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Oral History Interview with Vernon Oates, October 21, 1942
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.
Date:
October 21, 1942
Creator:
Oates, Vernon
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with a Palau Native
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with a native of Palau born in 1917. He lived briefly in Saipan and returned to Angaur, Palau, as a young man. In 1943 when the bombing of Palau first began, he volunteered for the Japanese Navy to avoid starvation, since natives were prohibited from buying imported food such as rice. He boarded a ship that was sunk by an American submarine and spent the night floating amidst 12-foot sharks. In the morning, he swam to a damaged but surviving Japanese ship and repaired their engine upon boarding. He then spent 10 months on an island at a Japanese airbase that sustained daily bombings. When the base was invaded by Australian troops, he hid in the jungle for three months before surrendering. He spent 10 months at a prisoner-of-war camp on Morotai. In 1946, he returned to Saipan and was reunited with his family.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
unknown
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. R. Evans
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue by A R Evans. Evans was the coastwatcher on Kolombangara who facilitated the rescue of the PT-109 crew, led by John F. Kennedy. One of his scouts noticed a fire on the water at night and saw an unidentified object floating the next day. Evans, having been informed that PT-109 was missing, instructed his scouts to search for crewmen. Two natives encountered the crew, who for want of a common language carved a message on a coconut to be delivered to Evans. Evans met Kennedy that afternoon and dispatched a message coordinating his safe return. When Evans visited the White House in 1961, he found a framed copy of the dispatch and the carved coconut in the Oval Office.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Evans, R. A.
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. W. McCasker
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with A W McCasker. McCasker joined the Royal Australian Navy and at the end of 1942 was stationed on Guadalcanal. He took a small party behind enemy lines to Lord Howe Island on a reconnaissance mission, accompanied by two American soldiers and a Javanese guide. There he was greeted by a Polynesian king who held a formal ceremony declaring war on the Japanese. McCasker brought along a radio that could reach several hundred miles; however, moving its heavy battery chargers required the labor of 12 natives. For nine months they moved from island to island, observing aircraft, reporting to headquarters at Guadalcanal. At one point they found two islanders who had drifted over 700 miles off course in a canoe. When enemy forces landed in August 1943 and McCasker was evacuated by PBY, he brought with him the two displaced islanders, who were eventually flown back to their homeland.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
McCasker, A. W.
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron C. Kulow. Kulow grew up in Michigan and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. After training, he joined the ship USS Pollux AKS-4 at Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the ship runs trips down to the Carribbean and Brazil but in 1943 is fitted with radar and sent to the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, the general stores issue ship visited Australia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the New Hebrides Islands. He then returned to San Francisco in 1944 where his wife met him to get married. He left for the Pacific again and in 1945 traveled to the Philippines. In 1945 Kulow met survivors of the Bataan Death March that had been liberated. He remembers going to a friend's burial in the Philippines. On V-J Day Kulow was at Manila Harbor. He left for America in October 1945 and was discharged in New York December 12, 1945.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Kulow, Aaron C.
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Agadito Silva
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Agaito Silva. Silva was inducted into the US Army in January 1941. Trained in anti-aircraft guns at Fort Bliss, Texas he was assigned to the 200th Coast Artillery. Several months later the unit was shipped to Fort Stotsenberg, Luzon, Philippines. He describes the Japanese attack on 8 December 1941 and the serious shortages of food and medical supplies that developed. He tells of retreating to Corregidor and of being wounded by shell fragments. After surrendering on 6 May 1942, Silva tells how the prisoners were treated. They sent to Bilibid Prison and then to Cabanatuan. He was then taken to Japan to work in the mines and gives several anecdotes describing the inhumane treatment of the prisoners by the Japanese. He relates how after the Japanese surrender, food and medical supplies were dropped to the POW camp. Silva returned to the United States on 18 October 1945.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Silva, Agadito
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alex Trentoff
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alex Trentoff. Trentoff was born to Russian parents who immigrated to Yap during the Russian Civil War. He recalls his childhood in Chamorro Bay as peaceful and easy. His family tended livestock and the island had a rich agricultural foundation. He worked as a domestic servant for a Japanese military officer who may have been an American spy. He remembers hearing the officer speak English with his parents during evening visits. Trentoff followed instructions to lay certain-colored pieces of laundry in specific formations in the field by the officer’s house. He would often see the officer climb a mountain wearing all white so that he would be plainly visible to American planes. The officer’s home was never bombed or came under machine gun fire, despite the rest of the valley being decimated. He also went past the reef and left handwritten messages in a bottle daily. When the war ended, the officer disappeared with American troops and was never seen again. Trentoff trained with the American Navy at Yap, and although he enjoyed the work a great deal, the salaries paid to Chamorros were too low. The cost …
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Trentoff, Alex
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alfred Wunderlich
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alfred Wunderlich. Wunderlich recalls working on restoring the old Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg when he was a young man prior to being married.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Wunderlich, Alfred
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Allan Champion
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Allan Champion. Champion was born in New Guinea in 1905 and spent his career in the Australian civil service. He was stationed at Buna in 1942 as assistant resident magistrate when a B-17 piloted by Fred Eaton went missing. Champion received a coded message instructing him to locate and rescue the crew. He traveled up the Musa River and found them in a small village. He brought them back to Buna and coordinated their safe return. Eaton resumed his missions, signaling hello to Champion whenever he flew over Buna. Champion abandoned his station later that year when the Japanese invaded. After the war, he was tasked with rehabilitating war-torn villages. He retired from civil service in 1960. This interview was conducted in 1988 as part of the effort to recover Eaton’s plane, which is now on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Champion, Allan
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alpha Bowser
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alpha Bowser. Bowser joined the Marine Corps and completed basic training at the Philadelphia Naval Yard in June 1933. He received further training at fleet gunnery school and attended field artillery school at Fort Sill. In February 1937 he served as Roosevelt’s security guard at Warm Springs and got to know the president well. In June 1940 he returned to Quantico as an artillery instructor. He joined the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune and was promoted to major. In July 1942 he activated the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines. He became G-3 of the 3rd Marine Division during the Bougainville operation. On 24 July 1944 he went to Guam as a lieutenant colonel. He landed just after the assault waves with his recon party under heavy fire. He sent for his batteries early and lost 35 men that day. His landings at Saipan and Tinian were much easier, and he lost no men at Iwo Jima. Bowser returned home in June 1945 and was tasked with demobilizing the Marine Corps. He describes the origin and efficacy of the points system. Bowser went on to participate in the planning …
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Bowser, Alpha
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Anthony Geer
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Anthony Geer. Geer was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He completed boot camp in San Diego, then served as a yeoman. He received additional training in aircraft recognition. He traveled to the Philippines aboard the USS Tazewell (APA-209), and worked on Samar Island until the atomic bombs were dropped, then transferred to Manila until the surrender of Japan. He traveled back to the U.S. aboard the USS Menard (APA-201). Geer was honorably discharged in late 1945.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Geer, Anthony
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Antonio Borja
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Antonio Borja. In 1938, Borja left his home in Tinian to attend navigator school in Saipan. He was in school and aboard ships until 1942 but did not graduate, due to the war. He sailed mostly in the Marianas and requested to leave for a vacation in Rota as he became increasingly concerned about his safety aboard ship. He was recruited for the Japanese army in Rota and served for two years in the artillery. When the United States liberated the island, Borja recalls that he was treated well and provided with clothing, food, and healthcare. Presuming that his parents had been killed during the war, Borja was surprised to learn in 1953 that they had been sent to Okinawa. His parents remained there for the rest of their lives, while Borja remained on Tinian.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Borja, Antonio
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arleigh Burke
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Arleigh Burke. In March of 1944, Burke was promoted to Chief of Staff to the Commander of Task Force 58, the Fifth Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force, which was commanded by Admiral Marc Mitscher. Burke shares two versions of his bedtime story on the incident of Turn on the Lights during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. He shares the events that ensued, while aboard the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), in the Philippine Sea beginning 19 June 1944. He describes the day long battle, also known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot, when the Japanese fleet launched an attack against the US Fleet the Mariana Islands campaign. He provides vivid details of his experiences through this battle.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Burke, Arleigh
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Artie Stocks
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Artie Stocks. Stocks joined the U.S. Marine Corps on 13 September 1940. In December of 1941 Stocks was taken prisoner during the Battle of Wake Island. He vividly describes this event. He was held as a prisoner of war for 44 months. Stocks was discharged in February of 1946. In early 1952 he went back into the Corps and served in the Korean War. And, in 1966 Stocks served in the Vietnam War. He provides some details of these experiences. He retired in October of 1967.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Stocks, Artie
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with August Wickert
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with August Wickert. Wickert joined the Army around February of 1943. Around late 1943, early 1944, they traveled to Italy, where Wickert was captured and imprisoned for 13 months. He shares vivid details of his experiences as a prisoner of war and liberation by the Russians.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Wickert, August
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with B. J. Pumphrey
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with B.J. Pumphrey. Pumphrey joined the Navy in June of 1942. He served for a short time as crewman on a PBY flying anti-submarine missions. Pumphrey was then sent to the USS Midway (CVE-63) where he served as a phone talker on the bridge. He describes the superstitions of the crew when the name of the ship was changed to the St. Lo. Pumphrey describes Taffy 3 coming under attack and seeing the Japanese shells land near the ship. He details being hit by a kamikaze and the damage that resulted. He discusses his time in the water and eventual rescue. Pumphrey describes being inspected by Admiral Nimitz and the impression he received. He was then sent to commission the USS Little Rock (CL-92). Pumphrey left the service in September 1945.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Pumphrey, B. J.
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with B. K. Atkins
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by B K Atkins. Atkins was the skipper of the destroyer, USS Melvin (DD-680). His ship provided escort support for naval forces. He provides some details of the Melvin. They participated in the occupation of Majuro, Guam, the Caroline Islands, Ulithi and the invasion of the Philippine Islands. Atkins provides details of their involvement in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They operated with fast carrier attack forces until the final Japanese surrender.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Atkins, B. K.
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bernard Isaacs
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Bernard Isaacs. Isaacs joined the Navy after attending the University of Wisconsin. Upon completion of basic training, he was sent back to UW to become a medic. However, he asked to be transferred to the School of Athletic Specialists and sent to Camp Lawrence, Great Lakes, where he trained recruits who would become the Navy’s first African-American commissioned officers, also known as The Golden 13. Isaacs was proud that his boot company competed against all-white companies and won the E Flag, or flag of excellence. Isaacs was next sent to OTS at Columbia University, graduating with a specialty in navigation. He was assigned to USS LCI(L)-965, participating in the Philippines campaigns. While in French Indochina, he once flew as a passenger with an ace pilot who kept a cocker spaniel by his side. Isaacs narrowly survived a typhoon at Okinawa, assuming the role of captain and circling the USS Hope (AH-7) until the weather cleared. He went on to China to help evacuate Nationalists before returning to the States. His family had much to celebrate, as his brother, who had been a prisoner-of-war in Europe, also returned home safely.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Isaacs, Bernard
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bernard Peterson
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue with Bernard Peterson. Peterson joined the Navy in February of 1941. He completed Aviation Machinist School, and joined Torpedo Squadron Three. Peterson, with his squadron, served aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) beginning July 1942, supporting landings on Guadalcanal 1942. On 24 August 1942, Enterprise exchanged blows with a powerful Japanese carrier force, and Enterprise sustained severe damage from three bomb hits received during an intense dive-bombing attack. Peterson returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Peterson, Bernard
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bernard Synder
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Synder. Synder joined the Navy in January of 1944. Beginning in July, he served as Radarman aboard the USS Roi (CVE-103), transporting supplies to the Hebrides Islands. He was then transferred to USS Chenango (CVE-28), where he remained through his service in the Navy. Synder participated in the invasions of the Marianas, Leyte and Okinawa. He returned to the US and received his discharge in June of 1946.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Synder, Bernard
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Carty
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral monologue of Bill Carty. Carty was an Australian war correspondent . He discusses how he got t oNew Guinea to cover the war and his relationship General Robert Eichelberger. He discusses his role in the infantry and armor assault at Buna. Carty also mentions meeting John Bulkeley and going out with him on PT boats. Carty made the landing at Hollandia with the 42nd Infantry Division and Eichelberger. Later in 1944, Carty joined General MacArthur for his return to the Philippines and was able to shoot some footage of the general. Carty also discusses traveling to Japan for the surrender ceremony with Eichelberger and meeting MacArthur there. Carty also photographed the reunion between MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright. He also managed to travel to Hiroshima and photograph the damage. During the occupation, Carty stayed clse to General Eichelberger and was along for the trip when General Eisenhower toured Japan.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Carty, Bill
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Pampe
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Pampe. Pampe joined the ROTC in 1940 and was called to active duty in June 1943. After receiving coast artillery training at Camp McQuaide, he was sent through the Army Specialized Training Program. When the program ended, Pampe was assigned to the Ammunition and Pioneer Platoon, 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division. At the Battle of the Bulge, he delivered ammunition to troops and went ahead of the front lines to lay minefields. After the war, he directed athletic activities at Camp Philadelphia in France. Pampe returned home and was discharged in August 1946.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Pampe, Bill
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Wasson
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Wasson. Wasson joined the Marine Corps and was trained as a radioman. He served on an amphibious tractor and then was transferred to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines. Wasson landed on Saipan and Okinawa and describes the combat that he encountered including having a radio he was wearing get destroyed by incoming shell fragments. He also describes being given the order to relay the message that Okinawa had been secured. Wasson also discusses working with two Navajo Code Talkers. He took part in the occupation of Japan and then left the service.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Wasson, Bill
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Winnekins
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Winnekins. Winnekins’s older brother John joined the 23rd Marines in April 1943. The two corresponded until his brother’s death, which occurred on D-day at Saipan. His mother never recovered from the loss, and she searched for the exact location of her son’s remains until her death. Winnekins struck up correspondences with members of his brother’s unit and eventually found the burial site in Saipan. He dedicated his free time to helping members of G Company find one another and was honored at a reunion in 1995, where he was presented with a plaque and a 15-minute standing ovation. Winnekins located 150 Marines from the company and has collected many of their oral histories.
Date:
unknown
Creator:
Winnekins, Bill
System:
The Portal to Texas History