Interview with H. L. Obermiller, a Pharmacist's Mate during World War II. He discusses his involvement in the Battles of Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian, where he served as a Pharmacist's Mate. He remembers having Spam for Thanksgiving, meeting Navajo code talkers, and writing letters home.

Interview with David Braden, a member of the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He discusses his training in the U.S. to become a navigator; his deployment to Saipan with the 870th Squadron, 497th Bomb Group, 73rd Wing; initial attacks on Tokyo in a B-29 bomber at high altitude (during which the jet stream interfered with the bombing raids); a low-altitude fire-bombing mission over Tokyo in March, 1945; living conditions on base at Saipan; a mission in which the B-29 he was on ditched in the ocean and his subsequent rescue; Victory in Europe (V-E) Day on Saipan; completing 35 missions; and going home.

Interview with Guinn Rasbury, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines, being part of the invasion force at Florida and Tulagi Islands, having multiple malaria attacks, being transferred to Maine to cure his malaria, being transferred around the United States, and finally returning to the Pacific theater. He explains how being sick with malaria and getting bumped from a plane ride home saved his life. He shares anecdotes about sounding "Taps" at a memorial service for President Roosevelt and being chairman of the Second Marine Division Memorial Scholarship Fund Committee.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Gallant. Gallant was commissioned as an Army Infantry Officer in 1940 and was transferred to the Army Air Forces to serve as an Administration Officer. He discusses his duties at Randolph and Foster fields as a part of flight training. Gallant once was flown by a WASP and from one field to another. He was sent to China in 1945 to join the 327th Troop Carrier Squadron. Gallant tells how his flight over the Himalaya Mountains was delayed for two weeks due to bad weather. He describes how the Chinese people treated the American servicemen. Gallant discusses how his unit adopted an orphaned Chinese boy and raised a bear. He details the reception that his unit received when returning to the States. Gallant left active duty soon after, but remained in the reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harry Colson. Colson joined the Navy in December of 1943. He served as Watertender Third-Class aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63). They participated in bombardment support for the invasion landings on Iwo Jima and throughout the Okinawa Campaign. Colson was aboard the Missouri on 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay, when the Instrument of Surrender was signed. Colson returned to the US aboard the ship, and was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stanley Robertson. Robertson entered the Army Air Forces as a cadet in May 1943 and graduated as a pilot and earned his commission in August, 1944. He started training on B-17 bombers before being assigned to B-29s. He arrived at Tinian in late April 1945 and started combat missions over Japan with the 398th Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group. He names and discusses several missions over various Japanese cities. Robertson returned to the US and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ned Simes. Simes joined the Marine Corps in March of 1942. He completed Radio Operators School, and served with 2nd Tank Battalion in light tanks. In October, they deployed to New Zealand and New Caledonia. In 1943 they landed on Saipan. While stationed there, Simes transferred to the artillery battalion, assisting with road construction, and continued to serve as a radio operator at headquarters. He returned to the US in July of 1945, and was in a victory parade tour in Houston, Texas. Simes was discharged in early 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Clinton Edward Stork. Stork joined the Navy in early 1943 and took basic training at San Diego. Upon completion of training, Stork was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43), and joined her at Bremerton, Washington. Stork sailed with the Tennessee to the Aleutian Islands and patrolled there and in the Bering Sea. His job aboard the Tennessee was working on the shell deck. All the 16-inch shells were stored there and Stork's team hoisted them up to turret #1 to be fired. Stork mentions some of the action the Tennessee particpated in during its tour of the Pacific: the Palaus, the marshalls, the Philippines, etc. He also describes being a sideboy when Admiral Nimitz boarded the Tennessee at Pearl Harbor one day. Stork also describes the kamikaze attack on the Tennessee off Okinawa. He spotted the formation of planes coming in low first. Six of the seven were shot down, but the seventh struck the Tennessee. He also mentions going ashore briefly in Tokyo and Yokohama before cruising back to the US via Cape Town, South Africa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Koch. Koch was born 31 October 1920 in Rochester, Indiana. He graduated from high school in 1939 and began working at various farms for one dollar per day. Upon being drafted into the US Army Air Forces in 1942, he was sent to Buckley Field, Colorado for six weeks of training in the operations and maintenance of machine guns. This was followed by gunnery training at Las Vegas Army Airfield in Nevada. Upon completion of the training he reported to Davis Monthan Air Base in Tucson, Arizona where he was assigned as a tail gunner on a B-24. After spending some time at several air fields, he was sent to Wendover Field, Utah. Here he was assigned to the crew of a new B-24 of the 489th Bomb Group, 847th Bomb Squadron. They flew to Holton, England. Soon after his arrival, he was assigned to the crew of another B-24 bearing the name Pregnant Peggy. He describes various mission flown, commenting on one where they returned to England on two engines with wounded crewmen on board. On 9 November 1944, he was transferred to the 9th Air …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Smart. Upon graduating from junior college Smart joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program. Having civilian pilot experience, he quickly advanced from platoon leader to company and battalion commander. Smart first joined the experienced VMSB-141 before joining VMSB-236 at Bougainville. His first combat experience involved bombing Rabaul. Smart then supported the Army in the Philippines by bombing assigned buildings and strafing enemy troops. Although Smart was fortunate enough never to encounter enemy aircraft, antiaircraft fire struck his plane in the oil cooler system, forcing a crash-landing on a guerrilla airstrip. There he was warmly received and gifted a homemade knife and scabbard by a headhunter. Later, during the Luzon campaign, Smart bombed Santo Tomas following the liberation of American prisoners and felt it was a privilege to do so. After war ended, Smart joined the Marines as a reserve pilot and had duty in Japan. He lived there with his wife and children and was amazed by how much the Japanese accepted them as allies, so soon after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Virgil Cassel. Cassel joined the Navy in July of 1942. From September of 1942 through March of 1946 he served aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) as an Apprentice Seaman and Chief Yeoman. Cassel signed up for extended duty and served in Berlin, Germany for two years beginning in March of 1946. He was assigned as the admiral’s secretary in the Office of Military Government for the U.S. Navy. They were disbanding the Germany Navy. Cassel assisted Admiral William Glassford in the analysis of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. He provides some details of the trials he attended. He was discharged in November of 1947. He remained active in the Navy Reserves until joining the Air Force ROTC at the University of North Texas. Upon graduating in 1951 he received a commission in the Air Force as a second lieutenant and was called to active duty in the Korean War. Due to his number of hours in duty overseas, he remained at a base in Texas and completed the remainder of his Air Force career as an instructor in leadership in the Strategic Air Command Security School in Camp Carson, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Steward. Steward was born in Waverly, Illinois. After enlisting in the Army Air Corps, and spending four weeks in basic training, he went to aircraft maintenance school. In 1944 he went to the South Pacific and was stationed in the Philippines. One night Japanese paratroopers attacked, killing a number of Americans in their tents. On another occasion at Clark Air Base, the Japanese, under cover of darkness, put time bombs on some of the aircraft. The bombs were discovered by the maintenance crews before they exploded.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harrold Weldon. Weldon joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned as a coxswain to the USS Neville (APA-9) for the invasion of Saipan. He was transferred to the USS Brookings (APA-140), which was loaded with Marines in anticipation of the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, the Marines were delivered instead as occupational forces. Weldon was in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the surrender and visited both atomic bomb sites, noting in particular the devastation at Hiroshima. Weldon returned home and reenlisted for four years; he was discharged in 1949.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Oliver Johnson. Johnson worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1938-1940, driving trucks, building a ski lodge on Mt. Spokane and fighting forest fires. He provides some details of his experiences with the CCC. He joined the Navy in December of 1940. He trained as an Aviation Machinist Mate and provides details of his training days, graduating June of 1941. He was assigned to the test flight line and stationed in Hawaii at Kaneohe Naval Air Station. He worked on engines and the fuselage, making patches, sheet metal work and electrical work. He provides details of life on the island during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Johnson later served in the Korean War and was discharged in July of 1960.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clinton Edward Stork. Stork joined the Navy in early 1943 and took basic training at San Diego. Upon completion of training, Stork was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43), and joined her at Bremerton, Washington. Stork sailed with the Tennessee to the Aleutian Islands and patrolled there and in the Bering Sea. His job aboard the Tennessee was working on the shell deck. All the 16-inch shells were stored there and Stork's team hoisted them up to turret #1 to be fired. Stork mentions some of the action the Tennessee particpated in during its tour of the Pacific: the Palaus, the marshalls, the Philippines, etc. He also describes being a sideboy when Admiral Nimitz boarded the Tennessee at Pearl Harbor one day. Stork also describes the kamikaze attack on the Tennessee off Okinawa. He spotted the formation of planes coming in low first. Six of the seven were shot down, but the seventh struck the Tennessee. He also mentions going ashore briefly in Tokyo and Yokohama before cruising back to the US via Cape Town, South Africa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lloyd Fulbright. Fulbright joined the Army in September 1943 and trained in the artillery branch. He went overseas in Fenruary 1944 first to New Caledonia, then to New Zeraland where he was assigned to the 169th Field Artillery Battalion, 43rd Infantry Division. He then went to Aitape, New Guinea with the division and the Philippines. Fulbright shares several anecdotes about his combat experiences and stories from his time in occupied Japan. While in Japan, he was part of a detail that guarded the Kirin Brewery in Yokohama. He returned tot he US in January, 1946 and opted for discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William McLemore. McLemore joined the Navy in March of 1934. Beginning in November he served aboard the USS Augusta (CA-31), with Chester Nimitz as the Commanding Officer. McLemore???s job was swabbing down the decks and serving as twin 50mm gunner. They traveled to Chang Jiang, China, Shanghai, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines and Australia. He provides some details of his experiences in China and Australia. He was discharged from the Navy as Seaman First Class in 1938 and reenlisted as a coxswain in May of 1942. He was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 8 aboard PT-121, and operated on the south coast of New Britain. Their boat was destroyed by Australian aircraft on 27 March 1944. He later served aboard the liberty ship SS John B. Floyd as a coxswain. They traveled to Cairns, Australia. He was discharged in December of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Ralph W. Johnson. Born in 1920, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps in October 1941. He was accepted into the Aviation Cadet program in 1942. He was sent to flight instructor school upon completion of his flight training in 1943. In Carlsbad, New Mexico, he instructed bombardier cadets in bombing and navigation techniques until 1944. He shares an anecdote about landing a plane when the engines were accidentally turned off by a bombardier cadet. He was transferred to Hobbs Air Force Base, New Mexico where he learned to fly B-29 and B-17 bombers. He discusses difficulties with the B-29 aircraft. In April 1945, he was transferred to Guam where he became a B-29 aircraft commander and flew combat missions. He describes missions along the coast of Japan. He talks about a mission in which the fuel tanks were accidentally dropped along with the bombs. He also describes his plane being hit by anti-aircraft fire and the flight from northern Japan to Iwo Jima. He shares an anecdote about a mission that earned him the nickname “Fireball.” After a brief period on inactive duty after the war, he returned to active duty and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wilbert Shanks. Shanks joined the Navy in December of 1940. He completed communication school, and became a signalman, operating Morse Code and semaphore flags. He served aboard the USS Helena (CL-50). His battle station was at emergency radio, providing communication within the ship. They were stationed at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and Shanks describes his experiences before, during and after the attack, including the ship getting hit with a torpedo. After repairs were made to the Helena, they traveled to the Coral Sea where they assisted survivors of the sunken USS Wasp (CV-7). They participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign. In July of 1943 they provided artillery for the Marines at Kula Gulf, where the Helena was sunk. In February of 1944 Shanks was assigned to the USS Major (DE-796), running escort duty between Norfolk and Trinidad. He was in Tokyo Bay during the surrender in September of 1945 and was discharged in December of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Benzinger. Benzinger joined the Navy in June of 1944. He completed Radio School. He was stationed as a Radio Technician at the Navy Pier in Chicago and worked with all Navy communications equipment. He graduated from Navy Pier just as the war ended and continued on with his service. He worked in a receiving station on Leyte Gulf in the Philippine from September of 1945 through May of 1946. He was discharged in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Nellis Verhey. Verhey joined the Army in April of 1943. He served with G Company, 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. In 1944 they traveled to England. Verhey parachuted into Normandy on D-Day in June and into Belgium during Operation Market Garden in September. Verhey was discharged in December of 1945. After the war ended, he served on Honor Guard duty for both Eisenhower and Truman.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Dragoni. Dragoni joined the Army Aviation Cadet Training Program in August of 1943. He completed cadet training and gunnery school, though served as a Radar Navigator aboard a B-29. Beginning in December of 1944 he completed missions to Singapore out of a base in India. During one mission, their plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Singapore and they crash landed on Burma. They were later stationed on Guam, completing missions to Iwo Jima and Japan. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Darl Good. Good volunteered for service in the Army, enlisting in January, 1941. Good trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He also attended a clerical school and worked in the headquarters at Fort Knox making sure the armored divisions had spare parts for their vehicles. After a few years there and promotion to warrant officer, Good transferred to the 918th Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company where he learned to drive a variety of vehicles (tanks, jeeps, trucks, etc.). They shipped over to England in 1944 and eventually set up an auto parts warehouse in Brussels. Good returned to the US and was discharged in November, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kenneth O. Good. Good joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. He completed Radio Operator and Mechanics Technical School at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois and the Aviation Cadet Pilot Training Program in Texas. Good received his wings in August of 1944. He served with the 528th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, 14th Air Force as a P-51 fighter pilot, under the director of General Claire Chenault. In May of 1945, Good was deployed overseas and completed missions over China and Burma, escorting bombers, flying interception missions, striking enemy communications, and supporting ground operations. He served in combat until the end of the war. Good returned to the US and received his discharge in January, 1946.