The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernice Shafer. Shafer was born in Ackley, Iowa 26 December 1926. She began nurse training at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Des Moines in 1941. Upon graduating in 1944, she entered the US Army Nurse Corps and began basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado. When she completed basic, she was assigned to Leonard General Hospital, Topeka, Kansas. After a period of time, she was shipped to Camp Pendleton, California in preparation for an overseas assignment. Shafer was assigned to the 311th Hospital Unit and boarded the USS Monterey (CVL-26), bound for Manila. She tells of the primitive conditions encountered in setting up the hospital. Designated as an operating room nurse, she describes working up to forty hours straight and the various types of battle casualties that were treated. She recalls that patients were transported to the hospital by ambulance, jeep and helicopter. In February 1946, Shafer returned to the United States aboard the USS West Point (AP-23), arriving at New York City after passage through the Panama Canal.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Leonard. Leonard grew up during the Great Depression and shares details of his family’s experiences during that economic downturn. He joined the Marine Corps in November of 1939. By 1940 he was in Bremerton, Washington and assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 2. They were stationed 10 miles from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by 1941. Leonard completed gunnery school. He also grew up learning much about mechanics and pursued that skill set on the island. Leonard was at Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941, and provides vivid details of his experiences through that fateful event. In March of 1942 he joined Marine Aircraft Group 25. They initially operated from New Caledonia, flying missions in support of the Marines at Guadalcanal in September of 1942. In March of 1943 he took a job in the US delivering planes to factories, and sharing design changes with engineers for optimal flight performance. He was discharged in November of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Adanto D'Amore. D'Amore describes his education briefly at Ohio State University where he graduated from medical school. Shortly thereafter, he joined the US Army Air Corps, where he examined candidates for jump school. He eventually was assigned as flight surgeon to the 19th Bomb Group and sent with them to Clark Field in the Philippines in October, 1941. After the Japanese invaded, D'Amore and elements of the 19th Bomb Group moved to Mindanao. After the surrender, D'Amore went with fellow prisoners of war to the Davao Internment Camp. Eventually, he was relocated to Cabanatuan where he spent 12 months before leaving aboard a hell ship for Omori Prison Camp in Japan. Upon being liberated after the war, D'Amore was sent to Okinawa, Manila and finally San Francisco. D'Amore also discusses the condition of the returning POWs.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clarence Petersen. Petersen joined the Marines in June of 1942. He completed radio school and served as a radio operator in D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He provides details of training. Beginning February of 1943, he traveled to New Zealand, completing maneuvers. They traveled to Guadalcanal in May of that same year and Bougainville in November. Petersen provides some detail of the Japanese and living in the jungle of Bougainville. He landed on Guam in July of 1944, by way of amphibious tractor. He was in the 13th wave and describes carrying his radio and an 85-pound roll of combat wire onto the island. He was discharged in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Guthrie. Guthrie joined the Navy in late December of 1941. In 1942, he flew PBY Catalinas with Patrol Squadron 23, a Black Cat Squadron. They were assigned to Midway, participating in patrols searching for the Japanese invasion force. They also supported the invasion of and operations at Guadalcanal. In 1943, Guthrie was assigned to Funafuti and completed air, sea and rescue missions. In 1944, he flew missions over Kwajalein, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima and numerous other islands. He returned to the US and was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Margaret Ringenberg. Ringenberg possessed a private pilot’s license and became a ferry pilot with the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) in March, 1943. Once she joined, she went to training at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. With training completed, Ringenberg was stationed in Delaware. From there, she would travel to factories and fly planes to various fields. She flew single and multi-engine planes during the war. When the WASPs were disbanded in late 1944, Ringenberg went back home. She continued to fly for the remainder of her life logging over 40,000 hours.