The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Molina. Molina joined the Army in 1937 and received basic training at Fort Sam Houston. He was assigned to a machinegun company in the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was discharged in February 1940 and volunteered again in February 1942. He joined the Army Air Forces and became a guard and small arms instructor at Foster Field with the 934th Guard Squadron. He left the base in 1945 as a tech sergeant and headed to Kunming, China. There he served as a provost sergeant, inspecting and approving souvenirs to be brought home with the troops. He witnessed a great deal of fighting between the Chinese during his time there. Molina returned home and was discharged in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ben Cater. Cater joined the Navy V-7 Program, graduating in June of 1942. He then completed Midshipman School in the February of 1943. Cater then flew to Kodiak, Alaska, and served aboard USS Long (DMS-12), providing escort and patrol for the occupations of Attu and Kiska, returning to Pearl Harbor in September. Cater recalls participating in the Marshall Islands Campaign. In February of 1944, they traveled to New Guinea, escorting convoys and sweeping mines prior to the Admiralty Islands Campaign. They additionally participated in the Battles of Hollandia and Guam, and the Mariana and Palau islands campaign. Cater then served aboard the USS Columbia (CL-56), participating in pre-invasion bombardments for the landings at Leyte Gulf. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David McFaddin. McFaddin was born in Mount Gilead, Ohio on 15 August 1922 into a family of eight children. In 1941 he was inducted into the Marine Corps and placed into the V-12 Navy College Training Program. He went to Paris Island, South Carolina for boot training in 1943 followed by advanced training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He then attended Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia for three months, graduating as a second lieutenant. He was ordered to San Diego where he boarded a troop ship to Guadalcanal. Upon his arrival, he was assigned to the 6th Marine Division. On 1 April 1945, he landed on Green Beach on Okinawa as a platoon leader assigned to Company B, 22nd Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion. He recalls being in the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill. He was wounded by shell fragments and was flown to Guam for treatment in the hospital. He tells a humorous story involving him and another patient, former football All-American Alex Agase. After McFaddin recovered, he rejoined his unit while it was preparing for the invasion of Japan. Soon after Japan surrendered, the 22nd Marines …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald L. Campbell. Campbell joined the Navy in August 1943, at the age of eighteen. He completed gunnery school in Gulf Port, Mississippi and served as an Armed Guard aboard Merchant Marine ships. In February 1944, he was transported to Fremantle, Australia. Campbell shares his experiences getting initiated upon crossing the equator, and transporting supplies of ammunition, bombs, planes and Army trucks to Calcutta, India. He notes going through the Suez Canal in their travels to New York. In August 1944, he was assigned to SS Ralph W. Emerson, and traveled to Scotland and unloaded food and ammunition supplies to Omaha Beach in September. In December, they traveled through the Panama Canal on their way to deliver supplies to Manus Island and Bougainville and landed in Manila by the end of May 1945. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vern A. Kissinger. Kissinger joined the Army Air Forces on 10 June 1942, at the age of seventeen. He received only basic infantry training, then arrived in Ipswich, England in September. He served as a private with Headquarters 12th Air Force. In November, Kissinger was shipped to Oran, Africa. He describes some of the events of the North African Campaign. Kissinger was then transferred to Corsica in the spring of 1943. He then headed to Italy, where he worked as a GMC 6 by 6 cargo truck driver transporting German prisoners and later General Mark Clark. Around September, he transferred to Marseille, France. He returned to the US and received his discharge on October 5, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willis Cooper. Cooper joined the Army Air Forces in November 1942 at age 29, after working in the Louisiana Department of Conservation. He received mechanic’s training at Keesler Field and went to a factory in Indiana to learn about engines. He was then assigned to the 65th Troop Carrier Squadron and sent to New Guinea, where he changed engines and performed 100-hour inspections on C-47s. After Cooper became the chief of maintenance, the group inspector remarked that Cooper had dramatically reduced each plane’s maintenance time. Before returning home, he worked overtime to prepare extra planes to fly much needed supplies to Okinawa, which had been recently devastated by a typhoon. Cooper was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayne Miller. Miller was born 10 September 1926 in rural Fulton County, Indiana. Upon graduating from high school in 1944, he joined the Navy and went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois. Completing boot camp he was sent to Portland, Maine and assigned as Water Tender 3rd Class on the USS Varian (DE-798). In November 1944 the ship joined two other destroyer escorts as a hunter-killer group. In April 1945, while on patrol in the Azores, their sonar picked up German submarine U-248. All three ships dropped depth charges that sank the submarine. In early 1945 the group engaged and sank the German submarine U-546. The surviving submarine crewmen were picked up by the Varian and taken to Newfoundland. Soon after Germany surrendered, the Varian met the submarine U-805 on the high seas and accepted its surrender. An American crew was put on board and taken to Newfoundland. The boat was at the Charleston, South Carolina Naval Yard for refitting when Japan surrendered. Miller was discharged 6 June 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Richard E. Cole. Cole was born 7 September 1915 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1940 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and received his commission in 1941. He was then assigned to the 17th Bomb Group. In 1942 he volunteered for a mission and tells of being assigned as co-pilot to Colonel James Doolittle. Cole mentions the specialized training the volunteers received, being aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8), the bombing mission over Tokyo, and the subsequent bail-out over China. He relates his experience of reuniting with his crew members and meeting Madam Chiang Kai-Shek and John Birch, the liaison officer between the United States Military and the Chinese forces. Cole then was assigned to the 11th Bomb Squadron and flew bombing missions over China. He also mentions flying transport planes over the Himalayas, joining the 1st Air Commando Group, and subsequent military assignments. Cole retired after 26 years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Richard E. Cole. Cole was born 7 September 1915 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1940 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and received his commission in 1941. He was then assigned to the 17th Bomb Group. In 1942 he volunteered for a mission and tells of being assigned as co-pilot to Colonel James Doolittle. Cole mentions the specialized training the volunteers received, being aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8), the bombing mission over Tokyo, and the subsequent bail-out over China. He relates his experience of reuniting with his crew members and meeting Madam Chiang Kai-Shek and John Birch, the liaison officer between the United States Military and the Chinese forces. Cole then was assigned to the 11th Bomb Squadron and flew bombing missions over China. He also mentions flying transport planes over the Himalayas, joining the 1st Air Commando Group, and subsequent military assignments. Cole retired after 26 years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Junior Montgomery. Montgomery joined the Marine Corps in the summer of 1942. He trained specifically on driving amphibious tractors. He traveled to New Caledonia and joined the 6th Marine Division, 3rd Raider Battalion. Montgomery participated in the Bougainville Campaign, the Battle of Guam and the Battle of Okinawa. He shares his experiences through these battles, and was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayne Miller. Miller was born 10 September 1926 in rural Fulton County, Indiana. Upon graduating from high school in 1944, he joined the Navy and went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois. Completing boot camp he was sent to Portland, Maine and assigned as Water Tender 3rd Class on the USS Varian (DE-798). In November 1944 the ship joined two other destroyer escorts as a hunter-killer group. In April 1945, while on patrol in the Azores, their sonar picked up German submarine U-248. All three ships dropped depth charges that sank the submarine. In early 1945 the group engaged and sank the German submarine U-546. The surviving submarine crewmen were picked up by the Varian and taken to Newfoundland. Soon after Germany surrendered, the Varian met the submarine U-805 on the high seas and accepted its surrender. An American crew was put on board and taken to Newfoundland. The boat was at the Charleston, South Carolina Naval Yard for refitting when Japan surrendered. Miller was discharged 6 June 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willis Cooper. Cooper joined the Army Air Forces in November 1942 at age 29, after working in the Louisiana Department of Conservation. He received mechanic’s training at Keesler Field and went to a factory in Indiana to learn about engines. He was then assigned to the 65th Troop Carrier Squadron and sent to New Guinea, where he changed engines and performed 100-hour inspections on C-47s. After Cooper became the chief of maintenance, the group inspector remarked that Cooper had dramatically reduced each plane’s maintenance time. Before returning home, he worked overtime to prepare extra planes to fly much needed supplies to Okinawa, which had been recently devastated by a typhoon. Cooper was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald L. Campbell. Campbell joined the Navy in August 1943, at the age of eighteen. He completed gunnery school in Gulf Port, Mississippi and served as an Armed Guard aboard Merchant Marine ships. In February 1944, he was transported to Fremantle, Australia. Campbell shares his experiences getting initiated upon crossing the equator, and transporting supplies of ammunition, bombs, planes and Army trucks to Calcutta, India. He notes going through the Suez Canal in their travels to New York. In August 1944, he was assigned to SS Ralph W. Emerson, and traveled to Scotland and unloaded food and ammunition supplies to Omaha Beach in September. In December, they traveled through the Panama Canal on their way to deliver supplies to Manus Island and Bougainville and landed in Manila by the end of May 1945. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vern A. Kissinger. Kissinger joined the Army Air Forces on 10 June 1942, at the age of seventeen. He received only basic infantry training, then arrived in Ipswich, England in September. He served as a private with Headquarters 12th Air Force. In November, Kissinger was shipped to Oran, Africa. He describes some of the events of the North African Campaign. Kissinger was then transferred to Corsica in the spring of 1943. He then headed to Italy, where he worked as a GMC 6 by 6 cargo truck driver transporting German prisoners and later General Mark Clark. Around September, he transferred to Marseille, France. He returned to the US and received his discharge on October 5, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David McFaddin. McFaddin was born in Mount Gilead, Ohio on 15 August 1922 into a family of eight children. In 1941 he was inducted into the Marine Corps and placed into the V-12 Navy College Training Program. He went to Paris Island, South Carolina for boot training in 1943 followed by advanced training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He then attended Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia for three months, graduating as a second lieutenant. He was ordered to San Diego where he boarded a troop ship to Guadalcanal. Upon his arrival, he was assigned to the 6th Marine Division. On 1 April 1945, he landed on Green Beach on Okinawa as a platoon leader assigned to Company B, 22nd Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion. He recalls being in the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill. He was wounded by shell fragments and was flown to Guam for treatment in the hospital. He tells a humorous story involving him and another patient, former football All-American Alex Agase. After McFaddin recovered, he rejoined his unit while it was preparing for the invasion of Japan. Soon after Japan surrendered, the 22nd Marines …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Molina. Molina joined the Army in 1937 and received basic training at Fort Sam Houston. He was assigned to a machinegun company in the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was discharged in February 1940 and volunteered again in February 1942. He joined the Army Air Forces and became a guard and small arms instructor at Foster Field with the 934th Guard Squadron. He left the base in 1945 as a tech sergeant and headed to Kunming, China. There he served as a provost sergeant, inspecting and approving souvenirs to be brought home with the troops. He witnessed a great deal of fighting between the Chinese during his time there. Molina returned home and was discharged in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ben Cater. Cater joined the Navy V-7 Program, graduating in June of 1942. He then completed Midshipman School in the February of 1943. Cater then flew to Kodiak, Alaska, and served aboard USS Long (DMS-12), providing escort and patrol for the occupations of Attu and Kiska, returning to Pearl Harbor in September. Cater recalls participating in the Marshall Islands Campaign. In February of 1944, they traveled to New Guinea, escorting convoys and sweeping mines prior to the Admiralty Islands Campaign. They additionally participated in the Battles of Hollandia and Guam, and the Mariana and Palau islands campaign. Cater then served aboard the USS Columbia (CL-56), participating in pre-invasion bombardments for the landings at Leyte Gulf. He was discharged in January of 1946.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing a slow day spent sewing his 7th Air Corps patches onto his shirts, getting paid, opting out of playing poker with other men in his squadron, and the poor mail service.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including painting the kitchen, the weather, her plans to ask for a raise, and reading "Leave Her to Heaven."