The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Atys Daniel Brunson. He discusses his family history, childhood, education and what led him to joining the US Navy. He describes his experiences during bootcamp and in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ramon Galindo. Galindo was born on 29 May 1921 in Nuevo San Juan, Mexico. His parents brought him to the United States in 1922. He joined the Texas State National Guard in 1943, at the age of 22, and became an American citizen that same year. In 1944 he joined the 571st Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion. He received training at Camp Wallace in Galveston. From 1944 to 1945 he served in Europe, participating in the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine River Battle. He provides details of these battles and familiarized himself with the sound of the German cannons 88-mm cannons, and he knew to drop to the ground when he heard the whistling sound. In May of 1945, his battalion was stationed at Adolf Hitler’s headquarters, the Führerbau, where oversized pictures of Hitler and his top officers covered the walls. Part of Galindo’s mission was to protect these images. Galindo was honorably discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Moise. Moise was born in New Orleans in 1923. After graduating from high school he joined the Marine Corps on 10 December 1941. He trained at San Diego and received specialty training for assignment as a crewman on amphibious vehicles known as LVTs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked). As a member of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion he observed the action from the USS President Jackson (AP-37, later APA-18) during the Battle of Savo Island on the night of 8 August 1942. The President Jackson withdrew from the area but returned to Guadalcanal three weeks later where the LVTs were unloaded, parked and the crews were sent to the front lines with machine guns. After six months in the Solomons, he was sent to New Zealand where the LVTs were converted to attack vehicles. Moise landed Marines at Tarawa and was wounded when his Amtrac was damaged. He was taken aboard the USS Harry Lee (APA-10), and then transferred to the USS Solace (AH-5), which returned to Hawaii. By December, 1943, Moise was returned to the US and spent nine months in a hospital in Oakland, but never fully …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Sage. Sage joined the Marine Corps in mid-1941. He served aboard USS Maryland (BB-46) as an orderly for Rear Admiral Walter Stratton Anderson, commander of battleships in the Pacific Fleet. Sage was aboard the ship the morning of 7 December. They were moored along Ford Island, with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on Battleship Row. Sage describes his experiences through the attack, including passing ammunition down a line to the anti-aircraft gun. They traveled to Bremerton, Washington for repairs, where he was detached from the ship. Sage later joined the 14th (Artillery) Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Hawaii. In 1945, they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He returned to the US in late 1945, and went on to complete a 21-year military career in the US Air Force.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Amos McGinnis. McGinnis was working in a factory when he was drafted into the Army in December, 1942. He trained as a combat engineer and went to England before heading out for Normandy five days after D-Day. McGinnis shares several anecdotes about his experiences building bridges across Europe. He was in Germany when the war ended and was discharged in December, 1945.

Interview with James Blocklinger, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences aboard the heavy minelayer USS Oglala during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Russell Santora. Santora was born in Bronx, New York on 4 October 1927. Upon joining the US Merchant Marine in July 1944, he attended boot camp at the US Maritime Training Station. When the training was completed he was sent to Oakland, California. There, he joined the Marine Fireman, Oilers and Water Tenders Union and received his Permit Book and was assigned to a merchant ship. He tells of his duties aboard the various ships to which he was assigned and recalls various trips he made to Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard D. Buehrle. He volunteered to join the Navy in 1943 after he graduated from high school. Expecting to have a permanent duty assignment in Australia, he was, instead, called to be a destroyer replacement sailor in New Guinea on the USS Smith (DD-378). He served first as a five-inch gun shell retriever, then as a signalman on the bridge. He relates the story of his selection as a signalman. He also describes living conditions aboard the ship, his clothing, as well as the mail service. He talks about his friendship with Donald Kent. He also mentions Captain Stout. He discusses an attempt to land Marines on Arawe. He describes an attack by Japanese aircraft and kamikazes in the Philippines. He shares anecdotes about Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. He explains his reason for not remaining in the Navy after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leon Lombard. Lombard was born 20 July 1925. He joined the Navy in December of 1941 and was called to active duty on 20 July 1942. He trained and served as an aviation metalsmith. In early 1943, he was assigned to the Assembly and Repair Unit at a Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Beginning in mid-1943, Lombard was transferred to USS Chandeleur (AV-10), a seaplane tender, where he served for 20 months, tendering PBMs. They traveled to Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, the Marshall Islands and Saipan. In early 1945, he was transferred to USS Onslow (AVP-48). They set up a floating seaplane base at Kerama Retto near Okinawa. He recalls vivid memories of the ongoing battles around him. He later served in the occupation of Japan. Lombard returned to the US and received his discharge in January 1946.

Transcript of an interview with Guthrie O'Donnell, a rancher.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William McAnany. McAnany joined the Navy in October of 1938. He completed Hospital Corps and X-Ray Technician School. McAnany worked at naval hospitals in Virginia and Philadelphia. In August of 1941 he was assigned aboard the USS Solace (AH-5) and traveled to Pearl Harbor in October. McAnany was on Ford Island during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and he treated wounded soldiers. He continued his service supporting campaigns including the invasion of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Midway. He also treated wounded at Guadalcanal, the Marianas, Peleliu and Okinawa. He then served aboard the hospital ship, USS Samaritan (AH-10). After the war ended, McAnany served in the US and in the Korean War. He was discharged from active duty in May of 1958.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Tietjen. Born in 1920, he joined the Navy in January 1940. He was first assigned to the USS Dixie (AD-14) destroyer tender. He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) in February 1942 where he served as a machine gun loader as well as a gunner. He discusses the aftermath of the explosion on the Smith during the Battle of Santa Cruz. He describes the configuration of the artillery as well as the living conditions on the Smith. He was transferred to the USS Sicily (CVE-118) in 1946. After he was discharged from the Navy in December 1948, he became a mason.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Orland Harris. Harris went to Santa Anna, California for Aviation Cadet training in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He went to primary flying school in Visalia, California and then went to LaeMoore, California for more training. From there he went to replacement training units, flying the P-38, P-322 and P-39. Harris had take civilian pilot training for one year at college before he went into the service. He received his wings at Williams Field in Arizona 3 Nov 1943 and became an officer that day. He went to the South Pacific in a C-54, along wih about 30 other pilots, ending up in Nadzab, New Guinea with the 8th Fighter Group (part of the 5th Air Force). His P-38 missions included targets of opportunity around New Guinea, a cave on Corregidor and straffed ships on the way to Borneo, and the Philippines. Normally they flew cover missions for B-17s and B-24s but on occasion covered B-25s and A-20s. Harris was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) when he was flying out of Mindoro in the Philippines on a night mission (26 Dec 1944) attacking a Japanese task …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald O. Dencker. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 25, 1924. Upon graduation from high school in February, 1943 he joined the Army. In March 1944 after attending Army Corps of Engineers school, he was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division. He witnessed the explosion of a munition ship in Port Chicago, California. Eventually he departed Pearl Harbor embarked upon USS LST-745 sailing to Leyte Island in the Philippines. He recalls several anecdotes during the transit and landing on Leyte Island in October, 1944. He recalls gunfire support from a destroyer that was off target, resulting in six casualties from white phosphorus as well as a Japanese suicide attack on his company that resulted in 75 enemy killed. His unit was then sent to Okinawa on April 1, 1945. He remembers that his 3rd Battalion had so many casualties that it was relieved and sent to guard Kadena Airfield. He recounts the many nights of shelling at the airfield followed by assaults on Japanese positions in which he lost four company commanders and many of his fellow soldiers, including several close friends. His company had sustained over …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Otis Williams. Williams joined the Navy V-6 Program around October of 1944. He was transferred to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Millington, Tennessee, and completed Radio and Radar schools. Williams then transferred to Opa-locka, Florida for Gunnery School and operations training with carrier aircraft. He completed training around February of 1946. Williams was assigned to the 75th Bombing Squadron. He continued his service after the war ended, with his final ranking status of Aviation Radioman Third-Class. Williams was discharged on 29 June 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hiroshi Sakahara. Sakahara is second generation Japanese-American. He provides some details of his family history and life growing up in Tacoma, Washington during the Great Depression. In 1941 he joined the Army and volunteered for the 442nd Infantry Combat Team, 5th Army. They fought in Belgium and Italy on the front lines opposite the Germans. He served as an ammunition carrier and later carried the Browning Automatic Rifle. In the Spring of 1944 through May of 1945, Sakahara pulled guard duty until Germany surrendered. He was discharged in June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Martin Burl. Burl joined the Army in 1943. He served with the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. In late 1943, Burl participated in the New Guinea Campaign. In February of 1945, he served in the Battle of Corregidor. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Iliff Richardson. Richardson was commissioned in the Navy in 1940 and assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 as the executive officer of PT-34. After the loss of his boat in April 1942, he joined a band of Filipino guerrillas. Richardson tells of setting up radio transmitters and of the unusual features of the operations and equipment used. At the request of General Douglas MacArthur he plotted the Japanese mine fields in Leyte Gulf and he gives the details on how this was accomplished. Upon returning to the Philippines, General MacArthur met with Richardson on the USS Nashville (CL-43) and he describes the discussion. After returning to the United States, he had a seven hour meeting with Admiral Ernest J. King concerning pending court martial charges against him and tells of the outcome of the meeting. Richardson joined the Industrial Incentive Division of the Navy and he comments on his travels and speeches given to industry workers. [A copy of the manuscript written by Richardson during the war describing PT boat operations in the Philippines is in the archives of The National Museum of the Pacific War and …

Interview with John Scott concerning his experiences before and during his employment in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Scott worked at a camp in Oakhurst, Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Haynes. Haynes was born in Dallas 5 January 1921 and upon graduation from Southern Methodist University, he joined the Marine Corps, training at Quantico in February 1942. Upon completion, he spent two years training incoming junior officers at Quantico. His next duty assignment was as an infantry member of the 28th Regiment, 5th Marines, conducting training at Camp Pendleton and on Hawaii. Haynes’ regiment was sent to Iwo Jima in February 1945. He observed the original flag-raising on Mount Suribachi and describes the machinations that resulted in the second flag-raising. He describes the battle in great detail until it ended in late March and his regiment was sent back to Hawaii to train for the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, his division was sent to Nagasaki and Sasebo as part of the occupation force. When the 5th Marine Division went back to the States in October 1945, Haynes was transferred to the 2nd Marine Division, where he served as a member of the occupation force on Kyushu. After a few months, he returned to Washington and decided to remain in the Corps. He was assigned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Caposella. Caposella left his studies at Ohio State University to join the Navy in March 1944. He received basic training at Great Lakes and attended radio school in Bedford Springs. After completing amphibious training at Camp Bradford and Fort Pierce, he was assigned to the USS Ostara (AKA-33) where he rode in LCVPs transporting troops and supplies throughout the Pacific. Although it was not well-armored, it survived floating mines that bounced off the ship. Arriving at Manila toward the end of the war, Caposella witnessed great devastation and poverty. He recalls the hesitation of Japanese citizens when his ship brought the initial occupation forces ashore. After the war ended, he brought Marines to China, where he noticed the local population had very few women, presumably a result of kidnapping comfort women. Caposella was discharged in June 1946 and resumed his studies at Ohio State University.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James L. Bell, Jr. He joined the Marine Corps in August, 1944. After basic training in California, he was sent to the Parker Ranch in Hawaii where he practiced maneuvers. He describes landing on Red Beach and fighting on Iwo Jima when he was in the 5th Marine Division. He discusses the placement of the American flag on the island, the Japanese tunnels, and the suicides of Japanese soldiers. After Iwo Jima, he joined the 2nd Division in Hawaii. When the war ended, he served ten months as part of the occupational force in Japan before being discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ed Harrell. Harrell grew up in Kentucky and joined the Marine Corps in 1943. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the USS Indianapolis in 1944. His first encounter was in the Carolina Islands. He then went to Eniwetok Islands, Kwajalein Islands, Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. The next battle was the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Then the ship went on to Peleliu until the island was secured, and onto Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The ship protected other ships as well as invasion troops during the battles. At Okinawa, the ship was damaged by a kamikaze plane and went back to the United States for repairs. He discusses the kamikaze culture and his experience at a forty-millimeter gun when the kamikaze hit the USS Indianapolis. At the point, while in the United States, the ship was chosen to take the atomic bomb parts to Tinian. At San Francisco, he describes the acquiring of the atomic bomb materials without the knowledge of the Captain of the ship or the soldiers. Next, he describes the bombing of the USS Indianapolis and the aftermath. Harrell witnessed other soldiers drink salt water, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gerard Noteboom. Noteboom was a child living near The Hague when his father was taken away by the Gestapo and sent to Buchenwald. From December 1940 to September 1944, his father remained active in resistance groups while interned. Meanwhile, the Dutch underground provided financial assistance to Noteboom's family. Noteboom prudently invested in salt, a valuable commodity that could be easily traded for food. He also actively resisted the occupation, stealing arms and ammunition. As the Allies drew near, his family sought refuge from crossfire in a reinforced cellar. After the liberation, Noteboom worked as an English translator in exchange for bread. His father soon returned home. Noteboom went on to attend medical school, graduating in 1954 and immigrating to the United States. There he joined the Army as a pathologist at Fort Meade.