The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vernon Oates. He discusses his childhood, education and growing up during the great depression. He talks about joining the US Army Air Corps, now called the Air Force, and the experiences he had at various different training camps around the country.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lee White. He discusses his childhood and education and what led him to join the US Air Force. He describes his experiences during training and fighting in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Erfurth. Erfurth joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He completed Armament and Aerial Gunnery training. He served as a B-24 Armorer with the 8th Air Force, 392nd Bombardment Group. They deployed to England and Erfurth completed 27 bombing missions over Germany and France. He received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Huffman. Huffman joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a B-24 Navigator, stationed in Virginia. He flew throughout the US during the war, and did not go overseas. Huffman received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Don Stinson. Stinson was born in 1923 and briefly tells of his childhood. He joined the Army Air Forces in October 1942. He was selected for flight training and tells of the various air fields and aircraft on which he learned to fly. After receiving his commission in 1943, he was assigned to the 2nd Combat Cargo Group. Stinson describes the difficulty in piloting a C-47 due to his size. Soon after organizing, the group was outfitted with new C-46s. In 1944, the group flew to New Guinea where they underwent jungle survival training. In the Philippines, they retrieved a group of nurses who had been prisoners of war for over four years, then transported them to a hospital on the island of Biak. The group was sent to Okinawa, where they were attacked by a kamikaze. Stinson witnessed the Japanese planes, painted white with a green cross, carrying the Japanese surrender delegation to the Philippines. He served in the occupation of Japan, and returned to the US in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alfred Keeler. Keeler joined the Navy in July of 1943. In November, he served as a Radio Operator with the 2nd Marine Division, during the Battle of Tarawa. In 1944, Keeler traveled aboard the USS Bushnell (AS-15) to Midway, where he continued to work as a radio operator on the island. Beginning late 1944, he served in communications with Admiral Nimitz headquarters in Hawaii. He was a passenger aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41) during the Battle of Okinawa, and recalls his experiences. Keeler received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Cavness. Cavness was born in Mason County, Texas in 1924. He quit high school in his junior year and joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. After completing basic training at Wichita Falls, Texas he was sent to Las Vegas, Nevada for training in aerial gunnery. He then went to Sioux City, Iowa for additional training and assignment to an air group. He recalls the loss of air crews during training mission. In early 1943 he boarded the RMS Aquitania and sailed to England. Arriving at Sudbury, he was assigned to the 486th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force as a waist gunner on a B-17 bomber. He vividly describes his various actions and observations during various missions. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Beard. He was born in 1924. In 1943, he joined the United States Army Air Forces. Upon completing basic training, he underwent pilot training and became a B-24 pilot. After spending time in Panama, he was sent to New Guinea where he underwent jungle training. He then went to Clark Field, Philippine Islands. There he flew missions over Japan and he tells of seeing smoke residue from the atomic bomb blast. Beard returned to the US after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Reed. Reed was drafted into the Army in June 1945, while he was in ninth grade. He later received his diploma in 1949. He went to Sheppard Field, Texas, Ft. McClellan, Alabama and Ft. MacArthur, California for training. In California he was a medical technician, though received no formal training. He worked in a separation center, taking blood pressure. He was in the 9th Service Command and the 6th Army. He also worked as a longshoreman in San Pedro. From there he was shipped up to Camp Beall, California where he worked the remainder of his Army career as a medic, driving an ambulance and giving shots to inductees coming into the Army. He was discharged in December 1946 and he worked for the Pure Oil Station, and then later at the Veterans Hospital in Montgomery. He used his G.I. Bill to go to business school in Montgomery, Alabama while working at the Veterans Hospital.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Phillips. Phillips joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. He served as a B-24 pilot, and shares details of his flight training. Beginning December of 1944, Phillips and his crew flew over the Gulf of Mexico, identifying potential enemy U-boats. He later transferred to Hondo, Texas to train B-29 engineers, where he was stationed when the war ended. Phillips received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Wier. Wier joined the Navy in June, 1942 and trained at San Diego. With training complete, Wier was assigned to the Armed Guard and board the SS Day Star (1939) in San Francisco. Wier’s son provides a chronology of Wier’s first cruise in the Pacific starting in early 1943. After one voyage aboard the Day Star, he was transferred to the Young America. His third voyage was aboard the William H Moody. Wier sailed in the Pacific and the Atlantic facing Japanese and Germans. He also served aboard the Alexander Hamilton, the Joshua Tree and the Thaddeus S C Lowe. He returned to the US and was discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Lowe. Lowe joined the Army Air Forces in October 1944. He completed basic training in Wichita Falls, Texas, gunnery school in Fort Myers, Florida and Clovis, New Mexico. His training consisted of simulation bombing flights over Syracuse, New York and Havana, Cuba. Lowe completed reconnaissance training in Salina, Kansas. He was later transferred to Lincoln, Nebraska where he was assigned to a bomb crew to serve as a B-29 tail gunner. For Lowe, the war ended before he could be deployed overseas or complete any combat missions. He was assigned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where he received his discharge in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Baldwin. Baldwin was learning to fly through the Civilian Pilot Training program when he was called to active duty in January, 1943. After basic training, he went to flight training. He graduated and was commissioned in March, 1944. Baldwin was sent to France in November, 1944 and attached to the 36th Fighter Group, 23rd Fighter Squadron and began flying combat missions in a P-47. He flew 51 combat missions before the war ended and shares several anecdotes about his experiences. Baldwin was discharged in December 1945, but stayed in the Reserves until 1982.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Lipscomb Houston. Houston graduated from high school around 1938. He enrolled in Pre-Med at Hardin Junior College, Wichita Falls, Texas in September of 1941. He enlisted in the US Army on 30 June 1942 and served with the 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. His unit landed at Fedala, Morocco on 8 November 1942 for the Invasion of North Africa. In September of 1943, they invaded Italy. Houston returned to the US in mid-1944, and was assigned as a surgical assistant in the New York Point of Embarkation Station Hospital. In July of 1945, Houston graduated from Officer Candidate School in Louisiana. He was discharged in late 1945, and remained in the Army Reserve for 28 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Baker. Baker joined the Army Air Forces around 1942. He completed flight school and served as a bomber pilot. He was selected to serve as a B-24 pilot instructor in Courtland, Alabama. He flew B-29s. Baker was discharged in August of 1946 and remained in the Reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Henry Jennings. Jennings joined the Army Air Forces in September, 1942 and trained at Wichita Falls. He eventually became a flight engineer on B-26 bombers. Jennings recalls several anecdotes about his time in the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harley Wright. Wright volunteered for service in the Army Air Forces in January 1942. He trained in Wichita Falls as an aircraft mechanic and then served as an instructor after aircraft engine specialist school. Eventually, Wright was assigned to Lowry Field in Denver where he became the base aircraft inspector. He spent the rest of the war there and recalls several experiences. He was discharged in December, 1945. After the war, Wright wrote technical manuals and extension course books for Air University and other entities.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Boyd. Boyd was drafted into the Army Air Forces in December, 1942 and took basic training at Wichita Falls. From there, he went to aerial gunnery school at Harlingen. He was then assigned as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 and began training with a crew. Once he got to England, he was assigned to the 339th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group in England. He flew on 30 combat missions starting in March, 1944. Boyd shares several anecdotes from his combat missions. He returned to the US in August 1944 and became an instructor. Boyd was discharged in October.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lile Springs. Springs was born 14 April 1925, in Hope, Arkansas. He worked on a farm with his father until 1943. He received a draft notice, though after his examinations he received a 4-F classification, unfit for military service. Springs went on to welding school in Little Rock. He later worked on welding war ships in Mobile at the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation, and in Bremerton, Washington at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In 1945, he joined the Washington State Guard, and in November Springs was accepted into the Army Air Forces. He made the Air Force his career for the following 30 years. He retired in November, 1975 from the 12th Air Force at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas. During his military career, Springs served as Base Sergeant Major and Cofounder and Commandant of the NCO Leadership School at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. He also served as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to Major General Davis, Headquarters 19th Air Force, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. Springs also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Goldie Conley. Conley was born in San Saba County, Texas in 1922. She describes living conditions in the small town of Cherokee during the Depression years. She married Wilbur Conley in May 1942, one month after he was inducted into the Army Air Forces. In October 1942, Wilbur was sent overseas and she briefly discusses his various assignments. She went to work as a welder with the Bethlehem Pennsylvania Shipyards in Beaumont, Texas and describes some of the hazards of the job. She also reflects upon the loneliness of being separated from her husband for over three years and the elation felt upon his return in 1945.

The National Museum of The Pacific War presents an oral history interview with Raymond Flores. Flores was born in San Antonio in 1922 and tells of times during the Depression. He worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps until December 1941 at which time he joined the Army Air Forces. After spending some time at Shephard Field, Texas he shipped out to Brisbane, Australia. Upon his arrival he was quartered at the Ascot Racecourse where he was assigned to the kitchen staff. He was then sent to Melbourne where he was assigned to the 36th Headquarter Company. After spending time in Port Moresby, New Guinea, he was sent to Finschhafen. He worked as a freight-handler there until 1944, at which time he returned to the United States. Following the Japanese Surrender, he was discharged. After the war, Flores worked for the US Postal Service, retiring in 1980.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Harvey. Harvey was born in Memphis, Texas on 29 October 1923. He relates some of the hardships the family of eight children endured during the Great Depression. Upon quitting high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1942. Following boot camp, he was selected for the Paramarines and relates his experiences during his training as a Marine paratrooper. He remembers the conditions aboard the transport ships, the mission to Vella Lavella and incidents on Bougainville and New Caledonia, including an overdose of Atabrine. He recalls landing on Iwo Jima and his experiences there including being severely wounded.

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 Douglas R Smith. Smith joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a cryptographer, coding and decoding secret military messages in the Pacific, as the US prepared to invade Japan. After the war ended, Smith was stationed in Hokkaido, Japan. He received his discharge in late 1945.