Oral History Interview with W. W. Hughes, November 17, 2003

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Interview with W. W. Hughes, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Grand Prarie, Texas. Hughes discusses growing up in the Great Depression, joining the National Guard and equestrian service in the 112th Cavalry at Fort Clark, the start of war and deployment to New Caledonia and Australia, preparations for combat, amphibious landings at Arawe Island off New Britain, scout patrols and combat, operations in New Guinea at the Driniumor River, Japanese POWs, actions in the Philippines at Leyte and Luzon, returning to the US as an instructor, and reflections on his service.
Date: November 17, 2003
Creator: Johnston, Glenn T. & Hughes, W. W.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Clarence Kingsley, November 21, 2003

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Interview with Charles Kingsley, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Dallas, Texas, who served in the 112th Cavalry. Kingsley discusses his upbringing, joining the Guard, the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to New Caledonia, his troop's machine gun section/platoon, Woodlark Island, the Battle of Arawe, New Guinea and the Battle of Drinumor River, the Battles of Leyte and Luzon, his thoughts on the generals he served, and thoughts on the 112th.
Date: November 23, 2003
Creator: Johnston, Glenn T. & Kingsley, Clarence
System: The UNT Digital Library
Deliverance! It has Come!: In The Philippines 1942-1945, Diary (open access)

Deliverance! It has Come!: In The Philippines 1942-1945, Diary

Annotated transcription of the diary of Herman Knight Beaber documenting his years as a missionary in the Philippines and his internment in Los Banos as an Enemy Alien, a civilian prisoner of the Japanese.
Date: 2001
Creator: Beaber, John S.
System: The Portal to Texas History

Oral History Interview with Lanson B. Ditto, October 11, 1996

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Interview with Lanson B. Ditto, clothier and Navy veteran regarding personal experiences about the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean Theaters during World War II. Ditto talks about his education, enlistment in the Navy V-7 Program, midshipman training, assignment to the USS Langley, pre-war duty in the Philippines, coming of war and combat around the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies, the sinking of the Langley and his transfer to the USS Pecos, the sinking of the Pecos and his rescue by the USS Whipple, various naval battles and assignments, antisubmarine patrols off the Solomons, various escort duties, and his promotion to captain of the O'Toole.
Date: October 11, 1996
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Ditto, Lanson B.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with John J. Clemens, May 13, 2003

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Interview with John J. Clemens. The interview includes Clemens' personal experiences about childhood and early adulthood in Houston, Texas, World War II-era service in the U.S. Navy, serving aboard USS Wren in the Pacific Theater, and piloting a ship into Tokyo Bay immediately following the Japanese surrender. Clemens speaks about convoy missions across the Atlantic Ocean, the January 4, 1944 sinking of the USS Turner while moored in New York Harbor and the court of inquiry regarding the sinking, actions in the Aleutian Islands, Attu, Okinawa, and Philippine campaigns and anti-kamikaze warfare while aboard the USS Wren, and the effects that Allied bombing had on Tokyo.
Date: May 13, 2003
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Clemens, John J., 1921-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Herb Elfering, December 6, 2001

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Interview with electrical engineer and Army veteran Herb Elfering, The interview includes Elfering's personal experiences with a searchlight/radar battery, 251st Coast Artillery Regiment, at camp Malekole during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Elfering also gives brief descriptions of his later experiences at Bougainville and Luzon.
Date: December 6, 2001
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Elfering, Herb
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Harlan W. Crouse, July 2, 2004

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Interview with Army veteran Harlan W. Crouse, including personal experiences about combat in the Philippines during World War II, the Japanese surrender in Yokohama Harbor, and being present during the post-war U.S. occupation of Japan.
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Crouse, Harlan W., 1926-
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Jean Balch, October 12, 1996

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Interview with Navy veteran Jean Balch, including Balch's personal experiences about the Pacific theater, being a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, boot camp, radio, radar, and gunnery school, operations during the Leyte invasion, missions over Luzon, and raids on Japanese installations on Formosa and Saigon, French Indo-China. Additionally, Balch talks about his plane being shot down on a raid to Hong Kong and his capture on January 16, 1945, interrogations and beatings by the Kempei-tai, imprisonment at Ofuna, Honshu, solitary confinement for six months and continued interrogation, beatings by Japanese prison guards, starvation diet, the end of the war and liberation, and his participation in the war crimes trials held by the International Military Tribunal.
Date: October 12, 1996
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Balch, Jean
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Frank H. Bigelow, June 13, 2002

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Interview with Navy veteran Frank H. Bigelow, survivor of the siege of Corregidor. The interview includes Bigelow's personal experiences about being a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, boyhood in North Dakota, various jobs during the Great Depression, and enlisting in the Navy. Additionally, Bigelow speaks about volunteering for duty in the Philippines and his assignment to the submarine tender USS Canopus, pre-war military life in the Philippines, the Japanese bombing of Cavite Navy Yard and the destruction of the Canopus, retreating to Bataan and to Corregidor, the fall of Corregidor, his confinement in the 92nd Garage area, the forced march down Dewey Boulevard in Manila and confinement at Cabanatuan, hell ship to Japan, coal mining for Mitsui Heavy Industries, the amputation of his leg by fellow prisoners after a mining accident, liberation, and the destruction in Nagasaki due to the atomic bomb. The interview includes an appendix with an article titled "A Soldier's Story."
Date: June 13, 2002
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Bigelow, Frank H., 1921-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interviews with James D. Tyson, December 1970 - February 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interviews with James D. Tyson, December 1970 - February 1971

Interview with James D. Tyson regarding his experiences as a civilian in the Philippines in the 1930s and later a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date: December 5, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Tyson, James D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976

Interview with Billy Allen, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Van Alstyne, Texas. Allen discusses his entry into the Marine Corps, deployment to Shanghai with the China Marines in 1940-41, arrival in the Philippines, the Japanese attack on Mariveles Navy Yard, the retreat to Corregidor, capture by the Japanese, and experiences in internment at Bilibid Prison in Manila, Cabanatuan, Osaka, and Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
Date: March 1, 1976
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Allen, Billy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with J. L. Sherman, March 4, 1976 (open access)

Oral History Interview with J. L. Sherman, March 4, 1976

Interview with J. L. "Smokey" Sherman, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Ponder, Texas. Sherman discusses joining the Army in 1940, going to the Philippines and being stationed on Corregidor, the siege and fall of the island, his escape from capture and time as a guerrilla, surrender, and experiences in internment at Cabanatuan and Kobe.
Date: March 4, 1976
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Sherman, J. L.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Commander Alex Vraciu, October 9, 1994

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Interview with Cmdr. Alex Vraciu, a Navy WWII veteran and Navy Cross recipient from East Chicago, Indiana. Vraciu discusses his family and educational background, naval flight training, Edward "Butch" O'Hare, the F6F Hellcat, various combat operations throughout the Pacific, his actions at the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," being awarded the Navy Cross and time stateside, and returning to combat. In appendix is an autobiographical sketch by Vraciu, including a picture of him and his Hellcat with visible victory markings on the fuselage.
Date: October 9, 1994
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Vraciu, Alexander
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Anna K. Schelper, October 24, 2007

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Interview with Major Anna K. Schelper, a Army WWII veteran from San Antonio, Texas. Schelper discusses her parents, growing up, her education and becoming a nurse, joining the Army Nurse Corps, experiences serving throughout the Pacific Theater, service in hospitals after the war, continued education and promoting, and reflections on her career and being a servicewoman. In appendix are Schelper's Army service record, a letter from two former patients to the 23rd Field Hospital, a scan of some of her letters which were printed in a book, and a scan of some sections from The Army Nurse Corps: Yesterday and Today by Mary M. Roberts.
Date: October 24, 2007
Creator: Quick, Janice & Schelper, Anna K.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Ernest Kelley, February 20, 2003

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Interview with Ernest Kelley, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Antioch, Texas (now the Red River Army Depot), who served with the 112th Cavalry. Kelley discusses growing up in the Depression, joining the Guard, mobilization and training, horses, the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to New Caledonia, landing on Woodlark island and action there, the Battle of Arawe, redeployment to Australia, the Battle of Driniumor River in New Guinea, the Battles of Leyte and Luzon, returning to the United States, and reflections on his time in the Army. In appendix is a list of people and places named in the interview with lat/long coordinates, descriptions of military equipment, and the 112th's WWII service chronicle.
Date: February 20, 2003
Creator: Johnston, Glenn & Kelley, Ernest L.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with William E. Painter, December 21, 1998

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Interview with William Painter, a UNT professor and Army WWII veteran from New Bloomfield, Missouri. Painter discusses growing up in the Depression, being a conscientious objector and feeling pressure to join the war, getting drafted into the infantry and training at Camp Hood and Fort Ord, deployment to the Pacific with the 32nd Infantry Division, operations on Luzon and the Villa Verde Trail, the end of the war, occupation duty in Japan, and returning home. In appendix is a letter to Marcello with a correction for the interview.
Date: December 21, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Painter, William E.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Willie Fred Sander, May 22, 2002

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Interview with Willie Fred Sander, a Navy WWII veteran from Brenham, Texas. Sander discusses his background and life before the war, joining the Navy and aviator training, flying PBM patrol bombers throughout the Pacific, and his family life after the war.
Date: May 22, 2002
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Sander, Willie Fred
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Loren H. Brantley, November 19, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Loren H. Brantley, November 19, 1971

Interview with Loren Brantley, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Daingerfield, Texas. Brantley discusses being stationed in Shanghai before the war, his experience in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked on December 8th, the Battle of Corregidor, and his internments at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, and a coal mine near Nagasaki.
Date: November 19, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Brantley, Loren H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972

Interview with James L. Kent, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Duncanville, Texas. Kent discusses joining the Marine Corps, being AWOL, his judicial punishment, his deployment to the Philippines at Cavite Navy Yard, the Japanese attack, his experiences in the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, his capture, and his internment at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan #1 & 2, and Mitsushima.
Date: May 11, 1972
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Kent, James L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971

Interview with Tom Blaylock, an Army Air Corps WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Blaylock was stationed in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion of December 1941, was captured, forced to partake in the Bataan Death March, and was interned at several major POW camps in the Philippines before transferring to a coal mine camp at Omine-machi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Date: March 22, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald & Blaylock, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Ben Kelley, March 26, 1982 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ben Kelley, March 26, 1982

Interview with Ben Kelley regarding his experiences in the military and as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II. He was part of the 36th Division, Texas National Guard, 131st Field Artillery, 2nd Battalion. He was captured on the island of Java in March of 1942 and spent the duration of the war thereafter as a prison of war in camps in South East Asia and in Japan.
Date: March 26, 1982
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Kelley, Ben
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Joe Gear, July 18, 1970 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Joe Gear, July 18, 1970

Interview with Joe B. Gear regarding his experiences in the military and as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II. He was captured near Corregidor in the Phillipines.
Date: July 18, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Gear, Joe B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Leigh D. Josephson, May 27, 1986 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Leigh D. Josephson, May 27, 1986

Interview with executive of Caltex Petroluem Corporation, Leigh D. Josephson, including his personal experiences related to employment with Standard Oil of California, his assignment to Bahrain and transfer to Caltex, the construction of Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, and the bombing of the Bapco refinery in Bahrain. Josephson also talks about refinery operations in Bahrain during and after World War II, his various positions and responsibilities with Caltex and Bapco, work in Bahrain and the Philippines, his personal relationship with the Bahraini royal family, and the OPEC and Arab oil embargoes in 1967.
Date: May 27, 1989
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Josephson, Leigh D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Raymond E. Abbitt, February 25, 1975 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Raymond E. Abbitt, February 25, 1975

Interview with Father Raymond Abbitt discussing his experiences as a civilian internee of the Japanese during World War II. He was captured on the Island of Mindanao in the Philippines and held in various Japanese camps in the Philippines.
Date: February 25, 1975
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E.
System: The UNT Digital Library