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[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, May 31, 1901] (open access)

[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, May 31, 1901]

Transcription of letter from Chester Nimitz to his grandfather in Fredericksburg. Nimitz relates news from Fort Sam Houston about having passed his physical examination required for service in the military. He also contemplates entering Robert Werntz's Preparatory Academy in Annapolis prior to arriving at the Naval Academy. Also included is a copy of the examining Army physician's report.
Date: May 31, 1901
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, May 31, 1901] (open access)

[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, May 31, 1901]

Transcription of letter from Chester Nimitz to his grandfather in Fredericksburg. Nimitz relates news from Fort Sam Houston about having passed his physical examination required for service in the military. He also contemplates entering Robert Werntz's Preparatory Academy in Annapolis prior to arriving at the Naval Academy. Also included is a copy of the examining Army physician's report.
Date: May 31, 1901
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, January 31, 1902] (open access)

[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, January 31, 1902]

Handwritten letter from Chester Nimitz to his grandfather in Fredericksburg. Nimitz discusses the results of his exams and indicates about 25 people failed. He also mentions one cadet was caught cheating and describes what happened to him. He comments on the weather and mentions that German naval cadets will visit in February. This letter is on US Naval Academy stationery.
Date: January 31, 1902
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, January 31, 1902] (open access)

[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to his Grandfather, January 31, 1902]

Transcription of letter from Chester Nimitz to his grandfather in Fredericksburg. Nimitz discusses the results of his exams and indicates about 25 people failed. He also mentions one cadet was caught cheating and describes what happened to him. He comments on the weather and mentions that German naval cadets will visit in February.
Date: January 31, 1902
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to William Nimitz, August 31, 1903] (open access)

[Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to William Nimitz, August 31, 1903]

Handwritten letter from Chester Nimitz to his father in Kerrville. Nimitz indicates he has changed his leave plans again to include a visit to Washington DC and West Point. He summarizes the final few days aboard the Hartford and recalls his standing in his class after the cruise. This letter is on US Naval Academy stationery.
Date: August 31, 1903
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to William Nimitz, August 31, 1903] (open access)

[Transcript of Letter from Chester W. Nimitz to William Nimitz, August 31, 1903]

Transcription of letter from Chester Nimitz to his father in Kerrville. Nimitz indicates he has changed his leave plans again to include a visit to Washington DC and West Point. He summarizes the final few days aboard the Hartford and recalls his standing in his class after the cruise.
Date: August 31, 1903
Creator: Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Admiral Chester W. Nimitz During Change of Command Ceremony]

Photograph of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz standing in front of seven men in uniform during change of command ceremony. Chester W. Nimitz stands on the right with his hands clasped in front of him wearing a white Naval uniform with a high collar, ribbon bars pinned above his pocket, epaulettes and a brimmed hat with the Navy's emblem. Another man in a white Naval uniform is standing beside Chester W. Nimitz with his hands behind his back.
Date: December 31, 1941
Creator: United States. Navy
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Postal Card from Mary Shirley to Cecelia McKie - May 31, 1943] (open access)

[Postal Card from Mary Shirley to Cecelia McKie - May 31, 1943]

Postcard sent from Mary Shirley to Cecelia McKie thanking her for the message. Postcard is postmarked Yorktown Heights, New York.
Date: May 31, 1943
Creator: Shirley, Mary
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - May 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - May 31, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including making cotton clothes to wear to work, seeing a movie with Mr. Figart, and receiving a letter from Bob with photos take on them in Tonopah.
Date: May 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - May 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - May 31, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing expecting to get a pass to go into Honolulu the next day, mailing her his watch, and getting to know the men in his squadron.
Date: May 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - July 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - July 31, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including going for a drive with Mother, mailing a package to him that will serve as a birthday present, and her coworker Lorraine quitting due to her pregnancy.
Date: July 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - July 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - July 31, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing seeing the movie "Gung Ho," looking at the moon and missing her, and plans to request a package from her.
Date: July 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - August 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - August 31, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including coffee with Lorraine and Crockett, playing Tripoli with Evelyn, Elaine, and Baby, purchasing him a Christmas present, and the weather.
Date: August 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - October 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - October 31, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, receiving his paycheck, responding to the news from home Catherine shared, and seeing the movie "Double Indemnity."
Date: October 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - December 31, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - December 31, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing her New Year's Eve celebration with Dan, Corrine, Bea, Joe, and Emma. On the last page of the letter, there are notes from Emma and Dan sending their well wishes.
Date: December 31, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - January 31, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - January 31, 1945]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including Baker complaining about his job at the post office, the weather, and Maxine's plans to throw a party for Corrine.
Date: January 31, 1945
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - January 31, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - January 31, 1945]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing eating French stew for dinner, seeing a Donald Duck short, the captain having someone come to photograph his crew's plane, "Texas Kate," and getting lights put up in their tent.
Date: January 31, 1945
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Chester W. Nimitz Giving a Speech]

Photograph of Chester W. Nimitz standing at a wooden podium with a standing microphone beside it, giving speech at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He is wearing a dark Naval Uniform with stripes on the sleeves, ribbon bars pinned above his pocket and a dark die. There is some type of palm or fern plant behind Chester Nimitz.
Date: May 31, 1956
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Willis Gathright, October 31, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Willis Gathright, October 31, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willis Gathright. Gathright was born on 3 December 1924 and graduated from high school in 1942. Upon being drafted in June 1943 he went to eight weeks of boot training at the US Naval Training Station in San Diego. This was followed by twelve weeks of sonar training at the West Coast Sound School at Point Loma, California. He describes how a sonar unit works. After graduating from the sonar school and receiving gunnery training at in Algiers, Louisiana, Gathright was assigned to Patrol Craft Escort 849. On 18 June 1944, the ship arrived at Brisbane, Australia where Army radio equipment was placed on board manned by a crew of ten Army soldiers. Gathright recalls the ship being part of the fleet during the invasion of Leyte acting as the radio relay between the USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2) and General McArthur’s headquarters in Australia. After participating in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf at Luzon, the ship remained in Manila until February 1945 when they were ordered to Morotai, where they joined the Australian Fleet for the invasion of Tarakan, Borneo on 1 May 1945. Gathright describes the ship …
Date: October 31, 2000
Creator: Gathright, Willis
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Willis Gathright, October 31, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Willis Gathright, October 31, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willis Gathright. Gathright was born on 3 December 1924 and graduated from high school in 1942. Upon being drafted in June 1943 he went to eight weeks of boot training at the US Naval Training Station in San Diego. This was followed by twelve weeks of sonar training at the West Coast Sound School at Point Loma, California. He describes how a sonar unit works. After graduating from the sonar school and receiving gunnery training at in Algiers, Louisiana, Gathright was assigned to Patrol Craft Escort 849. On 18 June 1944, the ship arrived at Brisbane, Australia where Army radio equipment was placed on board manned by a crew of ten Army soldiers. Gathright recalls the ship being part of the fleet during the invasion of Leyte acting as the radio relay between the USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2) and General McArthur’s headquarters in Australia. After participating in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf at Luzon, the ship remained in Manila until February 1945 when they were ordered to Morotai, where they joined the Australian Fleet for the invasion of Tarakan, Borneo on 1 May 1945. Gathright describes the ship …
Date: October 31, 2000
Creator: Gathright, Willis
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Harold Gensler, March 31, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Harold Gensler, March 31, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Harold Gensler. Gensler was born in Tarrytown, New York on 28 September 1915 and graduated from high school in 1935. He recalls the crowds at the New York recruiting station being so large the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor that horse-mounted policemen were needed for crowd control. He was exempt from the draft and ineligible to enlist in any branch of the service as he was employed by a railroad company with a job considered essential to the war effort. In 1943 he joined the Navy and was assigned to a Naval Construction Battalion. He was put on various clerical assignments all the while desiring to be in combat. After filing numerous requests he was assigned to the USS Edgecombe (APA-164). The ship departed for New Guinea 31 December 1943 and he describes in minute detail the Shellback initiation ceremony that took place upon crossing the Equator. He made trips to Leyte and Ulithi to deliver supplies and to the Philippines as the fleet prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. He also recalls listening to radio broadcasts by Tokyo Rose foretelling the landings on the island. …
Date: March 31, 2001
Creator: Gensler, Harold
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Bischoff, July 31, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Richard Bischoff, July 31, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Bischoff. Bischoff joined the Army in December of 1942. He served with the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion. They arrived in England in April of 1944. They invaded Normandy on D-Day plus 2. Bischoff and his unit fought across France and into Germany during the summer and early winter of 1944. In December they participated in the Ardennes Campaign, ending the war near the Czechoslovakian border. Bischoff returned to the US and was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: July 31, 2001
Creator: Bischoff, Richard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Bischoff, July 31, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Richard Bischoff, July 31, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Bischoff. Bischoff joined the Army in December of 1942. He served with the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion. They arrived in England in April of 1944. They invaded Normandy on D-Day plus 2. Bischoff and his unit fought across France and into Germany during the summer and early winter of 1944. In December they participated in the Ardennes Campaign, ending the war near the Czechoslovakian border. Bischoff returned to the US and was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: July 31, 2001
Creator: Bischoff, Richard
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ann Drake, January 31, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Ann Drake, January 31, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ann Drake. Drake was born in the Philippines on 31 August 1937. Her mother was from North Borneo and her father was an American. In 1941 the family lived to Manila and she recalls 8 December 1941 when the Japanese began bombing the city. She fondly remembers her father saying goodbye to the family for it was the last time they ever spoke to him. She recalls the Japanese taking her mother and siblings to Santo Tomas internment camp. Drake and her two sisters were placed in the Holy Ghost Convent for children while her brothers remained at Santo Tomas. In January 1944 the girls and their mother were again sent to Santo Tomas where they were united with the boys. Drake describes the living conditions and the scarcity of food. Internees were supposed to receive Red Cross packages monthly, but received only three packages during their confinement. Drake comments on the day they were freed and how she presently feels about the Japanese. After the surrender of Japan, Drake learned her father had been interned at Cabanatuan concentration camp for several years before being put on a …
Date: January 31, 2002
Creator: Drake, Ann
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History