The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert L. Cook, speaking for his deceased brother Frank E. Cook. Cook served with the National Guard. He was assigned to Panama working as a patrol boat guard. In early 1943, Cook served as Executive Officer aboard PT-170 in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 10. While traveling from Panama to Noumea, on 3 August 1943, Frank and his crew were caught in a crossfire with the Japanese and Frank died 5 August.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Henry L. Knauber. Knauber joined the Army in January 1942. He completed basic training and Motor Maintenance School in Georgia. He served as a truck driver and mechanic in a service company in the 1st Infantry Division. In August, they went to England. Through May of 1943, they participated in combat through North Africa. In July, the division took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily. Beginning 6 June 1944, they participated in the Battle of Normandy. They continued on through France, Luxembourg, Belgium and into Germany by October, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge through January of 1945. Knauber and his division were in Czechoslovakia when the war ended in May. He returned home and received his discharge on 13 September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Prevninger. Prevninger was drafted into the Army in June of 1944. He was trained as a tanker and eventually became a gunner on a Stuart tank and was later transferred to a Sherman tank. Prevninger describes crossing the Rhine and advancing across Germany. He discusses how they handled German prisoners at the end of the war. Prevninger served in the occupation and was eventually discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Merle Volding. Volding was born 19 December 1923. He joined the US Army Signal Corps around late 1941. He completed extensive training as a radar technician at the School of Engineering at the University of Iowa. He then completed further engineering and cryptography training through the Army’s Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Around late 1944 through the end of the war, he worked in the SOPAC message center on New Caledonia. He shares details of life on the island. He returned to the US and received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museumn of the Pacific War presents an interview with Claribel Hannemann. Hannemann was born in Frederickaburg Texas in 1928. She discusses growing up during the Depression and being a teenager during the war and how the war affected her family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arnold Peters. Peters joined the Navy in 1944. He served in the commissary department as a butcher at a Naval Air Base in San Diego. His wife worked as a cook for a children’s nursery at an aircraft factory. He ranked Petty Officer, Third Class, and received his discharge in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lewis Burke. Burke enlisted in the aviation cadet corps and was called up in January 1943. Burke primarily reads a testimony that details his experiences in the Army Air Forces. He also reads details about the combat missions he flew over Europe with the 398th Bomb Group, 603rd Bomb Squadron between November 1944 and April 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Carden. Carden was born in Oklahoma 15 September 1922. Upon graduating from high school in 1942 he joined the Navy. He was sent to boot camp in San Diego for six weeks before attending diesel engine school in Los Angeles for eight weeks. Upon graduating as a motor machinist mate he was assigned to the engine room aboard the USS Apache (AFT-67). He tells of participating in several invasions, including Guam, in which they assisted LSTs in withdrawing from the beaches. He tells of being attacked by Japanese planes during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. The crew shot down three enemy planes. The ship returned to the United States prior to the surrender of Japan and Carden was discharged in September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Urban J. Bellinghausen. Bellinghausen was born on 3 March 1926 in Munday, Texas. He joined the Marine Corps on 15 June 1944. He attended boot camp at San Diego. Following that he had 3 more months training at Camp Pendleton. Then he deployed to the Pacific, a 33 day crossing from San Diego to Saipan, arriving 10 November 1944. He was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. While Saipan was in Allied hands, there were still some Japanese troops left to deal with. His unit then sailed to Iwo Jima but returned to Saipan. There they trained for the Okinawa invasion. In Okinawa, they participated in a decoy landing on D-Day minus 1, pulling Japanese forces away from the beaches where the actual landings took place. Never actually hitting the beach, Bellinghausen stayed on board the landing ship, eventually returning to Saipan. After the atomic bombs were dropped and the armistice signed, he was sent to Nagasaki for 10 months. Then he caught a ship at Sasebo for the States, arriving in San Diego 17 July 1946. He was discharged 10 days later.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene N. Fithian. Born in 1925, he joined the Navy in 1943. He describes basic training and living conditions in Great Lakes, Illinois. Following basic training, he was assigned to the Navy Overflow Annex from Treasure Island where he worked in the fleet post office becoming a Mailman, Third Class. He was then assigned to the destroyer, USS Farenholt (DD-491). On the Farenholt, he became a cook and was assigned as a leader on a 20mm and later a 40mm anti-aircraft gun. He shares an anecdote about becoming seasick within two hours after sailing out from San Francisco. He describes screening operations for the landings on Kwajalein and Guam and carrier fleet operations in the Philippine Island area and Peleliu. He comments on the kamikazes, rescuing downed pilots and survivors of damaged or sunken ships, bombarding shore targets and carrier operations in the Sakishima Gunto. He shares a story of taking pictures of the Japanese generals on Okinawa on their way to the peace talks in Manila. After arriving in South Carolina, he was transferred to the USS Caperton (DD-650) prior to its decommissioning. He was discharged from …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Brown. Brown was drafted into the Marines in March of 1944 and served in the 2nd Marine Division. He traveled to Eniwetok and Okinawa. In Okinawa his job was to help service the planes. They also traveled to the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milton Seacord. Seacord joined the Coast Guard in 1943 and received basic training in Oakland. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Coast Guard station at Coos Bay, Oregon, manning the lighthouse and helping fishermen who ran aground. He transferred to Point Loma, California, standing guard as ships were loaded and unloaded in the harbor. After a brief time aboard the USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121), he traveled throughout the South Pacific aboard the USS Murzim (AK-95). Seacord returned home and was discharged in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Scheumann. Scheumann was drafted into the Army in October 1942. After training he was assigned to the 323rd Field Artillery as part of the 83rd Infantry Division. He went overseas to England in April, 1944, then to Normandy on 12 June. He was wounded and evacuated to England in early July. When he returned to France he was assigned to drive a radio repair truck. He returned to the US in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Elmer Hill. Hill was born in August 1906, one of 12 boys in his family. In his mid-30s he was working as a school principal, when he was drafted by the Navy. He served in a gunnery crew aboard the USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) for two years before returning home. At the time of this interview, Hill was 107 years old.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Shealy. Shealy joined the Navy in August of 1940. Beginning February of 1941, he served as Seaman First Class mess cook aboard the USS Canopus (AS-9) until they scuttled the ship in April of 1942, upon the surrender of Bataan. Shealy was taken to Corregidor for duty in the 4th Battalion Reserve, of the 4th Marine Regiment. He was captured in May and imprisoned in Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan Prison, a Japanese prison ship, and Osaka Prison. Shealy returned to the US in late 1945, and completed thirty years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernadine Bircher. Bircher was working as a psychiatric nurse in October 1943 when she joined the Army Nurse Corps. Upon completion of basic and specialized training, she deployed in June 1944 to a station hospital in Holland. Her unit was short on anesthetists, so Bircher volunteered, despite having no specific training. Nurses and doctors at the adjacent operating tables assisted Bircher with her first patients, and she began assisting an orthopedic surgeon. Casualties arrived from the Battle of the Bulge, often presenting with self-inflicted wounds in a desperate attempt to get off the front lines, requiring amputation and debridement. When the hospital's mess hall was bombed, glass shattered everywhere, resulting in several enucleation procedures. After serving in several mobile units, Bircher returned home in December 1945 and was discharged, returning to her work as a psychiatric nurse.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Alma. Alma went into the Army Air Forces in March 1943 and trained in Florida before training as an engine mechanic. He went overseas in March, 1946 to Germany. There he repaired aircraft engines.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Gehl. Gehl was born in New Salem, North Dakota. Joining the Navy, he attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. He was then sent to the Navy base at Norman, Oklahoma. After a few months at Norman, he went by troop train to San Francisco where he boarded a ship bound for the Philippines. Arriving at Manila he took part in establishing the Philippine Sea Frontier Headquarters. He was discharged soon after returning to the United States in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roy Broughton. Broughton joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and received his commission and wings in September, 1944. He was stationed in New Guinea at a replacement depot where he flew missions hauling cargo. Toward the end of the war, he recalls preparing for the invasion of Japan. After the war, Broughton was transferred to Europe to an air transport command. After becoming a squadron safety officer and learning about airplane accidents, Broughton remained in that capacity for the remainder of his career: investigating accidents and enhancing safety protocols.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Ley. Ley was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1925. When he completed boot training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, he then trained as a radio operator. In April 1943 he completed his training and was assigned to the USS Murphy (DD-603). In March 1944 they took on provisions and sailed to Londonderry, England. On 5 June 1944 the ship put to sea to lay a smoke screen during the Normandy landings. On D-Day, the ship was stationed off Omaha Beach and Ley saw masses of dead and wounded. He also saw the Army Rangers assaulting the cliffs of Point du Hoc, France. Ten days after the Normandy invasion, the Murphy returned to England for resupply. On 26 June they accompanied the USS Texas (BB-35) and participated in the bombardment of Cherbourg. Returning to England the ship took on a cargo of artillery shells affixed with a proximity fuse for delivery to Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria where Allied forces were gathering in preparation for Operation Dragoon. Ley describes picking up three German Luftwaffe personnel at sea. In 1945, King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia came aboard to meet …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Golson. Golson joined the Marine Corps in 1943 and trained at San Diego. Once overseas, he was assigned as a 60mm mortar man in the 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division. He was with them during the invasion of Guam. Golson describes some of the conditions of battle and his experiences in combat at Okinawa. He also shares anecdotes about occupation duty in Yokosuka before being discharged from the Marines in April, 1946.

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 oral interview with Emmett Gumm. Gumm received an appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy and, upon graduating, elected to go into the US Navy in early 1944 as an ensign. He was assigned to USS Wallace L. Lind (DD-703) as an engineering officer. His destroyer was attached to Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet and screened the carriers. He also recalls picket duty off Okinawa and being present in Tokyo Bay during the surrender ceremony. Gumm chose not to stay in the Navy after the war and was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robin Meece. Meece was born in Middletown, Ohio on 7 October 1926. When called into the Navy in 1944, he went to the San Diego Naval Training Station for boot training. Upon completion of boot training, he was assigned to the USS Mobile (CL-63) for on-the-job training (striker) as a radar operator. He briefly describes his job and several actions in which the ship was involved. After the surrender of Japan, he was a member of the occupation forces and discovered a cave with eight Japanese submarines hidden in it. He also went to a prisoner of war camp to aid in the release of the Allied POWs. In January 1946 the Mobile went to Seattle, where it was decommissioned. Meece was assigned to shore patrol duties upon his return to the US and served in this capacity until his discharge in 1946. He concludes the interview telling of his employment as an electrical engineer with Rockwell/Boeing, working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after receiving a college degree through the G.I. Bill.