The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Moorman. Moorman was born in New Hyde Park, New York 19 December 1925. He recalls the difficulties his family faced during the depression. Upon joining the Navy in February 1943, he went to Great Lakes Naval Training Station for eight weeks of boot training. After completing the initial training he was selected to have three months instruction as a hospital corpsman. He was then sent to the Bremerton Naval Hospital where he worked in the venereal disease ward. Moorman was then sent to San Diego for Marine training in the Field Medical School. Upon completion of the training he was sent to Somoa as a corpsman. He then went to New Caledonia and he was assigned to Field Hospital 103 where he worked in the psychiatric ward treating shell shock and combat fatigue patients. He then went to Tongatapu and was assigned to the 35th Naval Construction Battalion for four months before being transferred to Fleet Hospital #3 at Espiritu Santo where he was assigned to the X-ray department. Moorman returned to the United States and was discharged in September 1945. He reenlisted in the Navy in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack First. First joined the Marine Corps in May of 1942. He completed Ordnance School. He served with the 2nd Anti-Tank Battalion. They were stationed on New Zealand for 8 months. In 1943 he was sent back to the US and assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 28th Regiment, Company E. He was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the guns for the company. They traveled to Hawaii and completed additional training at Parker Ranch. They participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima beginning February of 1945. He was discharged in May of 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Bernard J. Scher. Scher joined the Army in early 1943 and trained as a combat engineer in the Army Corps of Engineers. After training, Scher's unit was sent to Iceland in August, 1943. From there, his unit went to St. Lo, France after D-Day and cleared away land mines and destrroyed German defensive pill boxes. Scher describes building bridges over the Ruhr River and reaching the Elbe River. Scher took R&R in Paris, where he was when Germany surrendered. He describes some of his activities after the surrender and before he shipped home in December, 1945. His unit was stationed in France, but he managed to travel to Duxford, England to visit his brother there. When Scher returned home, he opted to stay in the Reserves and was called up for the war in Korea. In 1950, he was recalled and trained in the Counter Intelligence Corps. When he went to Korea, he was attached to the 45th Infantry Division. The interview continues on 10 January, 2011. Scher describes trained and sent to Korea. While in Korea, Scher's job was to interrogate civilians at an internee camp. Most of his inmates were North Koreans.

Transcript of an oral interview with Bill Kennedy. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps in 1944, training stateside before shipping to Germany in fall of 1945 with the 8th Air Force, 891 Air Engineering Squadron, as part of the occupation force in Berlin where he worked typing up enlisted men's records, returning home in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Sy. Sy joined the Navy in January of 1941. He was trained as an electrician and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1941 to join the crew of the USS West Virginia (BB-48). Sy briefly discusses being handed a rifle on the day of the attack and seeing the damage. He was assigned to the USS Gridley (DD-380) and traveled from the Aleutians to the South Pacific. Sy discusses how he became a baker after the CO had some bread that he made with his mother’s recipe. He also discusses having to be transferred to the USS Baltimore (CA-68) due to an appendicitis. Sy was later transferred to the USS Maryland (BB-46) and then shore duty in California where he appeared as an extra in a movie and helped fight a fire at Delmar Racetrack. He left the Navy in 1947 after a six-year enlistment.

Transcript of an oral interview with Claxito R. Ramirez. He joined the Army in 1942 and was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. He arrived in Belgium in late 1944 in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge. In April, 1945 Ramirez was riding on a tank that got hit by a German 88mm shell. Ramirez was wounded by shell fragments and spent some time in the hospital before returning to his unit. By the time he returned to his unit, the war in Europe had reached an end. He stayed in Europe until December when he returned to Texas, where he was discharged in January, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Carroll. Carroll joined the Marine Corps in August 1943. He became a member of a Unit Defense Company and joined VMO-155 in Hawaii. Carroll was then sent to help defend Midway, Kwajalein, and later Majuro. He briefly describes the islands. Carroll was sent back to the US before the end of the war and served as Sergeant of the Guard at Treasure Island until the end of his enlistment in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Joe M. Sassman. Born in 1922, he joined the Navy Air Corps V-5 Aviation Cadet Program in September, 1942. He describes his civilian pilot training at the University of Texas, pre-flight training in Athens, Georgia, primary flight training in Memphis, Tennessee, basic training in Pensacola, Florida as well as gunnery training. He talks about the various airplanes he flew in training. He received his commission in November, 1943. He discusses his fighter training with the F4F Grumman Wildcat in Sanford, Florida. He talks about his field carrier training at NAS Glenview, Illinois. He shares an anecdote about arriving in Pearl Harbor in 1944 aboard an LCI. At NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, he began flying the F6F Hellcat. He joined the Fighter Squadron 19, Air Group 19 on Maui. He was assigned to the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and later the USS Lexington (CV-16). He recounts strikes against Japanese aircraft carriers in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He describes an incident in which he was nearly shot down while escorting bombers over Manila, Philippines. He relates his experience when the USS Lexington was struck by a kamikaze. He also describes a dogfight on his last mission …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Pittman. Pittman grew up in Texas and joined the Navy in 1941. Once he finished training, he was assigned to a Merchant Marine vessel as a 3.5 inch gun operator. His first assignment was shipping planes and aviation fuel to Australia with a stop at Hawaii. Pittman also tells a story of delivering crude oil to Britain after dropping the airplanes off at Australia. He also discusses his routine, the food and the life aboard the merchant vessel. Pittman mentions spending time in China shortly after the war ended and going back to the US aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12). While on board, he found a cousin who was headed for home, too.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles W. Carson. Carson was born in Ecorse, Michigan on 12 August 1925 and enlisted in the Navy in September 1943. Following basic training he attended aircraft mechanic school, graduating in June 1944. He shipped overseas on the USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43). He provides several interesting anecdotes of the trip to the New Hebrides archipelago, including the ceremony for crossing the equator and international dateline. He arrived on the island of Espiritu Santo in October 1944 and was placed in an aviation engine overhaul unit. Carson describes several of his experiences while on the island. Five months later he went to Guadalcanal where his duties consisted of repairing damaged aircraft near Henderson Field. He stayed on Guadalcanal for a few months and then transferred to Guam. He recalls attending USO shows at each of his duty stations. Carson returned to the United States in December 1945 and was discharged on 6 January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edgar Vincent. Vincent was a student at Cal Tech when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces in late 1942 where he went into flight training. He earned his wings and a commission in March, 1944. He was selected to train on a B-29 after training on a B-17. His crew flew to Tinian in December, 1944 where he was assigned to the 40th Bomb Squadron, 6th Bomb Group. He flew on the fire bombing mission over Tokyo on 9-10 March. He flew 32 combat missions, some bombing, others minelaying. He flew his last mission on 14 August and returned to the US in November, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marian Kelly. Kelly joined the Army Medical Corps in October 1944 and was assigned to the hospital in Manila. There were two dozen women and 3,000 men aboard the transport ship, so Marines were stationed as guards to protect the women. At the hospital, she treated wounded soldiers from all over the Pacific. As a physical therapist, she found spinal cord injuries particularly frustrating because there weren’t known techniques for rehabilitation at the time. She spent her spare time exploring nearby islands and found Corregidor to be full of artifacts. While in the Pacific she also served on Morotai. Kelly married a captain in the Army and was discharged in 1945, as married women were prohibited from serving. She and her family returned to the States in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lewis A. Smith. Born in 1924, he joined the Army Air Force in 1942. After twenty-two months of flight training at various locations, he flew a B-17 aircraft to Scotland. He was sent to England and assigned to the 385th Bombardment Group at Great Ashfield station 155. He describes a mission to bomb the airfield at Grossostheim, Germany during the Battle of the Bulge as well as a mission to bomb Berlin. He tells a story about a mid-air collision involving two other planes that occurred during a mission to bomb a tank factory in Ulm, Germany. Only the tail gunner, Joe Jones, survived the collision. He also describes engine problems and an emergency crash landing when he was returning from a mission to Frankfurt, Germany. He discusses flak; flak suits; the experience of flying a B-17 airplane on a bombing mission; some of the specific planes that he flew; USO entertainment; and buzz bombs. He shares an anecdote about his tail gunner and the relief tube on a mission to bomb an oil refinery in Hamburg, Germany. He left the Air Force in 1945 after flying thirty-five …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Keteik. Keteik was working as a railroad engineer when he was drafted into the Navy in 1942. He was assigned to the USS Claxton (DD-571) as a seaman, working his way up to boatswain's mate. Operating the whaleboat was easy for him, as he was accustomed to communicating with whistles and bells, from his time on the railroad. His battle station was as a loader on turret four. He received a citation from Nimitz for remaining at his station and claims to have lived at the gun for a month at a time. A crewmate beside him fell asleep there and was killed when the gun changed directions abruptly. After colliding with another ship, the Claxton was sent to San Francisco for repairs, where Keteik enjoyed liberty with his good friend, New York Yankee Bob Cerv. Keteik also survived a kamikaze strike. He was discharged and returned to his old job, enjoying a 42-year career as a railway engineer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ervin Vernon. Vernon joined the Navy in September of 1942. He served as a Fireman and Machinist Mate aboard USS Claxton (DD-571). They traveled to New Caledonia, Manus Island in New Guinea and participated in the invasion of the Philippines and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in late 1944. Vernon shares numerous details of his work in, and the function of, the boiler room. In May of 1945, they conducted radar picket duty off the coast of Okinawa. Vernon was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert W. Wells. When Wells finished high school in Nebrasks, he joined the Marine Corps in June, 1944. From San Diego, he sailed aboardthe USS Bayfield (APA-33) to Guadalcanal to join and train with the Sixth Marine Division prior to invading Okinawa. He landed on Okinawa off the USS Clay (APA-39) on 1 April 1945 and fought for a month until his appendix had to be removed. His surgery occured just behind the front lines and then he was sent aboard the USS Hope (AH-7). He was evacuated to Saipan just before his unit made an assault on Sugar Loaf Hill. He returned to his unit on Okinawa in time for the island to be declared secure. His unit then proceeded back to Guam. Wells also recalls training experiences on Guadalcanal, then provides more details about his combat experiences on Okinawa, where he operated a fifty caliber machine gun. On Guam, while training to invade Japan, the war ended and Wells was sent to Tsingtao, China for occupation duty. In China, Wells drove the car for the battalion's colonel. Wells was discharged in August, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Owen Fluckey. Fluckey joined the Navy in April 1944. Fluckey recalls hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor when he was 16. He trained at Great lakes, Illinois and recalls a few humorous incidents. Fluckey served at a weather station on Clipperton Island for nine months before transferring to a submarine tender. While assigned to Clipperton Island, Fluckey witnessed USS LST-563 running aground there. Fluckey's job was to tend to the salt water evaporators on the island. When he transferred off Clipperton, he was assigned to the USS Nereus (AS-17), a submarine tender. After the war, Fluckey went to Japan for some occupation duty. He was discharged in June, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W.W. Marsh. Marsh was born in Nebraska in 1923. Upon being drafted into the Army in 1943, he went to Camp Croft, South Carolina, for basic training. Soon after completing basic he was assigned to the 938th Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company. After receiving training in vehicle maintenance, the unit traveled by military convoy to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. They arrived in La Have, France, after 14 days at sea. He recalls the difficulty encountered in preparation of the equipment for use. He was later assigned to Bruhl, Germany and tells of seeing thousands of German POWs and noted the devastated condition they were in. He recalls receiving a temporary duty assignment with the 359th Field Engineers at a rock quarry being worked by German POWs. He was later assigned to Etain, France where he was part of a small crew working a water purification unit. In August 1946, he returned by ship to Camp Kilmer. He was then sent to Sheridan, Illinois where he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Cobleigh. Cobleigh joined the Civilian Conservation Corps of Colorado in 1938, and later joined the Vermont Coast Guard, then the Navy. By October of 1942 he was serving on Tulagi Island during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He worked on island patrol and as a cook aboard the USS PT-111. PT-111 intercepted Japanese forces, completing 11 patrols, including missions around Bougainville. In January of 1943 Cobleigh was transferred to the USS Cossatot (AO-77) and traveled across the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean and around the Arabian Peninsula, supplying fuel and dry stores to ships. From late 1943 through 1944 he served aboard the USS Acontius (AGP-12) and traveled to Hallaniyat Island. In late 1944 he transferred back to PT boats until the end of the war. Cobleigh was discharge din January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Carey. Carey joined the Navy right after finishing high school in June, 1944, and trained at Great Lakes. After basic training, he attended signal school. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Armed Guard and went aboard the Fort Erie, an oil tanker. Carey recalls some ports in the South Pacific he visited and a few experiences aboard ship. When the war ended, Carey was assigned to a crew that mothballed various ships. He was discharged in May, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Money Mills. Mills was drafted into the Navy in August 1943 and received basic training at Bainbridge. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35), where he served as a shell handler beneath turret four. At Normandy, he reported a sniper to the captain, who called in a P-38 to eradicate him. Mills looked on as rangers struggled up the cliffs, many of them brought back to the Texas for medical care. At Cherbourg, the helmsman was killed and others were wounded, but Mills was too busy to be afraid. At the invasion of Southern France there was little resistance, but en route he encountered children living in extreme poverty. At the start of 1945, Mills became an engine-oiler and headed to Leyte, where natives lived amidst rubble. At Iwo Jima, he saw Marines wielding flamethrowers against the enemy. Plagued by kamikazes at Okinawa, he managed to shoot one down. Heartily celebrating V-J Day aboard ship, he returned home and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Overton. Overton joined the Army in 1942. He served with the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, an all-black unit that served on various islands in the Pacific. They participated in the Palau Campaign and the Battle of Okinawa. Their battalion assisted in building an airfield. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1945. He gained fame as the oldest living WWII veteran until his death in 2018.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herb Stern. Stern was born in Berlin, Germany in October 1919. His father was imprisoned by the Nazis and Stern immigrated to the United States in 1936. After completing high school, he attended the University of Cincinnati for four years. He was drafted into the Army in June 1941 and sent to Camp Lee, Virginia for basic training. From there he was assigned as a medic to the 9th Infantry Division. The division made practice landings at Solomons, Maryland. In October 1942 the division went to Morocco. Being fluent in German, Stern was assigned to G-2 (intelligence) to interrogate of German prisoners of war. He was then assigned to the Free French forces and worked with the medical battalions near the front lines. He interrogated a large number of prisoners captured in Bizerte, Tunisia. After spending time in Palermo, Sicily, he went to Liverpool, England where he was trained at a British Intelligence school. When his training was completed, he was sent to various units to give instructions in intelligence gathering. Stern landed at Utah Beach three days after the initial invasion and advanced to the Hurtgen Forest, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Tubig. Tubig was born in the Philippines in 1918 and joined the Philippine Scouts in 1941. After the surrender of the American forces on Bataan, he participated in the Bataan Death March. He describes the march to Capas, where they were interned at Camp O’Donnell. Tubig escaped with another prisoner and returned to his home. He did not participate in guerilla activities after his escape. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1946 and was discharged in 1948.