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 Maynard Saugstad. Saugstad joined the Navy in July of 1943. He served as Storekeeper 2nd Class, and worked on bases including Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Island and Maui, where he was working when the war ended. Saugstad was in charge of several warehouses, where he distributed supplies. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Kayhart. Kayhart joined the Army in December of 1942. He completed training in radar and radio engineering. He served with the 3116th Signal Service Battalion. Kayhart’s headquarters were in Hawaii. He set up an underground radio station, installing and fine tuning all radio transmitters. He completed the same work on Iwo Jima in order to have direct communication with the Pentagon in Washington, DC, with San Francisco and with all of the Orient. Kayhart and his crew completed the installation on the island during the battle, and shares details of his experiences. He returned to the US and received his discharge in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Gruetter. Gruetter was drafted into the Army in February 1945. He suffered appendicitis during boot camp and was held back. His last day of training was the last day of the war. He was sent to Japan for occupation duty and stayed about 13 months.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Tomlin. Tomlin joined the Navy in September 1944 and received basic training in Illinois. He received aviation ordnance training in Oklahoma. While there, he contracted scarlet fever and was quarantined for six weeks. After the war, he was assigned to the USS Core (CVE-13), entrusted with keeping the ship’s log. Tomlin returned home and was discharged in July 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with B B Browning. Browning joined the Navy in mid-1943. Beginning mid-1944, he served as Seaman First Class, supporting Marines aboard a troop ship. He recalls his experiences through the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June of 1944, and going ashore on Tinian with the Marines. He vividly describes his time on the island, serving on guard duty, communicating with Japanese civilians on the island, supervising work of the remaining Japanese soldiers and serving as yeoman to the captain. He remained on Tinian after the war ended, returning to the US in mid-1946 to receive his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Bond. Bond joined the Navy in early 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Callaghan (DD-792), where he ran the handling room, sending ammunition up the hoist. He also was coxswain of a 26-foot gig that would be sent out from the main ship periodically. On night voyages he would communicate with the ship using a bell. He endured a perilous typhoon in the China Sea that lasted three days and caused the ship to roll 62 degrees. At Okinawa he traveled 40 miles in heavy fog to retrieve mail; when he returned, the ship was gone, and he had no choice but to wait for its return. He captured prisoners of war from a sunken Japanese patrol boat; upon returning to the Callaghan, Bond placed the prisoners in a mail bag and sent them across a line to USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Within an hour of the Callaghan’s anticipated departure for the United States, the ship was damaged irreparably by a kamikaze attack. Bond leapt overboard and was rescued by USS Prichett (DD-561). He suffered extensive injuries from the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wallace Brunton. Brunton was born in Glouster, Ohio in 1924. Drafted at age 18, he went into the Navy and attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. He was then selected for training in sonar. Upon completion of the sound school he received training in both surface and air search radar. He tells of going aboard the USS Callaghan (DD-792) and being seasick during four days of the shakedown cruise. He recalls the ship being involved in bombarding Okinawa in early 1945, where it fought off a kamikaze attack. Brunton also tells of a Japanese two-man submarine surfacing and being destroyed by the guns of the Callahan. During July 1945 the ship was on picket station off Okinawa when it was hit by a kamikaze and sunk. He was picked up by the USS Crescent City (APA-125) and eventually returned home on the USS Warren (APA-53). He was discharged 17 December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Cooper. Cooper was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He served aboard the USS Callaghan (DD-792) as an electrician. He describes life aboard the destroyer. They participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June of 1944, and he describes his experiences through this event. They were in Task Force 39.3 and traveled throughout the Pacific. In October of 1944 they participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He describes going through a typhoon and the overall morale amongst the captain and crew. In early 1945 the Callaghan screened carrier strikes shelling Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Tokyo area and Cooper provides some detail of these events, including rescuing seven Japanese off a sunken boat, shooting down kamikazes and picking up a Japanese officer. The officer, named Hasegawa, became a prisoner in the Hawaiian Islands and Cooper provides some detail of this officer???s experiences and their meeting at a 50-year reunion. In July of 1945, the Callaghan was struck by an enemy aircraft and sank. Cooper provides some details of this fateful event. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ronald Jones. Jones joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in Illinois. He received advanced sonar training in San Diego and preliminary radar training at Mare Island, in case he would be needed as a replacement aboard ship. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Callaghan (DD-792) as the captain’s talker. His ship provided fire support at the Marshall Islands, Saipan, and Guam, protecting against enemy submarines and airplanes, and also firing at Japanese positions on land. He recalls running short on supplies when taking over the patrol of a damaged sister ship, and that the food shortage wasn’t remedied until there was a change of command some months later. At Okinawa his ship was sunk by a kamikaze, and Jones was nearly sucked into the propellers of the rescue ship, which fortunately reversed its propellers and washed him out at the last minute. While he was in the Philippines awaiting new orders, the atomic bombs were dropped. Jones returned home and was discharged in 1946. Jones returned home and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Bland. Bland joined the Navy in April of 1944. He served as Signalman Third-Class aboard the SS Francis Preston Blair (1943). They traveled to Australia, New Zealand, India and Manila picking up and delivering cargo. Bland served aboard the ship until it got stranded on Saumarez Reef in the Coral Sea during a cyclone in 1945. Bland continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Glenn Reynolds. Reynolds left high school to join the Navy in 1939. In March 1940 he was assigned to USS Maryland (BB-46). Anchored at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked, Reynolds was writing a letter to his girlfriend when the war began. He manned his battle station, despite being barefoot, and then helped fight fires on a nearby fuel tanker. He later transferred to USS Halawa (AOG-12) as a gunner’s mate. In August 1942 he was sent to gunnery school and upon completion joined an amphibious base in England, where he met an English woman who would become his wife. While on shore patrol duty, Reynolds was alarmed one evening when Downtown London was suddenly crowded to the point where he could not move. This was how he learned that the Germans had surrendered. V-E Day celebrations lasted until four in the morning. After being discharged from the Navy, Reynolds joined the Army and went served in Korea and Vietnam, retiring after 26 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fletcher Taylor. Taylor joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 and received training as a navigator in Miami. At the beginning of the war he was sent to the Panama Canal, patrolling in B-17s for ships and submarines. He was then transferred to India as a B-24 navigator, where he flew 30 missions, some as long as 13 hours. His first mission was to disable the electrical components of a coal mine in China that was critical for Japanese steel production. While the mission was successful, he believes there were several hundred Chinese casualties. Taylor participated in missions bombing the Andaman Islands, Bangkok, Rangoon, and Mandalay. He returned to the States for pilot training at Fort Worth. Upon completion, he was sent to staff school. At the end of the war, he was assigned to retrieve a plane from England. Taylor returned home and spent 25 years in a secret censorship program run by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with C.R. Walters. Walters joined the Army in March 1943 and received basic training at Fort Belvoir. Upon completion, he began a degree in mechanical engineering under the Army Specialized Training Program. In March 1944 he was transferred to the 102nd Infantry Division and sent to Cherbourg, France. He was in combat as a platoon sergeant from mid-October until April 1945. German soldiers surrendered to his unit at the Elbe River. After the war, Walters was assigned to a prisoner-of-war camp formerly run by Germans. He was tasked with making arrangements for Russian prisoners to return home. Walters remained in Europe with the occupation forces until May 1946. He completed his degree in mechanical engineering and was assigned to an engineering unit that primarily built airfields. Walters retired from the service in 1957.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wesley Fronk. Fronk joined the Army Air Forces in December 1942 after starting college at the University of North Dakota and working as a mechanic for Lockheed. He received basic training in Fresno and was sent to engineering and operations clerical school. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 347th Airdrome Squadron. He was sent to India, where his unit supported the 4th Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group. In his spare time, he helped build engines on the flight line. His unit dropped aerial supplies to British troops in Burma, American mountainside detachments, and the OSS. Supplies for Chinese troops included oats for their mules, since they had no motor vehicles. These missions were flown in C-47s, and after the war the unit switched to the larger C-46s, moving Chinese Nationalist troops to where they would face off against the Chinese Communists. Fronk returned home and was discharged in December 1945. He began a civilian career with the Department of Defense and retired after 48 years of service.

Transcript of an oral interview with Norman E. Winter. Born in 1924, he was inducted into the Army in October 1944 after a one-year agricultural deferment. He talks about basic training and weaponry at Camp Hood, Texas. He was assigned to a light weapons platoon in Company E, 129th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division. He shares an anecdote about sea sickness on the ship to the Philippines and describes the living conditions of the Filipinos. He describes advancing to the northern end of Luzon in the face of Japanese artillery fire and night fighting. He shares anecdotes about dancing in Manilla and going to the beach in Aparri. After V-J Day, he re-enlisted and returned to the U.S. with the 37th Division. He was transferred to Germany where he was assigned to the Army Counter Intelligence Corps. While serving in the Berghausen field office, his mission was to arrest Nazi war criminals. He shares the stories of three such arrests. In late 1947 his mission changed to gathering information about Communist activities. He describes an incident in which he, disguised as a Military Policeman, accompanied refugees on a train bound for Hungary for repatriation. He served as Army personnel in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herbert Elfring. Elfring was with the California National Guard, 251st Coast Artillery Regiment (Anti-Aircraft), when it was federalized in September 1940. He was sent to Honolulu and trained with a searchlight battery. Elfring became leader of the radar squad, directing antiaircraft searchlights. On 7 December 1941 he was in his office when a string of bullets struck the ground 15 feet from where he stood. His radar equipment was damaged by strafing, but Elfring survived the attack. He recalls that American planes were shot down by friendly fire later that evening, before personnel were quickly advised on nighttime Identify Friend or Foe (IFF). He was transferred to Fiji in June 1942 and was selected for OCS. He became Radar Officer and Transportation Officer for the 37th Infantry Division at Bougainville. During ground combat, Elfring directed searchlights at the clouds, illuminating the front lines. At the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Elfring set up radar operations at Clark Field. He carried a wounded man out of battle who died soon after. Elfring was on leave in the States when the war ended and he was discharged. He went on to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Schrieber. Schrieber joined the Navy after 7 December 1941. He joined the crew of USS Indianapolis (CA-35). Schrieber worked in the engine room and describes how he studied each piece of equipment and eventually became a machinist mate first class. He broadly covers the actions that his ship participated in from the Aleutians through Saipan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Claude Olds. Olds joined the Navy in February of 1943. He served as Motor Machinist 2nd Class aboard the LCI-498 during the landings on Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. Olds worked as a mechanic tending to landing craft. In late 1944 through mid-1945 he served aboard USS LSM-134, traveling to Cebu, Leyte, Subic and transporting troops to Lingayen Gulf and Ie Jima. They delivered supplies from the Philippines to Okinawa. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Holt. Holt was drafted into the Army in May 1944 and had basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After basic training, Holt was assigned as an infantryman in the 16th Armored infantry Battalion, 13th Armored Division. He describes his experiences in France and Germany being under sniper fire and moving forward to the Ruhr Valley. Holt returned to the US with his unit in June, 1945, as they were slated to invade Japan. He was discharged in February, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Tetlie. Tetlie joined the Army in February of 1945. He served with the 869th Ordnance Company as a radio operator aboard an M10 tank destroyer. He deployed to the Philippine Islands in August of 1945 aboard the USS President Jackson (APA-18). He worked as a typist at a base in San Fernando, La Union in the Philippines through September of 1946. Tetlie was discharged in December.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edwin Koehler. Koehler joined the Army in December of 1943. He completed basic training at Camp Fannin in Texas. He continued there through mid-1944 training new recruits. In February of 1945 he joined the 4th Infantry Division in Germany and fought against the German SS. He provides details of his combat experiences. Koehler continued serving in Germany after the war ended. He returned to the states in late 1945. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marie Speer. Speer was born 9 May 1921 in Tappan, New York. After graduating from high school in 1938 she worked at various jobs and attended classes at New York University. She tells of meeting her first husband Edward Hawley Jordan at the college and getting married in May 1942. Her husband was drafted in January 1944 and took his basic training at Fort McGraw, Alabama. In September 1944 he joined the 175th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division as a replacement and was sent to France. She sadly remembers receiving a letter written by him on November 25 1944 and receiving a telegram the same day notifying her he was killed in action on the day he wrote the letter. Within days of receiving the news she was informed that her husband’s cousin had been killed in action and that her brother had been captured by the Germans. She soon was involved in the establishment of The Gold Star Wives organization and explains the goals, the growth and the accomplishments of the organization. She proudly points out that Eleanor Roosevelt was a signee on the original charter and a …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Belt. Belt joined the Navy after earning a master's degree and went to midshipman' school. He earned a commission and reported aboard USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37)in May 1943. Belt was aboard when the Tuscaloosa participated in the invasion of France and was at Iwo Jima. He also recalls being off Okinawa. Belt went aboard HMS Duke of York and met Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser one day. He also attended the Japanese Language School and was there when the war ended.