The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rose Dern. Dern enlisted in the WAVES and went to Madison Wisconsin to train in communications. After training, Dern was stationed close to home at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City. She then went to a communications station on Maui. Dern was discharged when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elaine Osborn. Osborn was born in 1932 in Freeman, South Dakota and had just turned 9 years old when World War II began. She shares memories of civilian life during the war, and living in a Mennonite Community during the Great Depression. She had 5 uncles and 2 cousins in the service. Osborn recalls community building between farmers to help feed and care for one another. Additionally, she notes that her Japanese American college roommate was encamped in California during the war. Osborn provides vivid descriptions of the sacrifices made by the civilians to support the men and women serving their country.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Davidson. Davidson joined the Navy in the spring of 1943. He served as Seaman 1st Class. He completed the equivalent of a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He worked in a field engineering group at a Naval research lab in Washington. He was later sent to the Banana River Naval Air Station in Florida, running tests on carrier-controlled approach. He volunteered for the invasion of Japan in 1945, though after the bombs were dropped Davidson went back to field engineering in Florida. Davidson remained in the US for the remainder of his service. After the war ended, he remained in the Naval Reserves. Davidson retired from the Reserves in 1971.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cletus Ernster. Ernster went to Conrad Flying School in Winona, Minnesota in 1939. He joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was commissioned as a service pilot. He was assigned to Wilmington, Delaware to deliver planes throughout the United States and overseas. He discusses the various planes that he flew and the locations he delivered planes to. He was assigned to Chanyi, China in September of 1944, where he spent the remainder of his service. He was in the 1342nd Army Air Forces Base Unit in China. He gives detail of flying missions and transporting Chinese soldiers from one battle area to the next. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rudy Moreau. Moreau was born in 1924 in Port Arthur, Texas. In January 1943 he was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training in infantry and armor. Following a 2 month hospitalization for a ruptured appendix, he was shipped overseas, sailing from Boston to Glasgow, Scotland. In the UK, he was stationed in Frome, England until being assigned to the armor replacement stream. Moreau sailed from England to Normandy, landing via a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 4 or 5. Moreau joined the Recon Company of the 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. As a gunner in either an M-4 light tank or an armored car, he saw action at St. Lo, the Falaise Pocket, Tornai, Belgium, Maastrict, Holland, crossed the Ruhr into Germany, went back into Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, and again into Germany, ultimately to Berlin. He was there during the Potsdam Conference, seeing Truman, Churchill, Stalin, and the generals in attendance. In October 1945 Moreau was sent back to the States and was discharged at Fort Bliss, Texas. He rejoined the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Berger. Berger joined the Army in July of 1942. He served with the Service Company of the 377th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division, completing administrative work and ensuring the regiment had adequate supplies. He then served as Warrant Officer Junior Grade, working with ammunitions supplies. Berger later joined the 543rd Field Artillery Battalion, and traveled to Hawaii, conducting routine training. He later traveled to Leyte aboard an LST, supplying ammunition and other supplies to troops, where he was located when the war ended. Berger then served with occupation forces in Sapporo, Japan, working in the Inspector General’s office. He returned to the US and received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Lawrence Wile. Wile joined the Army in 1943. He completed Cook School, and worked as a cook at Fort Meade and Fort Eustis. In late 1944, he traveled to Cherbourg, France and Belgium, working with the 1591st Labor Supervision Company. He assisted with coordinating German companies in cleaning up after the war, rebuilding roads and picking up artillery shells. Wile continued in the Army after the war, completing 30 years of service in the military.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Bradford. Bradford was born in Marshall, Texas in 1920 and graduated from high school in 1937. Entering the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program he was sent to Tulare, California where he began flight training at the Rankin Aeronautical Academy. Upon graduation as a second lieutenant, he was assigned to Roswell, New Mexico as an instructor pilot at the Roswell Army Air Field. Following two years as an instructor Bradford was assigned to the 548th Night Fighter Squadron to begin training in the Northrop P-61 night fighter plane. Upon completion of training the unit was moved to Iwo Jima where they conducted night patrols. Bradford shot down a Japanese Betty bomber during one patrol. After Iwo Jima was secured, the unit moved to Okinawa and remained there until Japan surrendered. Bradford concludes the narration by telling of the various assignments he had prior to his retirement after thirty years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Burnett. Burnett joined the Army Air Corps in October, 1942 and learned to fly in Texas. He earned his wings and a commission in March, 1944 and was assigned to the 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group flying a P-47 once he got overseas to the Philippines. From there, Burnett flew combat missions against ground targets. He flew missions alongside the 201st Fighter Squadron out of Mexico. His unit moved to Okinawa just before the war ended. After a brief interlude in Japan, Burnett went back to the US and was discharged. He joined the FBI in 1947 after finishing college.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Fred Lee. Lee was born in Portland, Oregon in Chinatown in 1924. His mother and father moved from China to Oregon in 1918, when his father was hired to work on the railroad from Oregon to California. Lee shares his family history, his experiences growing up in segregated schools and his Japanese friends going to holding camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In March of 1943, Lee joined the Army Reserves. He completed training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 1944, Lee completed the Army Specialized Training Program in North Carolina. He later deployed to England to work as a topographer. In late 1944 through the spring of 1945, Lee created maps from aerial photographs for General Patton’s 3rd Army as they advanced through Belgium and Germany. After the war ended, Lee served in Frankfurt, Germany on a Bomb Disposal Squad, returning to the US in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carl Yerian. Yerian joined the Army Air Forces in August of 1942. He completed training as a pilot and received his wings in November of 1943. Yerian served as a B-24 pilot with the 376th Bombardment Group. He completed 51 combat missions over Italy, Austria, southern France and Germany. Yerian continued his service after the war ended, and participated in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He completed 32 years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Vartanian. Vartanian was born 21 August 1924. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in December 1942. He served as a B-24 bombardier/navigator, and shares details of his training. He traveled to Marseilles, France in early 1945. He speaks of witnessing animosity between American black troops and American white officers in Marseilles. He traveled to a replacement depot in Naples, Italy, then onto Bari. Vartanian flew all his missions over Austria with the 456th Bomb Group. He was then reassigned briefly to the 376th Bomb Group in Italy, supporting Allied troops in Northern Italy. He then was sent aboard USS West Point (AP-23) and returned to the US around April of 1945. Vartanian served an additional 20 years in the Air Force Reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Buck. Buck joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was assigned to a B-24 crew as a nose turret gunner. He flew his first mission with the 376th Bomb Group, 514th Bomb Squadron, in the fall of 1944 while stationed in San Pancrazio. On 7 February 1945 his plane was hit hard over Vienna after bombing an oil refinery. The pilot made a crash landing in a corn field in Yugoslavia, where Tito’s Partisans looked after them for 23 days. When a South African pilot came to evacuate the crew, it took everyone including villagers and oxen to help the plane out of the mud. After returning to his squadron, Buck flew seven more missions and was then sent to train with a B-29 crew in anticipation of going to the Pacific. He returned home and was discharged in November 1945. He attended Iowa State University on the GI Bill, majoring in agriculture. Buck inherited his grandfather’s farm; when he retired, he passed it on to his son.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Erwin Wilhite. Wilhite earned his wings in February of 1942. He then conducted anti-submarine patrols off the coast of Louisiana. Later, he served with the 376th Bombardment Group, piloting B-24s out of North Africa and Italy. He describes in vivid detail his first flight to Africa, landing in Khartoum in July of 1942. From there they traveled to Lydda, Palestine where they joined the Halverson Provisional (HALPRO) detachment. He describes running out of fuel over Lebanon, parachuting from the plane, injuring his ankles and his interactions with the Lebanese people. Wilhite returned to the U.S. in January of 1943 for additional treatment of his ankles. In mid-1943 he was sent to Dayton, Ohio to serve as a test pilot, and later served as an engineering officer in Columbus, Ohio through the end of the war. He provides some details of the planes he flew as a test pilot. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Kuehn. Kuehn joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and joined the 376th Bomb Group (H), 515th Bomber Squadron, based in San Pancrazio, Italy. Although he was an aviation mechanic, on 24 February 1944 he flew a mission as a substitute flight engineer. He was shot down over Austria, bailed out, and landed atop a snowy mountain near the border of Yugoslavia. He was picked up by Tito’s Partisans and spent four months hiking to their headquarters. There Kuehn hitched a ride back to Italy on a Russian plane. He returned to the States and was discharged in 1945. Kuehn bought a home in Austria, halfway up a mountain, for vacationing during winter months.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Holley Midgley. Midgley was born in June 1918. He was drafted into the US Army Air Corps in 1940, and completed the Aviation Cadet Program. Midgley served as a second lieutenant bombardier with the 376th Heavy Bombardment Group. His B-24 Liberator bomber was shot down over Bari, Italy on 16 July 1943. He was confined in a German prisoner-of-war camp in Chieti, Italy for twenty-two months, until liberated by General George Patton’s Third Army. Midgley returned to the US in June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martin Goldfarb. Goldfarb joined the Army Air Forces in December 1942 and learned to fly at Xavier University. Although he had experienced anti-Semitism during basic training at Fort Pickett, he was impressed with the respectful tone amongst the airmen, including their fair treatment of the Tuskegee Airmen, who saved Goldfarb’s life during a mission over Vienna. Flying with the 376th Bombardment Group (H) as a navigator, Goldfarb’s plane was forced to leave formation after losing two engines to flak. As they descended, they saw four German fighters waiting for them. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Tuskegee Airmen came to their rescue and brought them back safely to their base in Italy. Goldfarb returned home and served as a financial officer at Harvard Army Airfield until his discharge in October 1945, at which time he enrolled in college on the GI Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Dzwigalski. Dzwigalski was born in River Rouge, Michigan on 25 February 1925. He was drafted into the US Army Air Forces in 1943. He graduated from Armament School at Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado, Gunnery School in Harlingen, Texas, and was assigned to a B-24 crew. The crew was assigned to the 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Heavy Bombardment Group in Bari, Italy during late summer 1944. He served as a ball turret gunner until the end of the war in Europe and was given an honorable discharge in late 1945. After being discharged, Dzwigalski moved to Sacramento, California and obtained work at an airfield rebuilding engines for military and commercial aircraft.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Miller. Miller joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1941, after the war began. He worked in airplane maintenance, and served in Trinidad from early 1942 through mid-1943. He served as a flight engineer on B-24s. In December of 1943, Miller deployed to Naples, Italy and was assigned to the 376th Bombardment Group. He completed support and interdiction missions in Austria, Germany, Italy and Croatia.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert McClean. McClean joined the Army Air Forces around 1941. He completed gunnery school and training in airplane mechanics. Beginning May of 1944, he served as a flight engineer with the 376th Bombardment Group. McClean completed 36 support and interdiction missions in Austria, Germany, Italy and Croatia.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Stanley Bysiewicz. Bysiewicz joined the Army Air Forces and attended gunnery school and bombardier school in Texas. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 15th Air Force as a replacement bombardier. He flew 50 missions out of San Pancrazio, Italy, disabling oil transportation between Romania and Munich, and damaging oil facilities in Romania. He also occasionally targeted military hardware facilities in Germany and ports in France. Bysiewicz received the Purple Heart for a shrapnel wound, but his B-24 never suffered any serious damage, thanks to excellent support from P-51 fighter escorts.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wendell Wilkins. Wilkins joined the Army Air Forces around 1942. He completed radial engine and gunnery schools, and served as an aerial engineer. In 1943, Wilkins deployed to Italy. He completed 50 combat missions over Munich, North Italy, along Brenner Pass, Austria and Romania.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Priddy. Priddy joined the Army Air Corps around 1938. He completed Officer Candidate School in mid-1942. He deployed to England, and served as chief of Materials Section, Air Transport Service. Priddy was able to commandeer sufficient resources within the European Theater to assist Patton’s 3rd Army in their drive into Germany in late 1944. For his contribution, General Charles de Gaulle awarded Priddy the French War Cross with Silver Star. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martin Mehron. Mehron joined the Navy in February 1941 after spending a year working for Western Electric while attending night school at the Newark College of Engineering. Upon completion of boot camp at Newport, he attended radio school in Jacksonville, which ended with a secret two-week course in radar. After learning to operate radar in PBYs, he stayed on at Jacksonville as an instructor until being sent to a more rigorous radar school at Corpus Christi. From there, he was assigned to a PB4Y unit, VPB-117, flying 12-hour patrols in search of ships and ground targets. One night, after a patrol off of Leyte Gulf, his crew returned to a darkened base and was told to continue to reconnoiter until it was safe to return. After they were given the okay, they came in for the landing but ran out of fuel and crashed 10 seconds before hitting the strip. They hit the water, several of the crew sustaining serious injuries, some fatal. Mehron was rescued and treated for a head injury at a converted hospital. Upon his recovery, he returned to the States as a radar maintenance …