The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Parker. Parker joined the Marine Corps in late 1944. In 1945 he completed advanced infantry training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They trained in preparation for the invasion of Japan. After the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Parker was reassigned to China in early 1946. He served for one year with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st marine Division at the American embassy in Peking, now Beijing, China. In 1947 he was transferred to Tsingtao, now Qingdao, China, where he served with the 6th Fleet Marine Force. Parker returned home and was discharged in early 1949.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Millard Simmons. Simmons joined the Navy in 1944. He completed amphibious training on Coronado Island in California. He traveled to Pearl Harbor around August of 1944. From Pearl Harbor he traveled aboard a Landing Craft, Infantry to Guam. He was assigned as a Boatswain’s Mate and 20mm gunner aboard LCT(6)-867, and served as a replacement during the Battle of Peleliu. Simmons had additional experiences on the island of Angaur. They transported wounded soldiers and the survivors of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) to a hospital ship. Simmons was out at sea when the war ended. Their LCT was loaded with C- and K-rations, which they provided to the civilians on Angaur. Simmons was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Perry. Perry was born in Dallas, Texas in 1921 and graduated from high school in 1940. He joined the Navy in 1942 and was sent to boot camp at San Diego. He was selected for radio operator training. During this time he was put in the brig for five days for a rules infraction. Upon release, he was sent to North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego. Here, while having no particular job assignment, he volunteered for the submarine service. After being accepted, he was sent to Mare Island, California. He was assigned to the USS Haddo (SS-255) as a fireman with additional duties as a mess cook. The captain of the boat was Chester W. Nimitz, Jr. He recalls an incident where the submarine was attacked by a Japanese plane dropping a depth charge and how frightful the experience was. After making several uneventful war patrols, he was assigned to a rest camp at Perth, Australia as a bar tender in the officer’s club. He remained on that job until the Japanese surrendered.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Matthews. Matthews was born in Houston, Texas in 1925. Soon after graduating from high school, he joined the US Merchant Marine. In October 1943 he was sent to Pass Christian, Mississippi to begin three months of engineer training. After completing the course he was assigned to a US T2 tanker whose mission was to carry fuel oil for naval ships in the Pacific. His ship ran aground at New Guinea. Unable to be freed by other means, the ship was forced to transfer its cargo of fuel oil to another tanker thus allowing the ship to float free. Later his ship was sent to refuel the USS Boise CL-47). After being at sea for eight months, Matthews returned to the United States and attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with a commission.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Gill. Gill joined the Marine Corps around June of 1945. He traveled to Japan with the occupation and then on to China working as an engineer. He ran the water pumps and worked on the railway ensuring equipment ran properly to transport coal. He speaks on engaging bandits and communist soldiers that were stealing the coal and disrupting production. His living quarters were in a Japanese hospital. Upon returning to the US Gill was stationed in Washington DC at Marine Corps headquarters. Through his station he completed his GED and a degree from Georgetown University. Upon graduating Gill took a position with AT&T, responsible for the telephone facilities for NORAD. He remained in the Marines and was discharged around 1950.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jesse Scott. He joined the Marine Corps and served as a crew chief with Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 235 (VMSB-235). When he reached Ewa on Oahu, he was working on C-47 planes giving them their 1,000 hour overhauls with Marine Air GRoup 15 (MAG-15). He shares several anecdotes about test flying aircraft all over the Pacific.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Tubig. Tubig was born in the Philippines in 1918 and joined the Philippine Scouts in 1941. After the surrender of the American forces on Bataan, he participated in the Bataan Death March. He describes the march to Capas, where they were interned at Camp O’Donnell. Tubig escaped with another prisoner and returned to his home. He did not participate in guerilla activities after his escape. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1946 and was discharged in 1948.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Kimball. Kimball joined the Navy in August of 1943. He completed submarine and quartermaster school. After graduation, he trained aboard R Boats in Key West, Florida. Beginning December of 1944, Kimball served aboard the USS Lizardfish (SS-373). They deployed to Pearl Harbor in the spring of 1945. They completed war patrols around Saipan, in the Java Sea, Lombok Strait, Australia, Sunda Strait and the Philippines. Kimball continued his service after the war ended, and was discharged in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Matthews. Matthews was born in Houston, Texas in 1925. Soon after graduating from high school, he joined the US Merchant Marine. In October 1943 he was sent to Pass Christian, Mississippi to begin three months of engineer training. After completing the course he was assigned to a US T2 tanker whose mission was to carry fuel oil for naval ships in the Pacific. His ship ran aground at New Guinea. Unable to be freed by other means, the ship was forced to transfer its cargo of fuel oil to another tanker thus allowing the ship to float free. Later his ship was sent to refuel the USS Boise CL-47). After being at sea for eight months, Matthews returned to the United States and attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with a commission.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marian Kelly. Kelly joined the Army Medical Corps in October 1944 and was assigned to the hospital in Manila. There were two dozen women and 3,000 men aboard the transport ship, so Marines were stationed as guards to protect the women. At the hospital, she treated wounded soldiers from all over the Pacific. As a physical therapist, she found spinal cord injuries particularly frustrating because there weren’t known techniques for rehabilitation at the time. She spent her spare time exploring nearby islands and found Corregidor to be full of artifacts. While in the Pacific she also served on Morotai. Kelly married a captain in the Army and was discharged in 1945, as married women were prohibited from serving. She and her family returned to the States in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Don L. Holmes. He joined the Marine Corps in 1943. In December 1944, he was sent to the Pacific Theater and assigned to an artillery regiment, E Battery of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He describes the landing on Iwo Jima on the third day of the invasion and supporting the 21st Marines, an infantry regiment. Following the surrender of Japan, he was sent to Tientsin, China with Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. He discusses his duty patrolling the Japanese compound as well as serving in a detachment tasked with transporting Japanese and Koreans to be repatriated to their respective countries. He also discusses the Chinese people and the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists. He shares his memories of R & R in Peking, China. He was discharged in 1946. He also shares the story of his high school friend, Jack Wallace, a marine who was killed during the Eniwetok Invasion.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ruth Hary. Ruth was married to Edward Hary, a former submariner. She shares information of her family history, stories of civilian life during World War II, details of Edward’s time in the service, as well as anecdotes of their marriage in September of 1943. During wartime, Ruth worked at Texas A&M University until she had their first child.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Pat Duncan. Duncan joined the Navy 9 July 1940 and after training in San Diego he was put on the USS Brazos (AO-4) for transport to Pearl Harbor where he was assigned to the USS Raleigh (CL-7). He was onboard for almost a year before the war started. Duncan was the bugler, stood orderly watches and did deck work. He was standing watch on 7 December 1941 and saw the plane coming in low that dropped the torpedo that hit the Raleigh, right below where he was standing. The officer of the deck told him to sound general quarters but his bugle was full of water. His battle station was a three-inch gun. The Raleigh was hit again with a bomb aft, where Duncan’s sleeping quarters were. The ship was trying to turn over but the captain told them to jettison everything overboard. A barge came over with some float pontoons that helped the ship stay afloat. The Raleigh went into dry dock at Pearl Harbor where it got patched up enough to get to Mare Island for additional repairs. After seven and half months in San Francisco, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Link. Link joined the Navy in 1938. He completed Diesel Engineering School. From May of 1941 through December of 1944, Link served as a Machinist Mate aboard the USS Tambor (SS-198), completing 12 war patrols with the submarine. He traveled through Wake Island, Midway Island, Pearl Harbor, Australia, the Philippine Islands and Japan. In December of 1944, Link was transferred to the USS Diablo (SS-479), where he was stationed when the war ended. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Carroll. Carroll joined the Marine Corps in August 1943. He became a member of a Unit Defense Company and joined VMO-155 in Hawaii. Carroll was then sent to help defend Midway, Kwajalein, and later Majuro. He briefly describes the islands. Carroll was sent back to the US before the end of the war and served as Sergeant of the Guard at Treasure Island until the end of his enlistment in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Daniel Samuelson. Samuelson joined the Army Air Force in 1943 after one semester at Louisiana State University. After he turned 18 in early 1944, he was called to active duty. After basic training, Samuelson went to aerial gunnery school at Kingman, Arizona. Upon completion there, he was assigned to a B-17 crew. His crew was selected to go to Cuba on a goodwill mission. After that, his crew flew to England, where he was assigned to the 95th Bomber Group, 8th Air Force. Samuelson describes some of the air raids he took part in over targets in Frankfurt, Germany. He completed 35 missions in April and was shipped home on a Liberty ship. When the war ended in the Pacific, Samuelson was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W.W. Marsh. Marsh was born in Nebraska in 1923. Upon being drafted into the Army in 1943, he went to Camp Croft, South Carolina, for basic training. Soon after completing basic he was assigned to the 938th Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company. After receiving training in vehicle maintenance, the unit traveled by military convoy to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. They arrived in La Have, France, after 14 days at sea. He recalls the difficulty encountered in preparation of the equipment for use. He was later assigned to Bruhl, Germany and tells of seeing thousands of German POWs and noted the devastated condition they were in. He recalls receiving a temporary duty assignment with the 359th Field Engineers at a rock quarry being worked by German POWs. He was later assigned to Etain, France where he was part of a small crew working a water purification unit. In August 1946, he returned by ship to Camp Kilmer. He was then sent to Sheridan, Illinois where he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Justo Dumlao. Dumlao was born in the Philippines in 1914. By the time the war broke out, he had already trained as a radio operator in the Philippine Scouts. He was stationed at Fort Stotsenburg when the Japanese invaded. Dumlao retreated to Bataan alongside American troops and ultimately surrendered. He made the brutal trek to Camp O’Donnell while suffering from malaria, dysentery, and beriberi. Upon release, his family nursed him back to health. He then rejoined the guerillas and was instrumental in the Raid at Cabanatuan. After the war, Dumlao enlisted in the United States Army and gained citizenship. At his 100th birthday celebration, he was presented with the Bronze Star for his participation in the Great Raid.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Pittman. Pittman grew up in Texas and joined the Navy in 1941. Once he finished training, he was assigned to a Merchant Marine vessel as a 3.5 inch gun operator. His first assignment was shipping planes and aviation fuel to Australia with a stop at Hawaii. Pittman also tells a story of delivering crude oil to Britain after dropping the airplanes off at Australia. He also discusses his routine, the food and the life aboard the merchant vessel. Pittman mentions spending time in China shortly after the war ended and going back to the US aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12). While on board, he found a cousin who was headed for home, too.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Margaret Gardner. Gardner married Russell Emmett Edwards on 2 November 1943. Edwards joined the Navy in 1941. Gardner provides some details of Edwards’ flight training in Florida, where he was selected for a night fighter squadron. He completed additional training in Charleston, Rhode Island aboard the Grumman F6F Hellcats. Gardner notes the various places she and Edwards lived while he was training in Florida and Rhode Island. She also provides some details of their pending wedding date, which policy implored must take place after Edwards received his wings. Edwards completed his flying missions from aboard the USS Independence (CVL-22) and was killed in action 6 January 1945. Gardner provides details of how she learned of Edwards death. She attended 28 of the CVLG 41 VF-41 reunions over the last 58 years to maintain contact with Edwards’ crew members she had met during his flight training days.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leal Langshaw. Langshaw was born in Salina, Kansas 29 December 1918. At 21 he joined the US Navy and underwent boot camp at San Diego. He then attended machinist school and worked in a torpedo shop. He describes defects in the torpedo firing pins. Langshaw was transferred to Pearl Harbor and he describes what he saw when he arrived there on 24 December 1941. He was assigned to the engine room of the USS Plunger (SS-179) and tells of detecting a defect in one of the engines, thus saving it from being damaged. As a result of his actions, he was promoted to seaman second class. He made four war patrols on the Plunger and tells of going through the Okhotsk Sea to attack Japanese shipping in the Sea of Japan. In 1944, Langshaw returned to the United States and was sent to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to assist in preparing the USS Scabbardfish (SS-397) for commissioning. He recalls being on a war patrol near Formosa when they encountered a typhoon. After riding out the typhoon, he requested land duty. Upon arriving at Pearl Harbor he taught hydraulics at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Art Goetz. Goetz joined the Marine Corps in 1945 and received basic training at Parris Island followed by engineer training at Camp Lejeune. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, stationed in China, where he performed maintenance work at the American Legation in Peking. He arrived in January 1946 to a welcoming population who lined the streets waving American flags. While there he visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Whispering Wall at the Temple of Heaven. The exchange rate was so favorable to Americans that his acquaintance bought a Ming Dynasty urn for a few dollars, and Goetz purchased two cloisonné blouses for 25 cents each. In April 1947 Goetz was transferred to Guam with the 1st Marine Brigade. In 1948 he returned to China, this time stationed at Tsingtao. As the Chinese Civil War intensified, the engineers were the last to evacuate, loading their heavy equipment onto ships as shots were being fired all around the city. Goetz returned to the States in May 1949 and went on to serve in the Korean War. His last duty was as a special …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tommy Shaffer. Shaffer was born in Florence, Texas 31 August 1926. He received his draft notice in 1944 and joined the United States Navy. After attending boot camp at San Diego, California he went aboard the USS Sangamon (CVE-26) in February 1945 as second loader on a 40mm gun. He describes the attack at Okinawa by Japanese aircraft and tells of one plane dropping a bomb on the ship just before crashing into the flight deck and the actions of the damage control unit. The ship passed through the Panama Canal on its way to Newport News, Virginia for repairs. She arrived in June 1945. He tells of his transfer to the moth ball fleet and he describes his duties in this job prior to his discharge.