England. The unit was then stationed in La Havre, France until called upon to participate in the Battle of the Bulge. On 17 January 1945, Hernandez was severely wounded. Hernandez was taken to a field hospital and then to a general hospital in Paris. There his leg was partially amputated. He was then sent to Bushnell General Military Hospital in Brigham City, Utah. He comments on the crude construction of the prosthesis of which he was originally fitted. He was discharged July 1945.