Oral History Interview with John Neece, September 16, 2019 (open access)

Oral History Interview with John Neece, September 16, 2019

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Neece. Neece was drafted into the Army in July, 1943 and had basic training in New Orleans. After basic training, Neece went to Illinois for radio school, then to Florida for radar school. He was then sent to the Pacific and joined the 864th Bomb Squadron as a radar operator. He flew out of Saipan and Okinawa prior to the war's end. When it was over, he spent a little while in Japan before going bakc to the US and being discharged.
Date: September 16, 2019
Creator: Neece, John
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Walker, September 16, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James Walker, September 16, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Walker. Walker was working as a mail carrier when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the Navy, and despite attending aviation mechanic school he was selected to be an aerial gunner. Walker was assigned to an SBD crew aboard USS Essex (CV-9), flying his first mission over Wake Island and his last over Truk. After 10 months in combat, he transferred to Florida for further training. Walker later put in to become a pilot himself and was taking courses at William Jewell College in anticipation of flight school when the war ended. Walker was discharged thereafter.
Date: September 16, 2011
Creator: Walker, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Gaffney, September 16, 2013 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James Gaffney, September 16, 2013

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Gaffney. Gaffney was born in San Antonio in 1923. He joined the Unites States Coast Guard in 1942. After completing training at Manhattan Beach, New York, he was assigned to USCGC North Star (WPG-59) which proceeded to station off Narsarsuaq, Greenland. He recalls leaving with a detachment of soldiers on a mission to capture and destroy a German weather station located on the coast of Greenland. He also recalls being ice bound for thirty days and the circumstances that allowed for the release of the ship from the ice. He remembers searching for survivors of USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77). Gaffney also tells of his experiences aboard an 83-foot patrol boat during Operation OVERLORD. He concludes the interview with his experiences following his discharge in 1945.
Date: September 16, 2013
Creator: Gaffney, James
System: The Portal to Texas History