The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Forest Hill. Hill joined the Army Air Forces in early 1943. He completed Link Trainer School in Illinois, and served as an instructor at cadet training facilities in Greenville, Brady, and San Antonio, Texas. Around late 1944, Hill was assigned to administrative duties on Mindoro Island, with an A-26 bomber group. In August of 1945, they traveled to Okinawa. He then served with occupation forces in Tokyo, Japan where he oversaw a small library and shared radio news with the troops. He returned to the US and received his discharge in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Irene Johnson. Johnson was born in 1917 in Iowa. She speaks of life during the Great Depression. Johnson graduated from high school around 1935, and attended one year of college in Kansas. Around 1939, she moved to Dallas, and worked in the office of a construction company, building housing for training pilots. After the war began, she joined the Women’s Army Corps. Johnson provides details of her service, including uniforms, housing and her office work completed at an airfield, tracking locations of pilots.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Miles. Miles made a deal with the local draft board in his area that he would join the Army right after his sister was married. When she married in 1945, he joined the Army, trained at Fort Lewis and went to Japan on occupation duty. He was assigned to an engineer unit and constructed facilities in occupied Japan. He returned, was discharged and went on to attend Georgia Tech.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Tooze. Tooze joined the Navy V-12 program in July of 1943, and began his naval service at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He graduated in October of 1944 from the Midshipmen School Program as an ensign. He then reported for duty aboard the USS Biscayne (AGC-18). In February 1945 they set sail for Luzon, Philippines. Their orders were to provide close-in support during the Battle of Iwo Jima. They were there from February 19 through March 26. From there they provided support for the Battle of Okinawa beginning April of 1945. Tooze provides details of his experiences and what he witnessed at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He provides some detail of the death of news correspondent Ernie Pyle. In December of 1945 they returned to the States. Tooze was discharged in March of 1946, then participated in the Naval Reserve until 1951.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Fortmeyer. Fortmeyer joined the Navy in February of 1945. He served as Fireman First Class aboard the USS Chickasaw (AT-83). They conducted salvage and rescue operations around Wake Island, the Hawaiian Islands, and along the coast of the United States. Fortmeyer continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clifford Staffenbeck. Staffenbeck was born in Galveston, Texas on 24 February 1926. In 1944, he was drafted into the United States Navy. Upon completing boot camp at San Diego, he was trained as a Gunner’s Mate. He was sent to the Philippines and assigned to crash boat 26635, nicknamed Bug Bunny. He describes the boat and the crew and tells of his experiences while aboard the boat. Following the end of the war, he was assigned as a Shore Patrolman and he tells of some of his experiences. He was discharged soon after his return to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Morrison. Morrison entered the Army on 1 September, the day before the war ended, and trained at Fort Bragg. He had an assignment at the US Military Academy at West Point and also attended a radio repair school in Oklahoma before being discharged in October 1946. He returned to the University of Nebraska and resumed his education. After the war, Morrison entered the Naval Reserve.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Q. Landis. Landis joined the Navy around April of 1944. He served as a quartermaster aboard USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2). They traveled to New Guinea, and he assisted the ship’s captain in undercover scouting work that other crew members completed aboard LSTs and LCTs. They also traveled to Leyte in the Philippine Islands. Around late 1944, early 1945, Landis transferred to USS Henry T. Allen (APA-15). They were located in Manila Bay when the war ended, then they traveled to Japan to assist with occupation duties. They returned to the US in December and Landis received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Major Franklin Stewart. Stewart joined the Army Air Corps in August of 1941. He served as a pilot in the 408th Bomb Squadron, 22nd Bomb Group. In 1943, they attacked Japanese targets on Papua New Guinea and New Britain. In 1944, he was stationed at Nadzab Airfield, attacking targets on Borneo and participating in the Philippines Campaign. Stewart continued his service after the war, retiring from the Air Force in 1983.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Freer. Freer joined the Army Air Forces in August, 1942 as a air cadet and went to flight training after basic. He was commissioned and earned his wings in February, 1944. His first assignment was as an instructor. Later in April, he was assigned to a B-17 crew. By July, he was in Bassingbourn, England flying combat missions attached to the 91st Bomb Group, 322nd Bomb Squadron as a co-pilot. He eventually became a pilot without ever really having had training on a B-17. On his 26th mission over Germany, his plane was heavily damaged and Freer had to bail out. Freer was captured and taken to Stalag Luft I, where he was when the war ended. After returning to the US, Freer stayed in the Reserves until 1955.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John M Gurley. Gurley joined the Navy in May of 1943. In early 1944, he completed Submarine School, and served as Yeoman Third Class aboard the USS Sennet (SS-408). Gurley completed four war patrols through Saipan, Japan and Guam. He returned to the US and was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Seay. Seay joined the Army in 1943 after beginning field artillery training through the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. Upon completion, he was deployed to the China, Burma, India Theater to assist with opening the Burma Road. There he trained Chinese forces near Kunming on the use of pack artillery. He was then sent to radio school and coded communications so that he could teach this to the Chinese, as well. Although Chinese forces were often woefully underfunded and untrained due to warlords diverting their resources, Seay oversaw one particular guerilla group that was able to retain their funds and become properly trained. From Seay, they learned to harass Japanese troops traversing mountain passes. Seay was then recruited by headquarters to gather intelligence from local sources regarding the whereabouts of Japanese officers. Upon contracting hepatitis, he was sent to a field hospital in Kunming and was transferred to Calcutta as the war came to an end. Seay returned home and was discharged in December 1945, returning to Texas A&M and earning a degree in civil engineering.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with William Batty. Batty was drafted into the Army Signal Corps in April, 1944 after he finished high school. After training, he joined the 58th Signal Repair Company in late 1944 and headed for England. His unit eventually moved to the continent and into Germany. Their job was to repair telephones, but they did not encounter too many. Batty shares several anecdotes of his time in Europe during and after the war. When the war ended in Europe, Batty recalls his unit packing its gear for transport to the Pacific. He was Marseilles when the Japanese surrendered. He returned instead to the US and was discharged in April, 1946. Batty went to college in Mississippi and then went to work for IBM.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with Ivan Bishop. Bishop attended electrician school prior to joining the Army. He served in the Signal Corps in the 727th Signal Aircraft Warning Company. Bishop participated in the invasion of Leyte and Okinawa operating a radar warning system for invasion forces. Bishop shares several anecdotes about his experiences in the service during the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kenneth Shaub. Shaub joined the Marine Corps right after the attack on Pearl Harbor and trained at Parris Island and then Quantico as a radio operator. He was then assigned to a tank battalion in the 4th Marine Division. He went to the Marshall Islands and mariana Islands campaigns. Between campaigns, he trained at Maui. Shaub served in a Sherman tank during the Mariana campaign and relates a few anecdotes about combat on Saipan. When Shaub went to Iwo Jima, he was with a headquarters company. He shares several anecdotes from his experiences on Iwo Jima.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Denzil Rogers. Rogers enlisted in the Army in November, 1944 and trained for the infantry in Arkansas. In April, 1945, he landed at Leyte where he joined the 132nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. He went to Japan with the Americal Division and was soon transferred to a military police outfit. Rogers remained in Japan until rotating to the US in October, 1946. He was then discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Leavelle. Leavelle joined the Navy in 1940 after he finished a stint in the Civilian Conservation Corps and high school. After training, Leavelle was assigned to USS Whitney (AD-4). He was aboard the Whitney during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was later injured by a rogue wave and elected to be medically discharged. He went on to be a detective in the Dallas Police Department and was escorting Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby shot him. Leavelle in the man in the light suit on the right in the famous image depicting the murder.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James and John Bowen, Earl Steele, and Don Stoll. The Bowen brothers and Earl Steele share their experiences aboard USS South Dakota (BB-57) during WWII. The brothers served aboard the ship together. They were still aboard when the ship was deployed to the Atlantic. Ingram interviews Don Stoll on 3 December 1989. Stoll served as an engineer on the captain’s gig aboard USS South Dakota. He was aboard from 1943 through 1946. Stoll was injured severely in a bomb blast.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Everill. Everill joined the Army in November 1942 and enlisted in the aviation cadets program. He washed out of flight school due to slight vision impairment but was accepted to a liaison flying school soon after. With prior civilian flight experience, he was soon approved as a pilot and assigned briefly to the 47th Liaison Squadron before transferring to the 115th. He was sent to India and Burma as an L-5 pilot, offering assistance to the Mars Task Force, evacuating casualties, delivering supplies, and carrying out reconnaissance. He was next stationed in China, where he transported OSS personnel. After the war, Everill was in charge of 600 men aboard a troop train. When they arrived at their destination on New Year’s Eve, he went against a lieutenant’s orders and dismissed them all. Everill returned home and was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jesse Dwain Holmes. Holmes joined the Navy in 1944 and attended boot camp in San Diego. Upon completion of gunnery school, he boarded the SS John T. McMillan (1943) as an armed guard. After joining a convoy at Leyte, the crew was at general quarters every hour for air raids. Whenever the ship laid smoke screens, Holmes didn’t fire a single round, for fear of engaging in friendly fire. He returned home briefly after 10 months at sea and redeployed to Okinawa, where he fired a 3-inch gun at kamikazes. He then served on Guam as a postman to enjoy some shore duty. Holmes sailed to Wake Island after the war ended and went ashore for its surrender. After being discharged in December 1945, he was grateful to return home unscathed despite the Naval Armed Guard's heavy casualty rates.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and attended rocket school. He was then assigned to the West Coast as an instructor. There he flew a TBF but was still able to land on short runways, due to his precision carrier training. As a lieutenant, he treated his students as equals, sometimes flying them home to visit family. At his final station in Sand Point, the officer’s club was once visited by actor Robert Taylor, who introduced himself and sat down next to the prettiest girl in the room, Matthews’ wife. When the war ended, Matthews left the Navy, although he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Otto K. Smith. Smith joined the US Army Air Forces late in 1942 after he finished high school and trained at Biloxi, Mississippi. Smith volunteered for aerial gunnery training after basic and was shipped to Las Vegas, Nevada for more training. At the beginning of 1943, SMith graduated from gunnery school and then headed for radio school at Scott Field, Illinois. By the end of the year, Smith was teamed up with a crew and training in B-24 bombers in California. His unit shipped out to Europe and landed in Scotland in June, 1944. By July, Smith and his crew were flying combat missions from a base around Norwich, England. By the middle of December, Smith had flown on 30 combat missions. He was operating in the 713th bombardment squadron, 448th bomb group, 2nd Air Force. Smith describes being aboard a B-24 during combat mission and sometimes having to cut bombs hung up in the bomb bay loose so they would fall. When 30 missions were complete, Smith opted to fly home in a C-54, which crashed and burned on the runway ion the Azores. SMith was able …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Oscar Robert Freesen. After graduating from high school, Freesen was drafted into the Army in January, 1944. He speaks about training in Georgia and Texas. In January, 1945, Freesen was sent to England and then to Belgium. Upon arriving there, Freesen was assigned to Company K, 331st Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. He describes some of his combat experiences in Belgium. Freesen's unit eventually crossed the Rhine into Germany. Freesen describes being wounded in a German town in April, 1945 and being evacuated to a hospital in France. Freesen also speaks of connecting, decades after the war, with the daughter of a friend with whom he served in Europe. Freesen was able to verify to the daughter that her father, who was killed in Germany, knew she had been born before he died. She had spet her entire life up to that point not knowing if her father knew she had been born. After recovering in the hospital, Freesen rejoined his unit and served as a clerk until he managed to get sent home after his father became ill. He returned in November, 1945.

Jazz Lecture Series presentation by Don Grolnick on March 07, 1989 at 9:30AM at the UNT College of Music. It includes a lecture and performance by Don Grolnick, piano, interspersed with questions from the audience.