The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. T. Appleton. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of sixteen in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes being transported to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the USS Shasta (AE-6). He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) where he served as a member of a 5-inch gun crew. He talks about the role of the USS Smith in protecting the aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He describes the crashing of a Japanese torpedo plane into the Smith and its aftermath. While serving on the Smith, he went to New Guinea and participated in the bombardment of locations such as Port Moresby, Finschhafen, and Buna in preparation for Marine landings. He recounts an attack by Japanese Betty Bombers and the deployment of a smoke screen for cover. He also discusses the sinking of the USS Hornet (CV-8). He returned to the United States where he was assigned to the USS Hank (DD-702) and sent again to the Pacific Theater. He describes kamikaze attacks while on the USS Hank near Taiwan. He also describes being on patrol in Japan after the atomic bombs were …

Transcript of an oral interview with James Norman Price. He was born November 6, 1918 on a farm south of Bishop, Texas. He joined the Army Air Corps on November 1, 1941. He recalls spending 25 weeks training in BT-13s and AT-9s at Ontario, California as an Aviation Cadet, receiving his wings and commission followed by training in the B-17 at Seabring, Florida. He and his crew flew to Guadalcanal and to Espirato Santo, where they were assigned to the 11th Air Group. He was then assigned to the 431st Bomber Squadron as co-pilot on a new B-17E to fly reconnaisance and bomber missions for the Navy. He recalls that a journalist, Richard Tregaskis, accompanied them on a flight over Guadalcanal, even firing one of the machine guns. He recalls several of his 36 total missions flying out of Guadalcanal, including one in which his bomber sunk a Japanese cruiser. He recounts several humorous incidents during R&R in Auckland, New Zealand. He recalls that at the end of his duty he embarked on the SS Marmahawk for 18 days transit back to the US. He recounts his next assignment in Alexandria, Virginia training B-17 crews. He recalls next being assigned …