Oral History Interview with George Halfin, November 23, 2016 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George Halfin, November 23, 2016

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George S. Halfin. Halfin joined the Army in early 1942. He studied geodetic computing at the University of Kentucky, then joined the 910th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company. They were sent to Colorado Springs, and worked on drafting plans to extend runways in the U.S. to handle military planes. Through 1943, Halfin traveled to around 45 states in the U.S., analyzing runways. They would clock the amount and distance it took a plane to land. In late 1943 or early 1944, they were deployed to Guam, where Halfin assisted in designing runways for the different islands with the goal of getting closer to Japan. He provides details of island life, where he remained through the end of the war. Additionally, Halfin and another draftsman from their company were assigned to create architectural drawings for an office on Guam for Admiral Chester Nimitz and the Pacific Command, which the Seabees built. He returned to the U.S. in late 1945 and received his discharge.
Date: November 23, 2016
Creator: Halfin, George
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with George Halfin, November 23, 2016 transcript

Oral History Interview with George Halfin, November 23, 2016

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George S. Halfin. Halfin joined the Army in early 1942. He studied geodetic computing at the University of Kentucky, then joined the 910th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company. They were sent to Colorado Springs, and worked on drafting plans to extend runways in the U.S. to handle military planes. Through 1943, Halfin traveled to around 45 states in the U.S., analyzing runways. They would clock the amount and distance it took a plane to land. In late 1943 or early 1944, they were deployed to Guam, where Halfin assisted in designing runways for the different islands with the goal of getting closer to Japan. He provides details of island life, where he remained through the end of the war. Additionally, Halfin and another draftsman from their company were assigned to create architectural drawings for an office on Guam for Admiral Chester Nimitz and the Pacific Command, which the Seabees built. He returned to the U.S. in late 1945 and received his discharge.
Date: November 23, 2016
Creator: Halfin, George
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gerard J. Carriera, May 16, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Gerard J. Carriera, May 16, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gerard Carriera. After graduating high school, Carriera studied drafting and designing at JM Wright Technical School and worked for Electrolux. He received a deferment after joining the Navy in October 1941 and reported back to Electrolux, where he worked on many projects, including the incendiary bomb, Sperry gyroscope, and water purification systems. Carriera was a natural fit for the Seabees and was assigned to the 103rd Naval Construction Battalion. On Guam, he helped design the Pacific Fleet Headquarters and met Admiral Nimitz, who had one of Carriera’s drawings of a C-43 framed and hung in the conference room. While constructing the airport, Carriera instructed the electrical crew on how to assemble the lighting system. He was later assigned to the 8th Naval Construction Battalion and made a map of Okinawa for General Buckner. When the time came for Carriera to return home, his commander delayed him and requested an architectural design for a ranch house, which was later erected in California. Carriera returned to the States in January 1946, resuming work at Electrolux, eventually retiring as a senior manufacturing engineer.
Date: May 16, 2008
Creator: Carriera, Gerard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gerard J. Carriera, May 16, 2008 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Gerard J. Carriera, May 16, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gerard Carriera. After graduating high school, Carriera studied drafting and designing at JM Wright Technical School and worked for Electrolux. He received a deferment after joining the Navy in October 1941 and reported back to Electrolux, where he worked on many projects, including the incendiary bomb, Sperry gyroscope, and water purification systems. Carriera was a natural fit for the Seabees and was assigned to the 103rd Naval Construction Battalion. On Guam, he helped design the Pacific Fleet Headquarters and met Admiral Nimitz, who had one of Carriera’s drawings of a C-43 framed and hung in the conference room. While constructing the airport, Carriera instructed the electrical crew on how to assemble the lighting system. He was later assigned to the 8th Naval Construction Battalion and made a map of Okinawa for General Buckner. When the time came for Carriera to return home, his commander delayed him and requested an architectural design for a ranch house, which was later erected in California. Carriera returned to the States in January 1946, resuming work at Electrolux, eventually retiring as a senior manufacturing engineer.
Date: May 16, 2008
Creator: Carriera, Gerard
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Thomas Goffe, July 7, 2015 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Thomas Goffe, July 7, 2015

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Goffe. Goffe joined the Army Air Forces in February 1943 and trained as a parachute rigger. He was assigned to the 434th Troop Carrier Group and shipped to England in October. He recalls the preparations ahead of the Normandy invasion and delivering gasoline to units in the field during the Battle of the Bulge. When the war ended, Goffe returned to the US in November and was discharged.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Goffe, Thomas
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Katavolos, August 20, 2016 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William Katavolos, August 20, 2016

The National Museum of The Pacific War presents an interview with William Katavolos. Katavolos was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924. He tells of being friends, as a youngster, with a German family who was arrested as being German spies and the circumstances that contributed to the charge. He was drafted into the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison for training as an X-Ray Technician. Later, he was assigned to Wendover Air Force Base, Utah. Katavolos tells of his experiences there, including a fateful meeting with Colonel Paul Tibbetts resulting in his transfer to Davis-Monthan Army Air Field, Arizona. Katavolos was later assigned to the 311th Station Hospital in Manila, Philippines. He expresses his opinion of the worthiness of General Eichelberger. Katavolos was discharged in mid-1946.
Date: August 20, 2016
Creator: Katavolos, William
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William M. Stegall, April 20, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William M. Stegall, April 20, 2011

Transcript of an oral interview with William M. Stegall. He begins by speaking about scrap metal and scrap rubber drives he participated in during high school in Fort Woth, Texas. After high school, he volunteered for the Navy and was called into the service in April, 1945. Stegall describes in some detail his experiences while in training at San Diego. When he completed basic training, he was assigned to the USS Robert K. Huntington (DD-781) as a torpedoman and reported aboard right before the Japanese surrendered. Stegall recalls attacking a rogue Japanese submarine. Before the Bikini Atoll atomic tests, Stegall was transferred to a minesweeper and did not go to Bikini. He speaks of celebrating V-J Day in Long Beach.
Date: April 20, 2011
Creator: Stegall, William M.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Thomas Goffe, July 7, 2015 transcript

Oral History Interview with Thomas Goffe, July 7, 2015

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Goffe. Goffe joined the Army Air Forces in February 1943 and trained as a parachute rigger. He was assigned to the 434th Troop Carrier Group and shipped to England in October. He recalls the preparations ahead of the Normandy invasion and delivering gasoline to units in the field during the Battle of the Bulge. When the war ended, Goffe returned to the US in November and was discharged.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Goffe, Thomas
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Tanaguchi, March 18, 1995 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Tanaguchi, March 18, 1995

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Tanaguchi. Tanaguchi was a Japanese-American internee at the Gila River Camp in Arizona during World War II. At 19 years old, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tanaguchi became a part of the internment program of the War Relocation Authority. He provides detail of life growing up in Stockton, California before December 7, 1941 and after, and experiences of bigotry and racism among his peers. He provides detail of his father being in the Justice Department internment group. He served as the dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, and at Rice University in Houston. He designed an addition to the Nimitz Museum.
Date: March 18, 1995
Creator: Tanaguchi, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Katavolos, August 20, 2016 transcript

Oral History Interview with William Katavolos, August 20, 2016

The National Museum of The Pacific War presents an interview with William Katavolos. Katavolos was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924. He tells of being friends, as a youngster, with a German family who was arrested as being German spies and the circumstances that contributed to the charge. He was drafted into the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison for training as an X-Ray Technician. Later, he was assigned to Wendover Air Force Base, Utah. Katavolos tells of his experiences there, including a fateful meeting with Colonel Paul Tibbetts resulting in his transfer to Davis-Monthan Army Air Field, Arizona. Katavolos was later assigned to the 311th Station Hospital in Manila, Philippines. He expresses his opinion of the worthiness of General Eichelberger. Katavolos was discharged in mid-1946.
Date: August 20, 2016
Creator: Katavolos, William
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Jones, August 21, 2008 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William Jones, August 21, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Jones. Jones joined the Army Air Forces in July of 1944. He shares a few anecdotes about basic training and went to aerial photography school as well as aerial gunnery school. Before he was assigned to a B-29 crew, the war ended. Jones was sent to Japan on occupation duty. While there, Jones visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki and was able to take aerial photographs in January, 1946. He returned to the US in August and was discharged.
Date: August 21, 2008
Creator: Jones, William
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Jones, August 21, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with William Jones, August 21, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Jones. Jones joined the Army Air Forces in July of 1944. He shares a few anecdotes about basic training and went to aerial photography school as well as aerial gunnery school. Before he was assigned to a B-29 crew, the war ended. Jones was sent to Japan on occupation duty. While there, Jones visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki and was able to take aerial photographs in January, 1946. He returned to the US in August and was discharged.
Date: August 21, 2008
Creator: Jones, William
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History