The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Agaito Silva. Silva was inducted into the US Army in January 1941. Trained in anti-aircraft guns at Fort Bliss, Texas he was assigned to the 200th Coast Artillery. Several months later the unit was shipped to Fort Stotsenberg, Luzon, Philippines. He describes the Japanese attack on 8 December 1941 and the serious shortages of food and medical supplies that developed. He tells of retreating to Corregidor and of being wounded by shell fragments. After surrendering on 6 May 1942, Silva tells how the prisoners were treated. They sent to Bilibid Prison and then to Cabanatuan. He was then taken to Japan to work in the mines and gives several anecdotes describing the inhumane treatment of the prisoners by the Japanese. He relates how after the Japanese surrender, food and medical supplies were dropped to the POW camp. Silva returned to the United States on 18 October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with B.J. Pumphrey. Pumphrey joined the Navy in June of 1942. He served for a short time as crewman on a PBY flying anti-submarine missions. Pumphrey was then sent to the USS Midway (CVE-63) where he served as a phone talker on the bridge. He describes the superstitions of the crew when the name of the ship was changed to the St. Lo. Pumphrey describes Taffy 3 coming under attack and seeing the Japanese shells land near the ship. He details being hit by a kamikaze and the damage that resulted. He discusses his time in the water and eventual rescue. Pumphrey describes being inspected by Admiral Nimitz and the impression he received. He was then sent to commission the USS Little Rock (CL-92). Pumphrey left the service in September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Travis Smith. Smith joined the Army Air Forces in September 1942. He qualified as a pilot trainee and began training in San Antonio. In May, 1944, he graduated and received his commission. Smith went overseas to the Philippines, arriving in March, 1945. Later, he moved to Okinawa and flew bomber escort for bombing missions to China and Japan. He flew over 50 combat missions before the war ended and then went to japan on occupation duty. Smith was discharged in 1946, but stayed in the reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Cunningham. Cunningham joined the Army Air Forces in January of 1942. In June, he traveled to England. In November, he went to Algiers with a military police unit. He recalls a story about when he captured several German soldiers trying to sneak through the lines. He also went to Italy, arriving in Naples after the invasion and spent much time in Rome. He served in the 281st Military Police Battalion and shares several overseas anecdotes from Italy and Algeria. He had a motorcycle accident and was medically evacuated back to the US and was discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eleanor Hughes. Hughes was working for Pacific Co-op in Roseburg, Oregon when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She volunteered and worked nights on the local plotting board watching for planes and ships coming near the Oregon coast. When a blip appeared in their sector, they phoned in and someone checked to see if it was enemy or friendly. Hughes enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) on 27 September 1943 at Little Rock, Arkansas and was sent to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia for training. She was stationed there for almost a year before her group was sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea. They were trucked from their quarters to a headquarters building, known as the Pentagon of the jungle; they worked there all day and were taken back to their barracks by truck at night. Hughes was a secretary to a young lieutenant. A lot of the soldiers who were there when she arrived were replaced by WACs. The weather was hot and muggy but she does not remember it bothering her too much. There were no men in her camp; however, men worked at the headquarters and drove …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harper Gruber. Gruber was an electrician's apprentice at the Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina. He joined the Navy soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was sent to the Panama Canal Zone to join the 13th Headquarters. He was later transferred to YMS-339 where he served as an electrician's mate for the remainder of the war. He describes in detail minesweeping operations for the various types of mines. His minesweeper participated in 7 invasion operations in the Philippine Islands. Gruber was sent back to Charleston Navy Yard after the war ended, and remained there until eligible for discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Croft. Croft joined the Navy in February of 1941. He completed Aviation Radio School before working at Pearl Harbor. He later was assigned to the USS McFarland (AVD-14). They transported aviation gas to the neighboring islands. Croft witnessed the Japanese attack on 7 December from the veranda of the US Naval Hospital on Pearl Harbor. He was later assigned to the USS Vega (AK-17), where he served in the engine room and Radio Shack as radioman. They participated in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. In early 1944 they transported cargo from San Francisco to support Pacific operations in the Gilbert Islands, Marianas and Okinawa. In June of 1944 Croft was transferred to the USS Hermitage (AP-54), transporting troops from the US to New Guinea. He was discharged in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Larry Parker. Parker was drafted into the Army Air Forces in 1943. He was trained and joined the crew of a B-17 as a co-pilot. He was a member of a specialized unit trained to carry wooden life boats slung under the bomb bay and to drop them by parachute when downed aircrews were discovered. Parker operated out of the Philippines and eventually was sent to Ie Shima. He details several lifeboat drops. His plane carried General Stillwell to Okinawa after the death of General Buckner. He describes Stillwell almost melting one of the plane’s guns due to continuous fire during this trip. Parker also witnessed the Japanese delegation that landed on Ie Shima at the end of the war. He left the service in December 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert W. Wood. Wood begins by discussing growing up during the Great Depression and the effect it had on him and his family. When he finished high school in 1941 in Greenville, Texas, he moved to Dallas, worked for Woolworth's and attended night school at Southern Methodist University. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Wood had already volunteered for the Navy and was called up shortly after Christmas. Wood discusses riding the train to San Diego to attend boot camp in January, 1942. Then he describes a few experiences while in training. While in San Diego, he trained to become a radio operator before reporting to Bremerton, Washington where he boarded the USS Altamaha (CVE-18). Wood describes some of the sea trials and early voyages of the Altamaha as it delivered planes and cargo to various points in the Pacific: Brisbane, Australia, Noumea, Espiritu Santo, Pearl Harbor, Karachi, India and the Solomon Islands. He also describes some carrier-landing qualifying assignments for pilots the Altamaha had. He recalls a time when Bob Hope came aboard and performed a show for the sailors at Ulithi. He goes on to describe being caught in a typhoon in which …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Garvin O. Suggs. Suggs was in C Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He joined them at the time the Marines were mopping up on Guam. On the third day of the battle, Suggs landed on Iwo Jima and was transferred to A Company where he was a squad leader in a rifle platoon. Suggs details several of his experiences fighting on Iwo Jima with many anecdotes. He also recounts a few of his experiences on Guam. In May, 1946, Suggs was discharged, but re-enlisted a few weeks later figuring he could use some more training. He made a career of the Marine Corps and served in Korea and Vietnam. He shares an anecdote about his time in Vietnam that illustrated the contrast in morale between the Vietnam War and World War II.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lester McClanahan. McClanahan joined the Navy in 1944. He was assigned to the USS Algol (AKA-54) in June of 1944 and served as a deck hand and gunner. He provides some detail of the ship and the equipment it carried. They traveled to Eniwetok, Ulithi and Saipan, carrying supplies for troops after the invasions. They were at the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in early 1945, and later at Okinawa. He recalls the kamikaze plane attacks while at Okinawa. They also provided towing services for ships to the Philippines. They traveled to Qingdao, China and he discusses his experiences there. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Billy Hill. Hill joined the Navy around 1941. He completed Medical Tech School and Pharmacy School. Beginning in March of 1944, Hill served as a Pharmacist Mate aboard the hospital ship USS Bountiful (AH-9). They traveled to Honolulu, the Marshall Islands, Saipan, the Mariana Islands, Peleliu, Leyte and Iwo Jima, evacuating and caring for the wounded. He continued his service after the war ended, retiring in 1966.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Virgil Haley. Haley joined the Navy in June 1944 and trained at San Diego. After training as a quartermaster and signalman, Haley joined the USS Williams (DE-372). His job aboard ship was to steer and work in the chart room. The Williams provided escort duty in the New Guinea and the Solomon Islands area. He also describes being caught in a typhoon. Haley returned to the US and was discharged in June, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Dirks. Dirks was drafted into the Navy in February 1944 and trained at San Diego. From there he went to a weather school. Once he got to the Aleutian Islands, he was assigned to a weather station. Because he could type, he was made a yeoman in Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's Northern Pacific Command headquarters on Adak. He spent the war there but for a brief interlude in Japan during the surrender and was discharged in May 1946. Dirks resumed his education and graduated in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Oweiss. Oweiss joined the Army in March 1943 and trained in Virginia. His first stop was in the Army Specialized Training Program until he transferred to a flight school. The Army had too many pilot trainees,so oweiss was tranferred to a parachute infantry training and became a paratrooper attached to the 127th Airborne Engineers, 11th Airborne Division. He shipped overseas t oLuzon, Philippine Islands, with them. He also went with the unit to Okinawa. He also shares anecdotes about occupation duty in Japan. After returning to the US, Oweiss was discharged in February 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Powell. Powell was born in Enid, Oklahoma, on 3 November 1924. Upon graduating from high school he entered the US Army. After completing basic training in Amarillo, Texas, he was selected to enter flight training at Cedar City, Utah. In the middle of his training, the program was cancelled. Boarding USS Mitchell (APA-114) he spent thirty-nine days at sea before arriving at Bombay, India. There he was assigned to the 148th Replacement Battalion where he participated in the processing of troops to and from the China-Burma-India Theater. He returned to the United States in 1946 aboard the merchant ship, Marine Cardinal, and was discharged shortly after his return to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank C. Smith. Smith was born in Houston, Texas on 7 August 1921. Graduating from high school in 1939, he enrolled in Williams College. After three years he transferred to and graduated from Caltech in 1944. Smith joined the Navy in 1944 and trained in electronics at several universities and Navy bases before being trained in electronic countermeasures, including the IFF (identification friend or foe) set. Just prior to concluding training at San Clemente Island, the Japanese surrendered. Upon completion of the advanced training he was shipped to Guam and assigned to CASU F-12. He went aboard Navy aircraft carriers to service the electronic equipment on various fighter planes that were on board.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clint Morse. Morse was born in Berkeley, California on 16 June 1920 and entered the Navy in 1942. He was assigned to the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard University and upon graduation, was assigned to the USS Mugford (DD-389) as the supply officer. Morse recalls the crew of the Mugford picking up survivors of an Australian hospital ship that had been sunk. His ship was based at Milne Bay, New Guinea and participated in troop landings on various islands. He tells of the ship being under attack on several occasions and the experience of losing one of the crew members as the result of an attack. He returned to Mare Island Navy Yard in 1946 and was assigned the job of ship liaison officer until his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Sandini. Sandini was born in June 1925 into a Hungarian immigrant family and grew up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. Upon joining the Army Air Forces in 1943, he was accepted into the flight training program. Sandini was assigned to the 369th Bombardment Squadron, 30th Bomb Group, 40th Bomb Wing, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force. He tells a comprehensive tale of the experiences he encountered during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He flew twenty-four B-17 missions during World War II as well as numerous AC-47 gunship missions over Vietnam. He also tells of his involvement in the development of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program. He retired as a colonel in 1970.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ernest Harper. Harper joined the Navy in April of 1944. He did not train in any specific Navy schooling prior to going to sea. Beginning around mid-1944, Harper served as Steward’s Mate aboard USS Cowpens (CVL-25), working in storerooms, resupplying various areas of the ship and cleaning. Additionally, he assisted on the deck during combat, transporting supplies and ammunition to the gunners. Harper recalls combat experiences through Guam, Ulithi and Saipan during the Marianas operation, participating in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, attack missions against Luzon, and making supporting raids on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alfred Gluck. Gluck joined the Merchant Marines in mid-1941. He served as a Seaman aboard a liberty ship, the SS George L. Baker (1614). In May of 1943, they traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, transporting general supplies and merchandise for people on the island. He returned to San Francisco, and was assigned to the SS James Lick in July as Able Seaman, traveling to New Hebrides and New Caledonia, transporting military cargo. In 1944 through the end of the war, Gluck also served aboard the SS Mormacgull, traveling to New Guinea and Guadalcanal and the SS Louis Sullivan (2781). He continued his service after the war, and received his discharge in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Smith. Smith joined the Marine Corps in April 1944. After basic training, Smith went to Sea School where he trained in 40mm antiaircraft gunnery. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Iowa (BB-61).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Chalke. Chalke joined the Navy in June of 1944. Beginning in March of 1945, he was assigned as Radioman 3rd Class aboard the landing craft repair ship USS Pandemus (ARL-18). They traveled to Okinawa, Guam, Saipan, Philippine Islands and China servicing landing and small craft. They encountered kamikaze planes and a typhoon during their travels. They returned to the US in December of 1945. Chalke was discharged in May of 1946.