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 interview with Willis Lott. Lott joined the Navy in May 1944 and went to basic training in Samson. After training, Lott went overseas and was assigned to the USS Wasp (CV-18) at the Admiralty Islands in October. He worked as an Airedale on the hangar deck. Lott was aboard when a Japanese plane bombed the ship in March, 1945. He stayed aboard the ship through the repairs and through a typhoon until the end of the war. When the war ended, he went with the Wasp to Europe delivering German POWs back home. Lott was discharged in June 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Rue. Rue’s son-in-law Scott Gremillion assists with the interview. Upon high school graduation in 1941 Rue enlisted in the Coast Guard. He completed training at the Naval Station in Algiers, Louisiana, and then went to Miami, Florida where he was stationed on a light ship. From there he went to Fort Lauderdale where he guarded a German ship that was in port. From there he went on to Maryland to be trained as an electrician. His job on the ships was an assistant to both the electrician and the cook. His rank was Electrician 1st Class. For almost a year he escorted ships going to Russia and later escorted troops and supplies to the Panama Canal and throughout the North Pacific. He helped make the airfield at Guadalcanal and would escort troops from Iwo Jima to Guadalcanal. His ship made the invasion at Iwo Jima. He returned from the Pacific and was discharged in 1946. He carried on with his work and family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Barbara Burton. Upon graduation from high school, Burton completed nursing school in 1947 at the University of California. Burton gives detail of civilian life during World War II. She talks about being in Los Angeles on August 15th and the celebration in the streets. After college she became a civilian Navy employee and took a position in the Aleutian Islands in 1947, working for the dispersing officer in the supply department. She provides details of her experiences there. Burton completed her work in 1950. Towards the end of her interview she gives much information about her husband’s experiences in World War II and 32 years in the Navy, James Fred Imlay.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clyde Simpson. Simpson joined the Navy in June of 1940. He went to boot camp in San Diego, California. From there he went to Aviation Radio School to learn Morse Code. He also completed gunnery school. He was then transferred in early 1941 to the air group on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and placed in Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3). They traveled back and forth from San Diego to Hawaii for training cruises. Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor they traveled back to Hawaii. They were then sent out to look for the Japanese fleet, and ended up getting hit by a Japanese submarine. He talks about this experience. In July of 1942 he was back out to sea headed to the Solomon Islands, providing air support for the Marines at Guadalcanal. He provides details of the fighting at Guadalcanal. He was medically retired by the Navy in June of 1951.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Maxwell. Maxwell joined the Navy in September of 1941. He completed Officer Candidate School, and served as Yeoman Second Class aboard a landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP), and later served as Captain aboard an amphibious command ship (LCC). In 1942, Maxwell deployed to Hawaii. In the Solomon Islands, he worked as an administrator of a PBY outfit. After the war, he served with occupation forces in Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Archie Roberts. Roberts joined the Army in 1943. He was trained on the 240mm howitzer, and worked in the command center of the artillery operation in the 270th Field Artillery Battalion. They deployed to England, and participated in the pre-invasion of Normandy in June of 1944. They advanced into Belgium, participating in the Battle of the Bulge. Roberts returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Caramello Stramer. Stramer joined the Navy in February of 1942. He completed boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, and he completed training in New London, Connecticut to serve aboard submarines. Stramer provides details on his experiences at both training locations. He served aboard the USS Puffer (SS-268) beginning April of 1943, as the motor machinist mate. He was stationed in the aft engine room, overseeing diesel engines. They went to Brisbane, Australia for additional training and repairs. In September 1943 they made their first patrol in the Makassar Straits. He goes into great detail of torpedoing a ship, coming under attack by the Japanese and other experiences through the Strait. Stramer discusses their other patrols through the South China Sea and around Singapore. Stramer also served aboard the USS Ray (SS-271) beginning July of 1944. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sheldon Gerson. Gerson was drafted into the Army in August 1944. He completed basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas. He took infantry training, preparing him for combat. He was an expert rifleman and was the acting Sergeant of the First Platoon. He was taken out of his company and transferred into the Army Specialized Training Program at Penn State University. There he studied electrical engineering. He was then transferred to work on the atomic bomb. He was placed in the 9812th Technical Service Unit. He explains his experiences with a top-secret mission to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in April 1945. He was working as a chemical engineer to help develop and produce an atomic bomb under the auspices of the Manhattan Engineer District. He details what he did in the laboratory. From there he went to another ultra-secretive facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico where the atomic bomb was being developed by Robert Oppenheimer. Gerson was discharged in June 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Reed. Reed joined the Navy in late December, 1941 and trained at San Diego before reporting to motor torpedo boat school in Rhode Island. Reed relates many anecdotes about patrols and his experiences attacking Japanese barges around New Guinea in 1942. He recalls capturing only three Japanese POWs. Reed also tells stories about John Bulkeley. He returned to the US in February 1944 for treatment in a hospital before becoming an instructor at the PT boat school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cletus Ernster. Ernster went to Conrad Flying School in Winona, Minnesota in 1939. He joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was commissioned as a service pilot. He was assigned to Wilmington, Delaware to deliver planes throughout the United States and overseas. He discusses the various planes that he flew and the locations he delivered planes to. He was assigned to Chanyi, China in September of 1944, where he spent the remainder of his service. He was in the 1342nd Army Air Forces Base Unit in China. He gives detail of flying missions and transporting Chinese soldiers from one battle area to the next. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Pampe. Pampe joined the Army in June of 1943. He completed Coast Artillery training. He served as a Munitions Officer with the 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division, Headquarters Battalion, commanding 35 soldiers. They deployed to England in October of 1944, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. From September of 1945 until January of 1946, he served as an Athletic Officer at Camp Philadelphia Redeployment Camp in France. Upon returning to the US, Pampe entered the Inactive Reserves, retiring in July of 1977.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harmon Harris. Harris joined the Navy in May of 1944. He served with the 141st Construction Battalion. They traveled to the Marshall Islands and Kwajalein, building airstrips, houses and defensive structures.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Louis Janosek. Janosek joined the Army Air Forces in March of 1943. He completed training in radio navigation and served as an Air Transport Command C-46 Flight Officer. They traveled to Liberia, West Africa, Ascension Island and China, Tunisia, Egypt, Bagdad, transporting supplies, food and equipment. He shares his experience flying over the Hump, the Himalaya Mountains. He received his discharge in 1946. In 1947, he renewed his service with the Air Force, retiring in 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Smith. Smith was raised on a farm with six brothers. He joined the US Navy in early 1944. He completed boot camp in San Diego and was then assigned as a deckhand aboard USS Bland (APA-134). He recalls transporting troops and supplies to Saipan. He served in the occupation of Japan, and shares stories of travels to Japan and China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Cavness. Cavness was born in Mason County, Texas in 1924. He quit high school in his junior year and joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. After completing basic training at Wichita Falls, Texas he was sent to Las Vegas, Nevada for training in aerial gunnery. He then went to Sioux City, Iowa for additional training and assignment to an air group. He recalls the loss of air crews during training mission. In early 1943 he boarded the RMS Aquitania and sailed to England. Arriving at Sudbury, he was assigned to the 486th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force as a waist gunner on a B-17 bomber. He vividly describes his various actions and observations during various missions. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Baumbach. Baumbach joined the Marine Corps in November of 1942. Beginning around mid-1943, he served as a Radioman with the First Armored Amphibious Battalion, Company D. In January of 1944, they deployed to Kauai, Hawaii. They participated in the battles of Kwajalein, Guam and Okinawa. Baumbach returned to the US and received his discharge in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Morgenroth. Morgenroth joined the Marine Corps in April of 1944. He shares details of his training in Hawaii, learning weaponry and practicing beach landings. He served in demolition with the 5th Marine Division, 26th Marines. They participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He received his discharge in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Liban Brillantes. Assisting Brillantes with the interview is his daughter Peda, and his granddaughter Precious Ross. Brillantes was born in the Philippine Islands in 1916. He joined the 1st Company, 3rd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment around 1934. Following the occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese, he joined the Filipino Guerillas and he tells of life under Japanese occupation. He describes participating in the annihilation of a column of Japanese soldiers and the method of burial by the Japanese command. He also comments on the rumor that looted gold was buried by General Yamashita and that Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos was involved in its recovery.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Peter Williams. Williams joined the Navy in July of 1946, at the age of 17. He served as Radioman 2nd Class aboard USS Montague (AKA-98). They operated off the east coast through January of 1948. He was then transferred to the USS Winston (AKA-94), where he remained until his discharge in May.

United States. Navy; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines--Luzon.; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Japan--Okinawa Island; World War, 1939-1945--South Pacific.; LST-747

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Louis Strang. Strang joined the Marines around mid-1942. He completed Radio and Radar School in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was transferred to a Marine air station on the east coast where he studied aircraft radar and transmitters. Strang was then deployed to a Marine air station at Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron 4, and they traveled aboard a troop ship to Guadalcanal in February of 1945. They followed the 1st Marine Division on their Okinawa landing April 1, and provided ground to air communications support during the Battle of Okinawa through July. He describes living and working on the island, and the surrounding combat with the Japanese. Around early August, Strang describes going through a typhoon aboard a cargo ship. After the war ended, Strang and his crew were assigned with the 1st Marines to occupation duty in China. He returned to the U.S. and received his discharge in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Milford. Milford joined the Royal Australian Air Force around mid-1942. He served as a wireless air gunner aboard a Wellington bomber in 205 Group, 150 Squadron, participating in campaigns in North Africa in early 1943 and Italy in December. He completed 38 missions, his last in June of 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Gillespie. Gillespie joined the Navy in late 1944. Beginning around mid-1945, he served on Corregidor Island, Philippines as Radarman 2nd Class. He worked guard duty and serviced a radar atop a mountain on the island. He recalls his time living and working on Corregidor, and the removal of Japanese prisoners-of-war from the island. He continued his service after the war ended, returning to the US in the spring of 1946 to receive his discharge.