The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Fournier. Fournier joined the Navy in March of 1944. He completed Diesel School and other mechanical engineering schools the Navy offered. He completed boot camp at Great Lakes. He served aboard the USS Surfbird (AM-383) as a Fireman and First-Class Diesel Specialist, beginning November of 1944. He provides details of the minesweeper, various mine-types and life aboard the ship. They traveled with their sister ship, the USS Toucan (AM-387). Throughout 1945 they completed 85 mine sweeps of the East China Sea and around Japan. They returned to the U.S. in April of 1946 and in June the ship was decommissioned and Fournier was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Snell. Snell joined the Navy on 11 February 1941. After boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois he took a train to San Pedro and from there rode the USS Kaskaskia (AO-27) to Hawaii where he was assigned to the USS Enterprise (CV-6). On 7 December 1941 Snell was in baker’s school at the submarine base. He went down to the pier and got a panoramic view of all that was happening. Snell returned aboard the Enterprise on 8 December. He saw the USS Hornet (CV-8) with Doolittle’s B-25s aboard and the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, Santa Cruz and Stewart Islands before going back to Bremerton, Washington for repairs. Snell was assigned to the USS Morrison (DD-560) and helped put her in commission in December 1943. The Morrison saw action off Saipan and in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Snell was supervisor of lookouts and saw the plane that dropped the bomb that hit and sank the USS Princeton (CVL-23). Next, the Morrison was sent to Okinawa for radar picket duty. There, on 4 May 1945, the Morrison took four kamikaze hits and sank with heavy …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Randy Watson. Watson joined the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was assigned to Puerto Rico for two years and felt fortunate to have narrowly missed being sent to the Philippines. While in Puerto Rico, he was assigned to Air Material Command, working with supplies. Afterward, he attended flight school and was assigned to India as a C-46 pilot. There he flew over the Hump to deliver supplies into China. During Watson’s first flight, he was frightened by the phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s fire. He was later given the task of flying with bails of Chinese currency with instructions to burn the money if he crashed. Once, Watson was redirected multiple times due to bad weather and base closures, thus keeping him awake for over 40 hours. During this experience, his plane and crew were reported as missing. In December 1944, he left India for home on a C-54, stopping in Cairo and Casablanca on the way. He finished the war having flown 650 hours, making 78 trips over the Hump.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Snell. Snell joined the Navy on 11 February 1941. After boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois he took a train to San Pedro and from there rode the USS Kaskaskia (AO-27) to Hawaii where he was assigned to the USS Enterprise (CV-6). On 7 December 1941 Snell was in baker’s school at the submarine base. He went down to the pier and got a panoramic view of all that was happening. Snell returned aboard the Enterprise on 8 December. He saw the USS Hornet (CV-8) with Doolittle’s B-25s aboard and the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, Santa Cruz and Stewart Islands before going back to Bremerton, Washington for repairs. Snell was assigned to the USS Morrison (DD-560) and helped put her in commission in December 1943. The Morrison saw action off Saipan and in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Snell was supervisor of lookouts and saw the plane that dropped the bomb that hit and sank the USS Princeton (CVL-23). Next, the Morrison was sent to Okinawa for radar picket duty. There, on 4 May 1945, the Morrison took four kamikaze hits and sank with heavy …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Fournier. Fournier joined the Navy in March of 1944. He completed Diesel School and other mechanical engineering schools the Navy offered. He completed boot camp at Great Lakes. He served aboard the USS Surfbird (AM-383) as a Fireman and First-Class Diesel Specialist, beginning November of 1944. He provides details of the minesweeper, various mine-types and life aboard the ship. They traveled with their sister ship, the USS Toucan (AM-387). Throughout 1945 they completed 85 mine sweeps of the East China Sea and around Japan. They returned to the U.S. in April of 1946 and in June the ship was decommissioned and Fournier was discharged.