The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Calloway Scott. Scott joined the Army in October 1943 and received medical training at Camp Grant. Upon completion, he was sent to Omaha Beach with the 9th Infantry Division, arriving eight days after D-Day. Although there should have been three medics assigned to each company, they were often short-staffed, with only one medic per several hundred men. Scott participated in house-to-house fighting in Cherbourg and pushed onward into Belgium and Germany. He recalls an evening when Germans parachuted behind American lines, creating a great deal of confusion in the morning, but the Germans were taken prisoner without incident. Scott celebrated the end of the war alongside dancing Russians and returned home in October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.D. Tanner. Tanner was born 20 August 1924 in Jasper County, Indiana. He quit school in the seventh grade and worked with his father on a dairy farm. In August 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and had basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. After four weeks of training he went to San Francisco and departed on a twenty-one day trip to Leyte. There he was assigned as a rifleman in the 37th Infantry Division. He describes being on patrol and seeing a friend killed by a Japanese sniper. He was hospitalized with dysentery and recalls meeting General MacArthur’s wife, Jean, as she visited the hospital. After the surrender of Japan, he was assigned to the Military Police for a period of time and also drove a truck. He returned to the United States and was discharged 1 August 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eli Escobar. Escobar was drafted into the Army in May 1944. When Escobar arrived in France in November, 1944, he joined Company K, 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division. In January, 1945, Escobar got captured by German troops near Haguenau. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war. He was liberated in late April and returned to the US. Escobar was discharged in November, 1945.

Interview with Jean Mathis Lidiak, a former middle school secretary from Kerrville, Texas. Mrs. Lidiak talks about growing up in Kerrville, her family, and her work at various businesses and the Veterans Administration hospital. She also discusses her husband's education, his service in World War II, and the auto companies he worked at.

Audio interview with Dr. Matthew Fry, a UNT professor, expert on environmental issues, and active member of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group (DAG). He discusses context for the Denton fracking ban and talks about the various articles that he's written about environmentalism and effects of fracking.

Interview with about the history of Grapevine, Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph Nelson Smith. Smith joined the Merchant Marines in the spring of 1945 at the age of 17. Upon completion of training at Catalina Island, which included hand-to-hand combat and jumping into flaming gasoline-covered water, he was assigned to the SS H. Weir Cook (1944) as a messman and storekeeper. In August 1945, he sailed out of San Francisco in blackout conditions but soon learned of the Japanese surrender. Despite that, the ship was targeted by torpedoes that narrowly missed. One night, Smith awoke to find the ship engulfed in flames, which threatened to detonate their 690 tons of dynamite on board until the fire was put out. For his return to the States, Smith boarded a freighter packed with 5,280 men. Rather than waiting in the four-hour chow lines, Smith subsisted off peanuts and fruit, losing 20 pounds in two weeks. He was disappointed that although the Merchant Marines suffered such high casualties rates, survivors were essentially not considered true servicemen, receiving no benefits such as clothing, transportation, or medical care upon their return.

Lecture given Wednesday, February 21, 1990, 11:00 AM at Abilene Christian University

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Castle. He was born in Abilene, Texas in 1923. He enlisted into the Army Air Corps on December 27, 1942 with orders to Aviation Cadet Flight Training. After extensive training, he was transferred to the Eighth Air Force in England in October 1944. Initially he flew P-47 Thunderbolts escorting B-17s and B-24s and later he flew P-51 Mustangs escorting B-25s and B-26s. He recalls many details of those aircraft and his various missions including dive bomb attacks to support Patton’s armor and infantry in the “Battle of the Bulge.” Castle recalls one crash landing on the English coast upon return from a mission. He describes the first time he shot down an enemy aircraft, a Messerschmitt 109E over Belgium, as well as several instances where he observed American bombers shot out of the sky nearby. He recalls that after the war ended he volunteered for the 9th Air Force as they were setting up the Occupational Air Force of Germany where he was assigned to a Mustang Fighter Group at a well-known Luftwaffe Fighter Air Field near Nuremburg. In late April 1946, he crossed the Atlantic on …

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme, “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,” introduction | 0:46 Announcer | 1:10 Kiss Me Goodnight | 4:44 Announcer; Hal Collins | 6:07 Is I In Love? I Is | 8:29 Goodnight, My Love | 11:49 Crazy Crystals advertisement | 12:20 Closing theme, “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,” announcements.

Audio interview with Emily White, a professor of writing, regarding the City of Denton Fracking Referendum. Professor White briefly defines fracking, explains hydraulic fracturing's effects on the environment, and recites her "Ten Reasons to Ban Fracking".

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 5:28 The Crazy Boys | 6:48 Narrator | 11:53 Advertisement | 12:42 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 6:10 The Crazy Boys | 7:43 Narrator | 12:39 Advertisement | 13:28 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Creed Coffee. Coffee was in the Army ROTC at Texas Technological College, now Texas Tech in Lubbock, in 1941 and 1942. He was in the Corps of Engineers. He was on active duty beginning June of 1943. He completed Officers Candidate School in June of 1944 and commissioned a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1327th Engineer General Service Regiment. Coffee served as a platoon leader and worked on a 200-mile section of the Ledo Road, connecting Ledo to Myitkyina in Burma. He was discharged in May of 1946. In November of 1950 he was recalled for the Korean War and served as a captain in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Smith. Smith was raised on a farm with six brothers. He joined the US Navy in early 1944. He completed boot camp in San Diego and was then assigned as a deckhand aboard USS Bland (APA-134). He recalls transporting troops and supplies to Saipan. He served in the occupation of Japan, and shares stories of travels to Japan and China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Shiels. Shiels served in the Corps of Cadets, Field Artillery, at Texas A&M. He obtained an Electrical Engineering degree and graduated in charge of a Field Artillery Regiment. He was called to active duty with the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. He served as a Communications Officer and Motor Pool Officer in the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. From December of 1942 through January of 1943, they participated in the Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse on the island of Guadalcanal. In late 1943 they traveled to New Caledonia, where he changed over to Signal Corps. He was discharged in 1945.

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme, “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,” introduction | 0:48 Announcer | 1:13 Down the River of Golden Dreams | 4:15 Announcer; Hal Collins | 5:23 Yours and Mine | 7:19 My Wild Irish Rose | 11:32 Crazy Crystals advertisement | 12:12 Closing theme, “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,” announcements.

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 5:38 The Crazy Boys | 7:56 Narrator | 12:56 Advertisement | 13:34 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator 5:17 The Crazy Boys | 7:14 Narrator | 11:51 Advertisement | 12:39 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bern Ballard. Ballard joined the Army National Guard in November 1940 at Camp Mabry. He served as a truck driver in the Austin and San Antonio area and describes how he was injured during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Ballard describes driving a truck with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy. He details having to pick up dead soldiers near the front and drive them back to cemeteries. Ballard describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France and his transfer to the 78th Division and reassignment as an infantryman. He discusses how he was wounded by mortar fire in the Hurtgen Forest and how he was treated. Ballard describes the combat conditions, in particular the cold and lack of food. He accepted the surrender of German soldiers at the end of the war. Ballard was discharged in July 1945.

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 5:36 The Crazy Boys | 6:41 Narrator | 11:41 Advertisement | 12:32 The Crazy Boys | 13:35 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 5:34 The Crazy Boys | 7:00 Narrator | 11:39 Advertisement | 12:30 The Crazy Boys | 13:39 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

Radio show sponsored by the Crazy Water Company. 0:00 Opening theme (Song of the Islands), narrator | 6:19 The Crazy Boys | 8:12 Narrator | 13:04 Advertisement | 13:48 Closing theme (Song of the Islands).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roy Burger. Burger was drafted into the Army in May of 1942. He served with the 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in a mortar platoon. He provides some details of basic training and volunteering for the parachute troops. In the spring of 1944 he traveled to England. On 6 June 1944 Burger made his first combat jump at midnight into Normandy, France. In September of 1944 his second jump was into Holland during Operation MARKET GARDEN. They were given orders to head to Bastogne, Belgium, where they defeated a German patrol surrounding their group. Burger was discharged in 1945 and awarded 3 Battle Stars.