The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John H. Butterfield. Butterfield was drafted in November, 1942 into the Army and trained as an antiaircraft gunner. In March, 1943 he was shipped to Hawaii. Soon, he was assigned to a gun battery at Pearl City. He also learned to operate the radar and describes its activity. Butterfield describes being transported across the Pacific in an LST and participating in the assault on Makin Island. Butterfield and crew set up their antiaircraft guns there after the atoll was secure. Eventually, his outfit was transported back to Pearl Harbor in July, 1944. In April, 1945, Butterfield's antiaircraft unit was attached to the Tenth Army and went to Ie Shima. Butterfield also speaks about witnessing the Japanese surrender delegation arriving on Ie Shima. After the war, he was discharged and returned home, married and resumed farming.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David T. Hughes. Hughes joined the Marine Corps in September, 1942. He trained in San Diego and then shipped over to New Zealand. When Hughes arrived, he was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division as a rifleman. Hughes shares several anecdotes about training in New Zealand prior to shipping to Tarawa. At Tarawa, his unit was held in reserve and did not go ashore until the afternoon of the second day. The next day, Hughes was shot in the arm and evacuated to a ship. That ship took him back to the hospital at Pearl Harbor where Hughes recovered and was awarded the Purple Heart by Admiral Nimitz. He was finally shipped back to the US and was mustered out of the Marine Corps due to his disability in October, 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Daniel F. Hinojosa. Hinojosa volunteered for the Marine Corps in 1944 so as to avoid being drafted. He trained in San Diego. When deployed, Hinojosa was attached to Company D, 3rd Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Hinojosa then goes on to describe landing in the first wave on Red Beach at Iwo Jima. He was in a machien gun squad. Hinojosa was discharged in 1946 and returned home to finish high school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arnold L. ""Al"" Pitcher. Pitcher finished high school and then joined the Navy in 1943. He joined with one of his brothers and they trained at Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon completion Pitcher went to quartermaster school at Bainbridge, Maryland, where he learned to signal, navigate and steer a destroyer escort. Upon completion, Pitcher was sent to California where he boarded the USS Crowley (DE-303) and headed for Pearl Harbor. Pitcher describes the support the Crowley provided for the Marines on Peleliu. Pitcher also decribes the activities of the Crowley during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Otto K. Smith. Smith joined the US Army Air Forces late in 1942 after he finished high school and trained at Biloxi, Mississippi. Smith volunteered for aerial gunnery training after basic and was shipped to Las Vegas, Nevada for more training. At the beginning of 1943, SMith graduated from gunnery school and then headed for radio school at Scott Field, Illinois. By the end of the year, Smith was teamed up with a crew and training in B-24 bombers in California. His unit shipped out to Europe and landed in Scotland in June, 1944. By July, Smith and his crew were flying combat missions from a base around Norwich, England. By the middle of December, Smith had flown on 30 combat missions. He was operating in the 713th bombardment squadron, 448th bomb group, 2nd Air Force. Smith describes being aboard a B-24 during combat mission and sometimes having to cut bombs hung up in the bomb bay loose so they would fall. When 30 missions were complete, Smith opted to fly home in a C-54, which crashed and burned on the runway ion the Azores. SMith was able …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Marlin Dyer. Dyer joined the Navy in 1944. He completed training as a crewman on a landing craft, vehicle, personnel, LCVP or Higgins boat. He transported Marines to and from the shore during the Battle of Okinawa, and continued work on the island for 13 months. Dyer returned to the US and received his discharge in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Kostelnik. Kostelnik joined the Navy in May of 1944. He served as Apprentice Seaman aboard the USS Belet (APD-109) in the Pacific. Kostelnik notes he participated in the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns, transporting the 2nd Division Marine Corps, and received 2 battle stars. After the war ended, they traveled to Tokyo Bay and witnessed the signing of the Peace Treaty. After the signing, he returned to the US and received his discharge in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Harley Ruth. After doing a little work in Arkansas after completing high school, Ruth joined the Army in Fort Worth, Texas in 1940. He trained in the artillery in San Antonio, then became an instructor at a Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After one year of service, Ruth applied for pilot training in the Army Air Corps, was accepted, and reported to Brooks Army Air Field for preflight training just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He shares anecdotes about flight training all over Texas: Cuero, San Antonio, Brady. Upon completion of flight training, Ruth was assigned to the 5th Ferry Group in the Air Transport Command. Ruth shares several stories about various airplanes he ferried all over the United States during 1942-1943. In 1944, Ruth was assigned to ferry a C-46 to India. From there, he flew supplies up into China over the Himalaya Mountains. He recalls several experiences: one involving General Clarie Chennault, a few close calls, and ferrying money and a load of tin. In late 1944, Ruth returned to Dallas where his wife and son were living. He was stationed at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Miller. Miller joined the Navy in 1942. He trained to work in the engine and boiler rooms, serving as Third Class Petty Officer aboard the USS Jarvis (DD-799). Miller participated in 8 engagements through Alaska and the Kurile Islands. After Japan’s surrender, he worked with occupation forces in Japan destroying military supplies. Miller was discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert D. Molleston. Molleston joined the Navy in 1943 and trained at Farragut, Idaho. From there he went to radio school and aerial gunnery school before he was assigned to Air Group 6 and shipped to Hawaii aboard the USS General E.T. Collins (AP-147). In March, 1945, Molleston and his unit boarded the USS Hancock (CV-19) at Ulithi. Molleston reads from his diary he kept in his flight log book (May through June, 1945). It describes actions and raids against Okinawa and the Japanese home islands as well as kamikaze attacks on the US fleet. In August, the plane Molleston was in was shot down. He was rescued by the USS Harrison (DD-573). Molleston reads a story he wrote about the experience. He was wounded in the leg and spent a lot of time in hospitals right after the war. Molleston also reads from his diary regarding his experience in 2009 going on an Honor Flight to Washington, DC to dsee the National World War II Memorial.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur O. Spaulding. Spaulding grew up on his father's lemon farm in California and finished high school in 1943. He then enrolled in the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, but enlisted in the Army after a few months. Eventually, Spaulding served in Europe and recalls coming home after Germany surrendered.

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 James Norman Price. Price was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Forces in May 1942. He served as a B-17 pilot and flew missions during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He was selected to serve with the 509th Composite Bomb Group, 393rd Bomb Squadron. Price became a qualified B-29 commander, and piloted the bomber titled Some Punkins, arriving at Tinian in June 1945. On 6 August he made the final check of the Enola Gay and other aircraft as the expeditor for the mission. After the war, Price remained active in the Air National Guard at Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Bertanzetti. Bertanzetti joined the Army in February of 1941. After 2 years he transferred to the Army Air Forces. He was commissioned in 1943. He flew B-24s and was assigned to the 489th Bomb Group, 846th Bomb Squadron. In 1944 Bertanzetti traveled to England and completed 31 combat missions. On the last mission his plane went down. He and the crew bailed out over Germany, were captured and taken as prisoners of war to Stalag Luft III. He was a POW for 10 months, then liberated by Patton???s 3rd Army. Serving later in the reserves, Bertanzetti was discharged from the service in October of 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Wortham. Wortham joined the Marine Corps in August 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. Because he already knew Morse code and enjoyed electronics as a hobby, he was sent for further training as a radio operator. Upon completion, he was assigned to radio materiel school in Omaha, where he learned to repair two-way electronic equipment. He was then sent to the US Army’s main signal depot in Fort Monmouth to take a course in carrier radio relay. He joined the 2nd Marine Division in Hawaii and installed a transmitter on Mount Haleakala. After the Japanese surrender, Wortham was transferred to Sasebo, Japan, to set up and maintain communication receivers and transmitters for MacArthur’s headquarters. Wortham returned home and was discharged in September 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Jeter. Jeter was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He found boot camp to be tough, and some men committed suicide there. Jeter attended fire-control school in Bainbridge and then boarded USS New York (BB-34) as a fire controlman, working with highly classified computers and gyroscopes. Because his commanding officer was a childhood friend, Jeter turned down promotions to avoid misperceptions of favoritism. He instead served as the telephone man and orderly for the captain. In combat, Jeter served as the main battery director, witnessing the bloody aftermath of friendly fire from his battle station at Iwo Jima. After a kamikaze attacked the ship at Okinawa, Jeter saved the rising sun emblem from its wing as a souvenir. Upon returning to the States, Jeter guarded German prisoners at Norfolk. After his discharge, he earned a degree in physics on the GI Bill, later befriending several Japanese colleagues through his work.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman L. Bell. Bell worked in a shipyard in California at the beginning of the war and describes his duties as a welder. He joined the Navy in April 1943 and discusses his time in boot camp at Farragut, Idaho and the additional training that he received as a firefighter. Bell was sent to the USS Independence (CVL-22). He describes his duties and some of the work he performed. Bell discusses when his ship was hit with a torpedo off Tarawa and the damage control work he performed including how he helped save a trapped sailor. He also discusses an incident when emergency repairs were performed during a typhoon and another when a large bomb broke free from its restraints. Bell also discusses seeing the massive flyover during the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He left the service in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Angelo Gagliano. Gagliano joined the Navy in August 1942. He describes his experiences in basic training at Newport, Rhode Island. Gagliano was assigned to an air service unit and then transferred to the USS Langley (CVL-27). He became an aviation storekeeper and also served as an ammunition handler on a 40mm gun. Gagliano describes a time when he was a passenger on a TBF that catapulted off of the ship and how he blacked-out. He also discusses shipboard life and his duties. Gagliano describes seeing USS Princeton (CVL-23), USS Franklin (CV-13), and USS Lexington (CV-16) all take serious damage in battle. He also discusses what it was like to go through a typhoon and how several destroyers were lost. He was transferred to shore duty in New York and then Alameda where he signed off on returning aviators who were returning their gear. Gagliano left the Navy in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Horn. Horn was drafted into the Army in February of 1943. Horn was assigned to Company H, 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. He was first gunner in a machine gun squad. In March they traveled to Africa. Horn provides details of the water-cooled 30mm machine gun he fired. Theirjob in Africa was to move the remaining Germans out. Later in 1943 they traveled to Sicily, then Salerno. In September of 1943 Horn was wounded in Salerno by a 20mm gun. After being wounded he was sent back to Anzio. He later participated in the Normandy landings in June of 1944. Ernie Pyle worked with their group. In December of 1944 they participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Terence R. St. Louis. St. Louis joined the Army Air Corps in June of 1940. He was assigned to an aviation maintenance unit in Trinidad supplying airplanes flying anti-submarine missions. St. Louis was then sent to flight school to become a pilot in 1943, but was reassigned to gunnery school. He was sent to England as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 with the 398th Bomb Group, 601st Bomb Squadron. St. Louis details a typical mission and describes some of the more notable ones, including two emergency landings and the last raid on Pilsen. He discusses some of his observations from the gunner position during combat. St. Louis left the service after the war, but rejoined in 1948 and eventually retired from the Air Force in 1961.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bob Bloomfield. Bloomfield joined the Navy in 1942 as a Naval Aviation Cadet. In June of 1943 he received his wings. Beginning around August, Bloomfield joined Fighter Squadron Six (VF-6), with Butch O’Hare. He served as tail-end Charlie of O’Hare’s division, flying the Grumman F6F-Hellcat. Bloomfield participated in the carrier raids around Marcus Island and Wake Island. He later served as a wing man to Harry Harrison. In late 1943, Pearl Harbor served as his base of operations. From there they completed missions, participated in raids and supported landings in the Solomons, Coral Sea, Rabaul, New Hebrides, Espiritu Santo, Tarawa, the Marshall Islands and the Gilbert Islands. He was discharged around late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Weston Bonney. Bonney joined the Navy in August of 1943. He served as Chief Storekeeper aboard USS Kendrick (DD-612) beginning in March of 1944. They provided gunfire in support of ground troops advancing northward through Italy. He participated in the invasion of southern France in August, and escorted a convoy to the Mediterranean Sea in November, returning to the US in December. In August of 1945 they traveled to Pearl Harbor, where Bonney transferred to the USS Fred T. Berry (DD-858). They trained with aircraft carriers in the Pacific and completed a tour of occupation duty, traveling to Yokosuka Harbor in Japan, Qingdao in China and Korea. He was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Reverend J.B. Young. Young enlisted in the Army Air Corps in December 1936. He became a cook and then was trained as an airplane mechanic. Young was sent to Hickam Field in Hawaii to serve as a crew chief on a B-17. He describes the attack on 7 December and how he taxied his plane out of danger and the patrols that they flew in the immediate aftermath. Young was then sent to New Caledonia where his plane flew photo reconnaissance missions for three months. They traveled to Australia and flew missions against Rabaul and Japanese ships in the Coral Sea. Young describes some notable incidents from this time. He returned to the US after 66 missions and remained there until the end of the war. Young retired from the Air Force in 1959.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Walton. Walton joined the Navy in December 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion in August 1943, he was then assigned to USS Neches (AO-47) as a seaman. At Okinawa he saw an ammunition ship explode after a kamikaze hit. On the way back to the States, the Neches hit a mine that blew a 15-by-22-foot hole in the side of the ship. After it was repaired, Walton returned to sea until the end of the war. The Neches was in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the armistice, and Walton was close enough to see the Japanese boarding USS Missouri (BB-63). He recalls being treated well by Japanese civilians after the surrender. Walton returned home and was discharged in January 1946. There he finally met for the first time the woman with whom he had been corresponding during the war, and they were soon married.