The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Owens. Owens joined the Navy in 1943, aspiring to be a fighter pilot. He enrolled in the V-12 program but by 1944 there was declining interest in pilots with as little experience as he would have had, so he volunteered for gunnery school. He joined a PBY4-2 Privateer crew in Florida as a turret gunner and deployed to the Philippines. Flying over the South China Sea and along the coastline of Indochina, his crew was often accompanied in the air by nonconfrontational Japanese fighters. On one mission over a targeted ship, however, Owens's crew flew too closely to the lead plane and struck a column of water splashing up from their bomb. This caused engine trouble and made them an easy target for nine aggressive enemy fighters. The crew escaped after shooting down three Oscars and diverted to Palawan for an emergency landing. In their haste to lighten the load on the damaged plane, they tossed out their life rafts before crossing the sea. Fortunately, they arrived without incident. After 23 combat missions in both the PBY4-1 and 4-2, Owens returned home and became an engineer for …

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 Robert Hanger. Hanger was born 15 May 1919 and enlisted in 1942. He was ordered to Lowery Field, Colorado to attend armament school. Upon completion of his training, he went aboard the USS Rochambeau (AP-63) and sailed to New Caledonia where he was assigned to the 339th Fighter Squadron. Operation Vengeance occurred while he was with the squadron and he recalls the success of the mission and of personally knowing some of those who participated. One of his duties was assistant mess officer. During his time on New Caledonia he underwent navigator training. Returning to the United States in November 1943 he began pilot training. He tells of the various bases to which he was assigned and of piloting B-24’s in conjunction with the training of radar students. He was discharged September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Hatgil. Hatgil joined the Army Air Forces after working briefly in the defense industry. He received communications training and was assigned to the 505th Bombardment Group. On Tinian, he oversaw the teletype office adjacent to General Curtis LeMay. He recalls seeing the Enola Gay heavily guarded by Marines. Although at the time he was unaware of the atomic bomb, an important message arrived for LeMay, sent to the teletype machines by Colonel Paul Tibbets. Disobeying orders, Hatgil read the message, which was a recap of Tibbets’ instructions, specifically urging him to leave the target area as quickly as possible after dropping his bomb. When the war ended, Hatgil returned home and was discharged. Having spent much of his service decorating planes, sketching portraits, and painting murals in his free time, he enrolled in art school on the G.I. Bill and became a professor of art at the University of Texas. Hatgil kept a scrapbook of his wartime experience, including his artwork and several photos given to him by his unit’s official photographer.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Admiral George Gus Kinnear. Kinnear joined the Navy in 1945 as Seaman 2nd Class. He was selected for pilot training in June of 1945 and served as a Naval Aviator beginning September of 1948, completing his first tour at sea flying the F4U-4 and F4U-5 Corsair in Fighter Squadron 73 (VF-173). He graduated from the Naval War College in 1961. He was assigned to a series of squadrons, serving as pilot, Operations Officer and Executive Officer. He flew combat missions during the Korean War and over 100 in the Vietnam War. He was assigned as commander of NAS Miramar at San Diego in July of 1971. Kinnear returned to combat as commander of Carrier Group One in 1974-1975, serving in the Tonkin Gulf. He was promoted to Vice Admiral in April of 1978 and commanded Naval Air Forces, Atlantic Fleet through July of 1981. He was then promoted to Admiral and took over the responsibilities of the US Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee in July of 1981, retiring in September of 1982 as admiral.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Canion. Canion joined the Army Air Forces in June of 1942. He received a commission as a second lieutenant and completed pursuit pilot training at Foster Field in Victoria, Texas in May of 1943. He served with the 345th Fighter Squadron, flying P-39s and P-47s. Beginning in the fall of 1943, he flew combat missions during the North African Campaign and the Italian Campaign. He also supported the invasion of southern France, completing around 100 missions. Canion returned to the US in April of 1945, having earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was discharged in June.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Samuel Cole. Cole joined the Army Air Forces in January of 1943. He completed schooling for navigation, and was commissioned in August of 1944. He was then sent to Florida for radar operator training. He flew in a B-29 with the 41st Bomb Squadron, 501st Bombardment Group, 315th Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force. In 1945 they flew 10 missions, bombing oil refineries in Japan. He returned to the US and was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Gerards. Gerards joined the Army Air Forces in April of 1943. He completed pilot training and aerial gunnery school in June of 1944. He served as first lieutenant B-24 bombardier in the 380th Bomb Group, 531st Bomb Squadron, 5th Air Force. They traveled to Hawaii, Tarawa, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Leyte and Murtha Field on Mindoro Island. He completed 33 missions over the Philippines, Okinawa, Balikpapan, French Indochina and Japan. They completed combat, weather reconnaissance and POW rescue missions. He was discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lyman Mereness. Mereness joined the Navy in May of 1942. He received his wings in March of 1943. He served with the 8th Bomb Squadron. Beginning August of 1943, they served as the air group aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11). Mereness supported the invasion of Hollandia and the Philippines Campaign, completing 39 combat missions. He was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Andrew Alfred. Alfred was born on 28 July 1925, graduated high school in 1942, and joined the Army Air Forces in 1943 at the age of seventeen. He served as a navigator with the 40th Bomb Squadron, 6th Bomb Group, 313th Bombardment Wing, 20th Air Force, aboard the B-29, called Dearly Beloved. In late 1944, they were stationed on Tinian and flew 27 missions over Japan, including Iwo Jima and Tokyo. After the war ended, they dropped supplies to American troops in Japan. Alfred returned to the US and received his discharge on 4 January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Ford. Ford joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1942. He served as a pilot with the 315th Troop Carrier Group, 310th Troop Carrier Squadron. They participated in the Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Varsity across the Rhine and transported cargo and evacuated released allied prisoners of war until after V-E Day. Ford returned to the US after the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Fred Lincoln. Lincoln joined the Army Air Forces in February of 1941. He was assigned to the 82nd Bomb Squadron, 12th Bomb Group. He completed training in military correspondence and typing, and served as the Operations Officer for his squadron. In December, they were transferred to Sacramento, California to assist with war games aboard B-18 bombers. In the spring of 1942, they were transferred to Esler Field in Louisiana. During a physical at Camp Livingston Hospital, Lincoln learned he had a pilonidal cyst. After multiple surgeries on the cyst, he did not return to his squadron until 1944. He was assigned to Santa Ana Army Air Base, and completed Flexible Gunnery School, graduating in February of 1945, he served as a bombardier aboard B-29s with the 19th Bombardment Group. They were transferred to Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso, Texas, and went to pick up a new B-29 in Seattle, but the war ended. Lincoln continued his service and retired in 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Bond. Bond was drafted and entered the Navy in 1942. Upon completion of boot camp at Samson Naval Training Base in New York, he was assigned to the USS Cebu (ARG-6), which was in the Baltimore ship yard. He went to Pearl Harbor and describes the destruction he observed. Aboard the Cebu, Bond proceeded to Manus Island. While at anchorage there, the USS Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded and severely damaged the USS Mindanao (ARG-3), which was moored alongside. Five of the crewmen aboard the Cebu where killed by the blast. The ship then went to Leyte Gulf remaining there for seven months before proceeding to Okinawa where the crew weathered a typhoon. Bond recalls going to Japan before returning to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Regis Butler. Butler joined the Army Air Forces in March of 1942. He completed flight training and classes in aircraft structures and mechanics. He worked at Bell Aircraft Plant in Niagara Falls to become familiar with P-39s and completed additional classes at Kelly Field in San Antonio on various phases of engines, controls and instruments. He served as a project engineer with the 5th Air Force, 4th Air Service Command, 13th Air Depot, and the Black Cat Squadron. Around February of 1943 they traveled across the Pacific by troop ship to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal. The squadron’s job was to do night patrols, seek out targets and rescue downed pilots. Butler engineered parts and made plane modifications as needed with the PBY, B-25, C-47, P-38 and P-51 aircraft. He traveled to Biak, to survey the airfields in preparation to relocate their squadron. He shares his experiences moving across these Pacific islands, his encounters with the natives and establishing a repair depot in Biak. Butler was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Schiller. Schiller joined the Navy in February of 1941. He entered Navy Flight School at Pensacola and upon commissioning was assigned as a pilot of a scout plane on USS Astoria (CA-34). When Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Astoria was at sea escorting USS Lexington (CV-2). The Astoria engaged in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal where it was sunk off Savo Island in August of 1942. Subsequently, Schiller was assigned to USS Halford (DD-480) and later, became a Fighter Squadron Leader aboard USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82), which covered the invasions in the Palau Islands, Leyte and Luzon. He served with a Composite Squadron VC-78. Schiller was discharged in October of 1945, though remained in the Naval Reserve and retired as a Commander.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Hatgil. Hatgil joined the Army Air Forces after working briefly in the defense industry. He received communications training and was assigned to the 505th Bombardment Group. On Tinian, he oversaw the teletype office adjacent to General Curtis LeMay. He recalls seeing the Enola Gay heavily guarded by Marines. Although at the time he was unaware of the atomic bomb, an important message arrived for LeMay, sent to the teletype machines by Colonel Paul Tibbets. Disobeying orders, Hatgil read the message, which was a recap of Tibbets’ instructions, specifically urging him to leave the target area as quickly as possible after dropping his bomb. When the war ended, Hatgil returned home and was discharged. Having spent much of his service decorating planes, sketching portraits, and painting murals in his free time, he enrolled in art school on the G.I. Bill and became a professor of art at the University of Texas. Hatgil kept a scrapbook of his wartime experience, including his artwork and several photos given to him by his unit’s official photographer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Regis Butler. Butler joined the Army Air Forces in March of 1942. He completed flight training and classes in aircraft structures and mechanics. He worked at Bell Aircraft Plant in Niagara Falls to become familiar with P-39s and completed additional classes at Kelly Field in San Antonio on various phases of engines, controls and instruments. He served as a project engineer with the 5th Air Force, 4th Air Service Command, 13th Air Depot, and the Black Cat Squadron. Around February of 1943 they traveled across the Pacific by troop ship to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal. The squadron’s job was to do night patrols, seek out targets and rescue downed pilots. Butler engineered parts and made plane modifications as needed with the PBY, B-25, C-47, P-38 and P-51 aircraft. He traveled to Biak, to survey the airfields in preparation to relocate their squadron. He shares his experiences moving across these Pacific islands, his encounters with the natives and establishing a repair depot in Biak. Butler was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eleanor Brown. From early 1942 through 1944, Brown served as a general mechanics helper at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, and had completed flight training. In April, she joined the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPs) in Sweetwater, Texas. Brown graduated, though WASP was disbanded in December of that same year. She returned to Kelly Field and continued to work as the first woman mechanic at the Air Force Base.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Swaney. Swaney was born in Linton, North Dakota on 21 September 1920. He describes the hardships he faced during the Depression. After high school, he attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa and graduated in 1942. Upon entering the US Navy in September 1942, he went to Columbia University to Midshipman’s School. He graduated as an ensign and reported to Solomon Island, Maryland for amphibious training. There, as captain of an LCT, he and his crew of ten made practice landings. During one of the training sessions, he injured his spine, which resulted in extensive hospitalization. After spending over a year in various hospitals, he reported to the USS Nevada (BB-36) as a division officer of a five-inch gun. Swaney recalls the ship being attacked by kamikazes off Iwo Jima. He describes actions the ship was involved in during the invasion of Okinawa and recalls the ship being hit by a kamikaze. He witnessed the burial at sea of eleven shipmates. Following the end of the war, Swaney participated in preparing the Nevada for Operation Crossroads in 1946. He decided to be discharged from the Navy in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Nash. Nash joined the Army Air Forces in the fall of 1942. He received his wings in April of 1944, and was assigned to the 433rd Troop Carrier Group, 67th Troop Carrier Squadron. Operating primarily in the Southwest Pacific, they transported in supplies and evacuated wounded personnel during numerous campaigns. Nash recalls traveling to Luzon, Okinawa and assisting with the liberation of POWs from Manila and the Bataan survivors. After the war, he served with the occupation forces in Japan. He was discharged in the spring of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jim Tuttle. Tuttle joined the Army in October of 1940. He served as an infantry Sergeant with Company G, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. He participated in the New Guinea Campaign and the Philippines Campaign. 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 Robert Owens. Owens joined the Navy in 1943, aspiring to be a fighter pilot. He enrolled in the V-12 program but by 1944 there was declining interest in pilots with as little experience as he would have had, so he volunteered for gunnery school. He joined a PBY4-2 Privateer crew in Florida as a turret gunner and deployed to the Philippines. Flying over the South China Sea and along the coastline of Indochina, his crew was often accompanied in the air by nonconfrontational Japanese fighters. On one mission over a targeted ship, however, Owens's crew flew too closely to the lead plane and struck a column of water splashing up from their bomb. This caused engine trouble and made them an easy target for nine aggressive enemy fighters. The crew escaped after shooting down three Oscars and diverted to Palawan for an emergency landing. In their haste to lighten the load on the damaged plane, they tossed out their life rafts before crossing the sea. Fortunately, they arrived without incident. After 23 combat missions in both the PBY4-1 and 4-2, Owens returned home and became an engineer for …