The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Glen Looney. Looney was born 24 September 1924 at Lake Texhoma, Oklahoma. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and trained at San Diego, California. He was assigned as a 20mm gunner aboard the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). Looney tells of the ship participating in the invasions of the Gilbert and Palau islands and Okinawa. He describes the kamikaze attacks on the ship and of being blown overboard by an explosion. The USS Dennis (DE-405) rescued him. Looney returned to the United States in 1945 and was stationed at Corpus Christi (Texas) Naval Air Station until his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Barry Crites. Crites was born in Osage City, Kansas on 7 July 1928. After completing high school, he joined the Marine Corps in February 1946. Following boot camp in San Diego, he was sent to Camp Pendleton as part of the 104th replacement draft. He embarked on the troopship USS General J. C. Breckenridge (AP-176) in June 1946 and sailed to Tsingtao, China. He provides a description of his experiences during the transit. He says that Tsingtao was the headquarters of the Sixth Marine Division which was soon disbanded, and he was assigned to the First Division as a sales clerk at the local Post Exchange in Chinwangtao, China. Crites provides several anecdotes from his experiences in Tsingtao and Chinwangtao. He returned to the United States in January 1947 and was discharged at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in California.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Jacot. Jacot joined the Marine Corps in January of 1945. He served with the 6th Marine Division as a field artillery crewman in the Occupation of North China from 1945 to 1946. He was discharged in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Perez. Perez joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a B-17 ball turret gunner with the 8th Air Force, 401st Bomb Group, 613th Squadron, completing 32 missions over Germany, France and Poland. He returned to the US and received his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Herrick. Herrick entered the Naval Academy in 1944 and was graduated in 1944. He first reported aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41) in time to participate in the Battle of Surigao Strait and support the invasion of Luzon. He was still aboard for the invasion of Okinawa and witnessed the kamikaze attacks on the Mississippi. Herrick remained in the Navy after the war, retiring in 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Marshall Barrett. Barrett went to Duke University in 1941 and joined the Naval ROTC just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He participated in the V-12 program, receiving an accelerated four-year degree and his commission by February of 1944. Around August, Barrett began serving as a training officer aboard the USS YMS-339. They traveled to Panama, New Hebrides, and the Admiralty Islands and joined the Seventh Fleet. They participated in the Borneo Campaign in the spring of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Johnson. Johnson joined the Navy in April 1941. He was assigned to the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. Johnson describes the ship getting hit and escaping from the interior. He swam through the oil-coated water to safety despite the ship almost rolling over on top of him. Johnson was then assigned to the USS Worden (DD-352) during the Battle of Midway. He was separated from this ship in Hawaii when it left while he was on liberty. Johnson was temporarily attached to the USS Whitney (AD-4) and traveled to Guadalcanal. He witnessed the first naval battle at Guadalcanal from his watch position and describes seeing silhouettes of the ships as they opened fire. Johnson eventually was returned to the Worden and was on board when it was lost after running aground in the Aleutians. He describes how he was rescued from the frigid water. Johnson was then transferred to a patrol craft, PC-462, and performed convoy duty in the Gulf of Mexico. He was then assigned to USS LST-668 and participated in the landings on Leyte and Lingayen. Johnson served as a …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Pauls. Pauls joined the Navy in January of 1941. He provides some details of his training. He served as a watertender aboard the USS Medusa (AR-1) beginning April of 1941. The Medusa was in Pearl Harbor the morning of 7 December 1941. Pauls provides vivid details leading up to, during and after the attack by the Japanese. They shot down two Japanese Aichi dive bombers, provided rescue assistance to other ships in the harbor and performed their primary role as a repair ship. In 1942 he was transferred to the USS Titania (AKA-13). Pauls served as an engineer on one of the tank lighters aboard the ship. They helped train Marines and soldiers in Chesapeake Bay. They participated in the Invasion of North Africa in late 1942. From there he went back to the U.S. and then in February of 1943 went to Guadalcanal. In October and November of 1943, they participated in Operation CHERRY BLOSSOM, the initial landing at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. Around January of 1945 Pauls was assigned to the USS Soubarissen (AO-93) and traveled to Okinawa and Leyte. In late 1945 he served aboard the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Perez. Perez joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a B-17 ball turret gunner with the 8th Air Force, 401st Bomb Group, 613th Squadron, completing 32 missions over Germany, France and Poland. He returned to the US and received his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Kovar. Kovar joined the Marine Corps in the spring of 1945. In February of 1946 he traveled to China aboard the USS President Adams (APA-19). Kovar served as a combat engineer with the 1st Marine Division, 1st Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company 1st Engineers. He worked as an engineer throughout 1946, including building and blowing up structures, making roads and building bridges. They were also responsible for transporting coal to keep the trains running, and assisting with the disarming of the Japanese Army and shipping them back to Japan. Kovar returned to the US in June of 1947, and continued his service with the Marines for 28 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Garber. Garber joined the Army in December of 1942. He completed Radio Operator and Gunnery schools. He served with the 338th Bombardment Squadron, 96th Bombardment Group in England. Garber completed 13 missions over Germany, Normandy and France. During a mission over Germany, his plane was shot down, and he and the crew were captured by German soldiers. Garber endured torture by his captors at Stalag Luft I and IV prison camps. Upon his liberation in May of 1945, he was returned to the US and honorably discharged in October.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Melvin Best. Best was born 10 February 1921 in Paducah, Texas. He received his private pilot’s license while enrolled at Texas Tech University. He joined the Army Air Corps on 13 January 1942 and reported to Kelly Field in San Antonio for training. He received his primary flight training at several locations, and then he transferred to Columbia, South Carolina for B-25 training. Upon graduating in October 1942, he was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Group and sent to Australia. His group initially flew missions to New Guinea dropping supplies to Australian troops in the mountains. Best was next sent to Townsville, Australia in August 1943 where he met Colonel Paul Irvin Gunn, a retired Navy pilot commissioned into the Army Air Forces at the start of the war and was instrumental in modifying the B-25 for strafing missions. His first strafing missions were conducted over Rabaul. The modified B-25s made three more strafing runs on Rabaul, resulting in the destruction of 140 Japanese aircraft. Best was escorted during more than half of his strafing raids by Richard Bong. Following the Rabaul raids he returned to Townsville, Australia …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Hamilton. Hamilton joined the Marine Corps in July of 1945. In January of 1946 he was sent overseas as a replacement. He traveled to Tangku in North China, where he remained for the duration of his service. He worked on bridge guard duty, ensuring the bridges remained open. He shares his experiences living and working in China after the war. Hamilton was sent home and discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Farneth. Farneth joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He trained as an ordnanceman, and joined fighter squadrons VMF-523 and VMF-524, training pilots to go overseas. In 1945 he joined the 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division. They traveled to Guam and trained for the invasion of the mainland of Japan. After the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki their mission ceased. Farneth was then sent to China to complete his final year of service. He helped repatriate the Japanese from the Chinese mainland. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Schott. Schott joined the Army in January of 1942. He completed Quartermaster training. In mid to late 1942 he traveled to Brisbane, Australia and New Guinea, serving with the Sixth Army Headquarters. In 1944 Schott was stationed in the Philippines, during the Battle of Leyte. His job was graves registration. He remained in the Philippines through early 1945. He returned to the US and was discharged in August.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Reuben J. Kammlah. Kammlah served in the Navy aboard the attack cargo ship USS Algorab (AKA-8) as a gunner's mate.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles E. Jones. With his father's consent, Jones joined the Marine Corps in Tennessee when he was 15 years old in 1940. When he finished training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he was assigned to the Fourth Defense Battalion at Guantanimo Bay, Cuba. In November, 1941, his unit was assigned to Wake Island. He was at Pearl Harbor en route to Wake Island when the Japanese struck Hawaii on 7 December 1941. Jones describes his activities during the battle. Shortly thereafter, Jones was sent to Efate, New Hebrides where his unit defended an airstrip from which the US was able to attack Guadalcanal. Jones retunred to the US and trained on 155mm artillery guns at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. While at Camp Lejeune, Jones was able to shake President Roosevelt's hand. Jones recalls a story about meeting his brother randomly on Guam. Jones was on Guam when the war ended. He mustered out of the Marines in November, 1945 and eventually reenlisted in the US Air Force. He served in the print shop at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Preston Allen. Allen was born in Columbus, Indiana on 6 January 1926. Upon enlisting in the Navy, he went to Great Lakes Naval Training Station for boot training. After graduation, he was assigned to the USS New York (BB-34). He made several trips across the Atlantic aboard the New York before requesting submarine duty. He then went to submarine school in New London, Connecticut. From there he attended diesel school at Groton, Connecticut. Upon graduating as a motor machinist, he was assigned to the USS Perch (SS-313). After conducting sea trials the boat departed to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal. On their first patrol they sunk a Japanese tanker and were subjected to depth charge attack by destroyers. The next day they sank a Japanese patrol boat with gun fire. On their second patrol one of their main engines required major repairs. The engine room crew worked seventy-two hours straight to get it repaired. As the boat returned to Midway, a PBY dropped a bomb inflicting no to the boat. Allen suffered a ruptured eardrum from the explosion. After the Perch returned to Pearl Harbor, Allen was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clarence Heidemann. Heidemann joined the Marine Corps. He was first assigned to the 4th Defense Battalion and traveled to Hawaii aboard the USS Henderson (AP-1). He was on liberty in Honolulu during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes what he witnessed on the day of the attack. He served on guard duty around the Navy yard and various posts after the attack. On 22 December his outfit was sent to Midway Island. They were sent back to Pearl Harbor; their unit was reorganized and Heidemann was transferred to a five-inch coast artillery unit. This group was sent to the New Hebrides for one year. His job was in fire control on the range finder. They later traveled to Guadalcanal and Vella Lavella. Heidemann spent 3 years in the South Pacific. From there he went back to the States where he completed Optical Ordnance School. Heidemann served 20 years in the Marine Corps, retiring in 1961.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wiley Davis. Davis was born in Gainesville, Texas 13 April 1925. Enlisting in the Navy in 1942, he was sent directly to Iowa State College for six months training in electrical engineering. He volunteered for submarine service in January 1943. After attending various schools, he reported to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was assigned to the USS Batfish (SS-310), which was under construction. After commissioning and a successful shakedown cruise, the Batfish headed for the Pacific Ocean. Davis was assigned as fireman in the after engine room. Refueled and resupplied at Pearl Harbor, the Batfish proceeded to Midway, where more fuel and additional torpedoes were taken on board. He recalls the first combat mission, lasting 52 days, where they sank several sampans with their deck gun, as well as a destroyer escort and a tanker with torpedoes. On one patrol, the Batfish encountered severe weather and did not locate any Japanese ships. On another, she received damage from a bomb erroneously dropped by an American plane. They went to Brisbane, Australia for repairs. Davis comments on other patrols including the sixth when Batfish sank three Japanese submarines. Davis remembered …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Zapalac. Zapalac joined the Navy in February 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Alameda Naval Air Station for ordnance training. While there, he serviced PBYs that were used in flight training. His first assignment in the Pacific was loading ammunition onto an island near Tarawa. He suffered a bout of malaria while there. At Saipan he flew patrols, dropping rafts and supplies to stranded troops. He stayed on Saipan several years, doing odd jobs until he was transferred to Corpus Christi, where he ran the movie projector. Zapalac was discharged in 1947 and became an appliance repairman.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Murray Codman. Codman joined the Army Air Forces in February of 1943. He served as an engineer and top turret gunner aboard a B-17 with the 447th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. He completed 35 bombing and supply missions over Europe, including Germany and France. Codman was discharged as a technical sergeant October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Homer Piper. Piper joined the Army Air Forces with great difficulty because he lived in the Panama Canal Zone. During the war, the canal was so crowded with military transports that it was nearly impossible for civilians to travel. He finally managed to get to Las Vegas and into gunnery school. In 1945 he was sent to England with a replacement crew for the 493rd Bomb Group, 863rd Bomb Squadron. His crew was tasked with testing newly repaired B-17s, putting him in dangerous situations. He only flew one mission, which was to drop food in Holland. When the war ended, he was discharged in Sioux Falls, where he enjoyed a 40-year civilian career.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clyde Powell. Powell joined the Navy in 1942 and received basic training in Norfolk and further training at a signal school. Upon completion, he was sent to Attu and Adak, followed by Tarawa. He stayed aboard ship, in communication with the troops ashore. They sent Powell messages describing the action and relaying their needs for ammunition and aid. Powell says the invasion was rougher than portrayed in the media. On the first day, messages revealed confusion regarding whether the Marines or the Navy were in charge. At Okinawa, Powell was always among the first on his ship to sight kamikazes or bombers, given his position on the top deck. After the war, he stayed aboard for the transport of troops to Sasebo. He returned home and was discharged in 1946. Afterward, Powell enjoyed a 50-year career with the railroad.