Resource Type

Oral History Interview with Thomas P. Emery, February 21, 1995

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Interview with Thomas P. Emery, a US Army WWII veteran from Solana Beach, California, who served as a pathfinder in the 6th Army Special Special Recon Unit. Emery discusses joining the Army and airborne training, assignment to G-2, scout and pathfinder training, attending OCS, deployment to New Guinea, formation of the Alamo Scouts, learning to live and fight in the jungle, his first mission, raids and harassing Japanese troops, traveling aboard the USS Missouri, and fighting in the Philippines.
Date: February 21, 1995
Creator: Alexander, Wm. J. & Emery, Thomas P.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Howard Charles, March 25, 1998

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Interview with Howard Charles, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Partridge, Kansas. Charles discusses growing up in the Great Depression; joining the Marine Corps and training; assignment to the USS Houston (CA-30) at Manila as a heavy machine gunner and events before the war; the Battle of Sunda Strait and sinking of the Houston; capture by the Japanese and being held at Serang, Java; experiences in internment and forced labor at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, various camps along the Burma Railway, and Saigon; liberation; psychological treatment, trauma, and adjusting to civilian life. In appendix is a letter written by Charles to Marcello including additional information for the interview.
Date: March 25, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Charles, Howard R.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Howard L. Patton, January 5, 1999

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Interview with Howard L. Patton, a Army WWII veteran from Flora, Illinois. Patton discusses his family background, commissioning into the Army through ROTC, training with anti-air artillery, his marriage, deployment to New Guinea, the assault on Wakde Island, the battle of Leyte, operations at Zamboanga, and the end of the war.
Date: January 5, 1999
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Patton, Howard L.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Margaret Gillooly, March 18, 1995

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Interview with Margaret Gillooly, a civilian internee of the Japanese in WWII from San Francisco, California. Gillooly discusses her family's move to the Philippines in 1938, schooling, the start of war and the Japanese invasion, staying in Cebu City, her parents' escape from Manila and surviving a sinking in Manila Bay, Japanese occupation of Cebu, being moved to Manila, various experiences surviving internment at Santo Tomas Prison Camp, bombings, the American invasion and liberation, a Japanese counterattack and siege, emotional and mental impacts, and evacuation.
Date: March 18, 1995
Creator: Byrd, Richard W. & Gillooly, Margaret
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Colonel John. E. Olson, March 15, 1998

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Interview with Colonel John E. Olson, a Army WWII veteran and POW from Leavenworth, Kansas. Olson discusses his family background, commissioning in the Army from West Point, assignment to the Philippines in 1939 as an infantry officer, the start of the war, withdrawal to Bataan and the ensuing battle and surrender, the Bataan Death March, internment at Cabanatuan, transfer to Osaka, experiences there in internment at a factory labor camp, liberation, organizing the evacuation of POWs, returning to the US, and his postwar career.
Date: March 15, 1998
Creator: Alexander, Bill & Olson, John E.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Commander Alex Vraciu, October 9, 1994

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Interview with Cmdr. Alex Vraciu, a Navy WWII veteran and Navy Cross recipient from East Chicago, Indiana. Vraciu discusses his family and educational background, naval flight training, Edward "Butch" O'Hare, the F6F Hellcat, various combat operations throughout the Pacific, his actions at the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," being awarded the Navy Cross and time stateside, and returning to combat. In appendix is an autobiographical sketch by Vraciu, including a picture of him and his Hellcat with visible victory markings on the fuselage.
Date: October 9, 1994
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Vraciu, Alexander
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Anna K. Schelper, October 24, 2007

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Interview with Major Anna K. Schelper, a Army WWII veteran from San Antonio, Texas. Schelper discusses her parents, growing up, her education and becoming a nurse, joining the Army Nurse Corps, experiences serving throughout the Pacific Theater, service in hospitals after the war, continued education and promoting, and reflections on her career and being a servicewoman. In appendix are Schelper's Army service record, a letter from two former patients to the 23rd Field Hospital, a scan of some of her letters which were printed in a book, and a scan of some sections from The Army Nurse Corps: Yesterday and Today by Mary M. Roberts.
Date: October 24, 2007
Creator: Quick, Janice & Schelper, Anna K.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John C. Reas, June 23, 1998

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Interview with John Reas, a Navy WWII veteran and POW from New Albany, Indiana, who survived the sinking of the USS Houston (CA-30). Reas discusses his assignment to the Houston and prewar operations in the Pacific, the start of the war and convoy duty, being bombed by 54 Japanese planes, the Battle of Sunda Strait, the sinking, capture by the Japanese, experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Thanbyuzayat, work on the Burma Railway, the USS Houston Survivors List, liberation, and life after the war. In appendix is the USS Houston Survivors list, letters of his regarding the list, brief accounts written by Reas of different experiences in the war, a letter by Lanson H. Harris confirming how the list was given to OSS officers, and a photo of Reas' wallet that he carried through the war.
Date: June 23, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Reas, John C.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ernest Kelley, February 20, 2003

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Interview with Ernest Kelley, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Antioch, Texas (now the Red River Army Depot), who served with the 112th Cavalry. Kelley discusses growing up in the Depression, joining the Guard, mobilization and training, horses, the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to New Caledonia, landing on Woodlark island and action there, the Battle of Arawe, redeployment to Australia, the Battle of Driniumor River in New Guinea, the Battles of Leyte and Luzon, returning to the United States, and reflections on his time in the Army. In appendix is a list of people and places named in the interview with lat/long coordinates, descriptions of military equipment, and the 112th's WWII service chronicle.
Date: February 20, 2003
Creator: Johnston, Glenn & Kelley, Ernest L.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with William E. Painter, December 21, 1998

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Interview with William Painter, a UNT professor and Army WWII veteran from New Bloomfield, Missouri. Painter discusses growing up in the Depression, being a conscientious objector and feeling pressure to join the war, getting drafted into the infantry and training at Camp Hood and Fort Ord, deployment to the Pacific with the 32nd Infantry Division, operations on Luzon and the Villa Verde Trail, the end of the war, occupation duty in Japan, and returning home. In appendix is a letter to Marcello with a correction for the interview.
Date: December 21, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Painter, William E.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Willie Fred Sander, May 22, 2002

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Interview with Willie Fred Sander, a Navy WWII veteran from Brenham, Texas. Sander discusses his background and life before the war, joining the Navy and aviator training, flying PBM patrol bombers throughout the Pacific, and his family life after the war.
Date: May 22, 2002
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Sander, Willie Fred
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Toni Lewis, May 14, 2013

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Interview with Toni Lewis, U.S. Air Force veteran, for the Women Veterans Oral history Project. Lewis discusses her childhood, decision to enlist in 1976, experiences as a woman in the service, experiences with the Veterans Administration, and opinions about changing roles for women in the U.S. military.
Date: May 14, 2013
Creator: Hedrick, Amy & Lewis, Toni
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John R. Bumgarner, March 18, 1995

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Transcript of an interview with John R. Bumgarner, physician, U.S. Army WWII veteran, and prisoner-of-war of the Japanese following the fall of the Philippines in World War II. He discusses the fall of Bataan and capture; Bilibid Prison, Manila, 1942; Cabanatuan, 1942-44; hell ship to Japan, 1944; Hakodate, Hokkaido, 1944-45; and his liberation.
Date: March 18, 1995
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Bumgarner, John R. (John Reed)
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with R. Kenneth Towery, March 19, 1995

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Interview with Ken Towery, journalist, Army veteran (59th Coast Artillery Regiment), and survivor of the siege of Corregidor, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Towery discusses the fall of Corregidor and his capture, Cabanatuan (1942), Mukden, Manchuria (1942-1945), and his liberation by Russian troops.
Date: March 19, 1995
Creator: Byrd, Richard W. & Towery, Roland Kenneth, 1923-2016
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John Lloyd Ruddick, September 9, 1994

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Transcript of an interview with John Ruddick, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the destroyer USS Melvin during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Ruddick discusses the Marianas invasion, the Carolines invasion, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Surigao Strait, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Kurile operations, and the occupation of Japan.
Date: September 9, 1994
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Ruddick, John Lloyd, 1923-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Caleb H. Canby, III, August 5, 1997

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Transcript of an interview with Caleb H. Canby, III, a Marine Corps veteran (Scout-Bomber 243, 1st Marine Air Wing), concerning experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Canby discusses his family background and education; decision to join the Marine Corps, 1942; boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina; advanced training at Quantico, Virginia, 1943-44; assignment to Scout-Bomber Squadron 243 at Emirau, Solomon Islands, 1944-45; his work in the flight department processing pilots' flight logs; transfer to Mangaldan, Luzon, 1945; assignment to Mindanao in March, 1945; contraction of hepatitis and return to the U. S.
Date: August 5, 1997
Creator: Jackson, Sarah C. & Canby, Caleb H., III
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Fred Vogel, August 8, 2001

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Interview with Fred Vogel, a Army WWII veteran from Austin, Minnesota. Vogel discusses his family and upbringing, football and college, working as a lawyer, joining the Army and basic training, attending Officer Candidate School, infantry training, deployment to New Guinea with the 33rd Infantry Division, the invasion of Morotai, combat around Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines, and occupation duty in Japan.
Date: June 13, 2001
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Vogel, Fred
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Noel Lisboa, February 14, 2023

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Interview with Noel Lisboa, a Filipino personal trainer from Plano, Texas. Lisboa discusses growing up in the Philippines, Catholic education there, Filipino cuisine, family traditions and holidays, experiences with a political uprising, immigrating to the United States, food, life, and holidays in the United States compared to the Philippines, gang activity in the U.S., the fitness industry, and his community.
Date: February 14, 2023
Creator: OShea, May & Lisboa, Noel
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interviews with Columbus Savage, May 1994

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Interview with Colonel Columbus Savage, an Army Air Corps veteran (16th Bomb Squadron) and a survivor of the Bataan Death March, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Savage discusses Bataan Airfield (1941-1942), the fall of Bataan and his capture, the Bataan Death March, Camp O'Donnell (1942), Cabanatuan (1942), Davao Penal Colony (1942-1944), Bilibid Prison in Manila (1944), the hell ship to Japan (1945), Mojo and Fukuoka, Kyushu (1945), Mukden, Manchuria (1945), and his liberation by Russian troops. Appendix includes a photocopy of an article from the May 24, 1991 edition of the Carswell Sentinel, titled, "Warrior received belated honors" by MSgt. Dick Hodgson [p. 1]
Date: 1994-05-26/1994-05-31
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Savage, Columbus
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with George Duncan, October 9, 1994

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Interview with Captain George Duncan, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Duncan discusses his pilot training at Pensacola Naval Air Station in 1941, his assignment to Air Group 9 on the carrier Essex, the Hellcat fighter, the sinking of Fubuki-class destroyer in June of 1944 off of Pagan Island, the Marianas Campaign in 1944, the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," the Philippines Campaign and the attack on the Japanese battleship Musashi, and his postwar naval career.
Date: October 9, 1994
Creator: Christman, Calvin L. & Duncan, George, 1917-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with General Robert E. Galer, March 14, 1998

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Transcript of an interview with General Robert E. Galer, a Marine Corps veteran (VMF-224) and recipient of the Medal of Honor, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Galer discusses his pre-war training at Pensacola and Quantico; assignment to Saint Thomas and reminiscences about the "destroyers-for bases" deal, 1940; experiences at Ewa during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; assignment to Guadalcanal as commander of VMF-224, August 30, 1942-December 31, 1942; air combat around Guadalcanal; his receiving the Medal of Honor; reassignment to the States for war bond drives; experiences on Iwo Jima, February-March, 1945, as commander of a 584 Radar Team; and assignment to the Philippines and Okinawa, 1945.
Date: March 14, 1998
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Galer, Robert E., 1913-2005
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Robert E. Galer, August 27, 1998

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Interview with General Robert E. Galer, a Marine Corps veteran (VMF-224) and recipient of the Medal of Honor, concerning his experiences concerning the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; the Guadalcanal Campaign as commander of VMF-224; and as head of the 584 Radar units during the campaigns for the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Navy ROTC at the University of Washington, 1931-35; pilot training at Sand Point, Pensacola, and Quantico, 1935-38; assignment to amphibian squadron on Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, 1938-40, and his minor role in the "destroyers-for-bases" deal with Great Britain, 1940; assignment as commander of VMF-224, 1942; description of the Grumman Wildcat fighter plane; assignment to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 1942; episodes involving aerial combat against the Japanese; aerial combat tactics; living conditions at Henderson Field; shot down for the first time on September 12, 1942; shot down for a second time on October 2, 1942; personnel problems with dysentery and malaria; reassignment to COMAIRPAC, November, 1943; Command and Staff College, 1943; awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for twenty-nine consecutive days of combat and eleven-and-one-half kills; meeting President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Oval Office; development of the 584 Radar for close-air support; Iwo Jima, …
Date: August 27, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E.; Lane, Peter B. & Galer, Robert E., 1913-2005
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Burton S. Pearsall, April 20 and 21, 1997

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Transcript of an interview with Burton S. Pearsall, a Marine Corps veteran, concerning his experiences as a dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Appendix includes photos, newspaper articles, samples of flight log, and US Marine Corps certificate.
Date: {1997-04-20,1997-04-21}
Creator: Jackson, Sarah C. & Pearsall, Burton S.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ray Hunt, March 19, 1995

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Interview with Ray Hunt, U.S. Army Air Corps WWII veteran, concerning his experiences as a prisoner of war and guerrilla fighter in the Philippines during World War II. He discusses his escape during the Bataan Death March and guerrilla operations before and after the American landings on Leyte and Luzon, 1944.
Date: March 19, 1995
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E.; Byrd, Richard W. & Hunt, Ray C., 1919-
System: The UNT Digital Library