Interview with O. H. "Karl" King of Fort Worth, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. King recalls memories of his travels, the Japanese attack on Clark Field, the Battle for Bataan, and when he was a Japanese prisoner-of-war. He also talks about other experiences he had while serving in the Marines and his life before and after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond and Florence Bower. Raymond joined the Army in 1940. He completed aircraft mechanics school and joined the 86th Observation Squadron, 7th Air Force, at Bellows Field in Hawaii. He provides vivid details of his first-hand experiences through the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. He recalls the capture of a Japanese soldier from a midget sub, who later attended their 50th squadron reunion in Hawaii. Raymond stayed in Hawaii until July of 1945. Raymond flew all over the South Pacific in B-24s, and notes that his unit was converted into a combat mapping squadron. They traveled from Honolulu to Saipan, Kwajalein, Japan, Tinian. Florence completed nurse training and served in World War II with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, from 1943 to 1945. She completed recruiting school and was assigned to the Northern New Jersey, Delaware recruiting area. She encouraged women, through TV, radio and speaking engagements to join the military. Florence provides details of her public relations work, her uniform, selling war bonds and overall enthusiasm in serving her country. She was then assigned to the Staten Island Area Station Hospital in New York from …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leo Bowden. Bowden joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1943. He served as a B-29 gunner with a replacement crew in the Pacific. He traveled to Saipan, Tinian and Guam, and shares his living conditions on the Pacific islands. Bowden flew around 15 missions from May of 1944 through August of 1945. He conducted several bombing missions over Japan. He received his discharge in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lee Soucy. Soucy joined the Navy in December of 1937. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as Pharmacist’s Mate aboard the USS Utah (BB-31). He was on board when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack and sinking of the Utah, Soucy worked as an RN and head of the medical laboratory at the Pearl Harbor Hospital. He remained at the hospital through April of 1945. He then completed Malaria Control School with the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and worked as the Assistant Malaria Control Officer until his discharge in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lee Soucy. Soucy joined the Navy in December of 1937. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as Pharmacist’s Mate aboard the USS Utah (BB-31). He was on board when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack and sinking of the Utah, Soucy worked as an RN and head of the medical laboratory at the Pearl Harbor Hospital. He remained at the hospital through April of 1945. He then completed Malaria Control School with the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and worked as the Assistant Malaria Control Officer until his discharge in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carl Duncan. Duncan joined the Navy around 1944. In February of 1945, he completed Midshipman’s School, and received his commission in July. He recalls his experiences and the celebrations in New York’s Times Square on both V-E Day and V-J Day. Duncan joined the USS Cotten (DD-669) in Tokyo Bay, beginning late September of 1945. He served as an Assistant Communications Officer. They participated in the allied occupation of Japan through December. In March of 1946, he was transferred to the USS Hollis (APD-68), where he remained until his discharge in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J J Knaupp. Knaupp joined the Marine Corps in November of 1943. He completed boot camp in March of 1944. He joined the 5th Marine Division, and remained in Hawaii through December. He participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima serving as a gunner on 81mm mortars. After the war ended, Knaupp was transferred to the 2nd Marine Division and sent with occupying troops to Sasebo, Japan. He worked in administration. He returned to the US and was discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Richardson. Richardson served as a journalist and sergeant in the Army from 1941-1945. In 1941 he worked as editor of the Camp Pendleton newspaper. He then worked for the Army Weekly and Yank in New York in 1942. They sent him, with orders, to General MacArthur in Australia to put together a group of journalists to document the war in the China, Burma, India Theatre of Operations. He participated in battles in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Leyte Gulf, India, Burma, the Philippines and shares his grim experiences in journaling through combat. In Burma, Richardson walked 700 miles with Merrill’s Marauders. He shares details of casualties, illnesses, attacks, weapons and military vehicles he handled, while writing GI stories from the front lines.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Howell. Howell joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He completed engineering school. He graduated from the Platoon Commanders Class at the Marine Corps Quantico Base, Virginia in May of 1945. Before the war ended, he deployed aboard a troop ship to invade mainland Japan. He then served in the Occupation of Japan after the surrender from November through January of 1946. He was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gerald Graham. Graham joined the Georgia National Guard in the 1930s, and enlisted in Troop C, 108th Cavalry. In 1940, his unit was re-designated to Battery C, 101st Anti-aircraft Battalion. He was stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Beginning May of 1942, his unit was transferred to the 40th Coastal Artillery Brigade, and they served as the first ground troops in New Guinea. Graham worked as the liaison officer between his anti-aircraft unit and the 5th Air Force, identifying needed anti-aircraft to protect landing fields for planes to drop replacement men and supplies. In early 1943, he met General Douglas MacArthur at Port Moresby, and transferred to MacArthur’s headquarters serving as his aide-de-camp. He shares intimate details of his work for MacArthur. They traveled to Hollandia, the Philippines and Japan during the occupation. In December of 1945 he left Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Green. Green joined the Army in the spring of 1943. He served with the 763rd Tank Battalion, 96th Infantry Division, and transferred to Scofield Barracks in Hawaii in January of 1944. They participated in the battles of Leyte and Okinawa. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin H. Simmons. Simmons was born 21 August 1921 in Paulsboro, New Jersey. Graduating from Lehigh University in 1942 he entered the Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. Upon graduating from the reserve officers training course at Quantico, Virginia he served as an instructor. In the fall of 1943 he went to New Caledonia aboard the USS Orizaba (AP-24). He was then sent to Guadalcanal and assigned to the 4th Marine Regiment as a shore party officer. Simmons landed on Guam on 21 July 1944 with the 4th Marines, 1st Marine Brigade and describes the action in which he was involved. He was later selected to be the adjutant of the 5th Field Depot and remained on Guam until the end of the war. In late August 1945 he was assigned to the 7th Service Regiment and went to Okinawa. There, he set up a public relations system which entailed training clerks and photographers to do personal stories about various marines, which were then sent to the hometown newspapers. He was then sent to China and he relates several incidents which occurred during that assignment. He returned to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Inami. Inami was born in April of 1921 in Madera, California. After graduating from Madera High School, Frank attended the University of California, Berkeley. While working on his degree in electrical engineering, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Inami and his family, all Japanese-Americans, were removed from the west coast and incarcerated in Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas. In 1944, while still in Jerome, Inami volunteered for the Army. He was assigned to the Military Intelligence Service because of his proficiency in Japanese. He was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where he eventually became an instructor. After the war, he served in the Signal Corps and then in the 8th Army during the Korean War. He retired from the Army in 1974, at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Helen Leverton. Leverton married Lieutenant Joseph Wilson Leverton, Jr., USN, in 1938. They were stationed in Honolulu when the Japanese attacked. Bill had to leave Helen and their twin babies, as he helped remove his ship, USS Wasmuth (DD-338), from the harbor during the bombing. Bill rose to the rank of Rear Admiral during a long, distinguished career in the Navy. She speaks on her experiences through that fateful day in 1941, her perspective as a Navy wife and her husband’s military career.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul St. Pierre. St. Pierre joined the Navy in 1934. In November of 1935 he traveled aboard the USS Vega (AK-17) to San Diego, then was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1), working as a signal striker. Their ship served as a training ship for carrier landings. In 1937 they traveled to Mare Island for ship modifications, then headed to French Frigate Shoals to operate with new PBY planes. He was promoted to Signalman 3rd Class. St. Pierre provides details of his work, comradery with shipmates, their living accommodations and general life aboard the ship. They traveled to Sitka, Alaska, Seattle, Washington, Coronado Island and operated off of San Clemente, Long Beach, San Diego and Hawaii. In 1938 they participated in a training defense of the Hawaiian Islands, where the Black Fleet was the US and the Red Fleet was the Japanese, and he shares details of this training exercise and others. He was discharged in June of 1939. St. Pierre served as the historian for the association of individuals who have served aboard the Langley and continues on his interview with additional historical facts about the ships service …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl Stevens. Stevens served aboard the USS New Mexico (BB 40) as an electrician beginning October of 1942. He was a gun electrician and took care of the firing mechanisms and the telephones. He provides his experience of joining the Navy with his dad and three brothers. He describes life aboard the New Mexico. He recalls traveling to Australia for liberty. Stevens describes the explosion of the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) and the repercussions it had upon the New Mexico. They also traveled to the Philippines. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Walker. Walker served in the Navy aboard the USS New Mexico (BB-40) beginning Christmas Day 1937. He was aboard serving as a radioman. He describes the radios aboard the ship, working in the powder rooms in the turrets and Navy life in general. He gives details of a typical day as a radioman, including training, practicing Morse code and standing watch. Walker describes changes that took place in 1940, when they traveled from the Navy yard in Bremerton, Washington to Honolulu. Walker was transferred to the 14th Naval District from 1940 to 1942. He was present when Pearl Harbor was attacked on 7 December and provides recollections of the attack. He also describes a shellback initiation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leo Bowden. Bowden joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1943. He served as a B-29 gunner with a replacement crew in the Pacific. He traveled to Saipan, Tinian and Guam, and shares his living conditions on the Pacific islands. Bowden flew around 15 missions from May of 1944 through August of 1945. He conducted several bombing missions over Japan. He received his discharge in March of 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with James “Jim” Vander-Moere, Jr. Born in 1925, he joined the Navy in 1943. He talks about boot camp at the Great Lakes Training Station. He describes the living quarters at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois where he attended diesel school. He also describes his submarine school training at the Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. He was transported to the Pacific Theater aboard the Liberty ship SS John Bartram. At the Freemantle submarine base in Australia, he was assigned to submarine tenders, USS Orion (AS-18) and USS Euryale (AS-22). He talks about the people, the railway system, and recreation in Australia. In February, 1945 he was assigned to the USS Blenny (SS-324), a submarine that patrolled off the coast of French Indochina. He recounts events of the three patrols in which he participated, including sinking various ships and vessels; experiencing a severe depth charge; and a near-miss with an enemy bomber when surfacing after a trim dive. He describes a tactic used by submarines to avoid being depth charged. He also shares anecdotes about a cockroach infestation and celebrating the war’s end with liquor disguised in a witch hazel bottle. When the war …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul St. Pierre. St. Pierre joined the Navy in 1934. In November of 1935 he traveled aboard the USS Vega (AK-17) to San Diego, then was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1), working as a signal striker. Their ship served as a training ship for carrier landings. In 1937 they traveled to Mare Island for ship modifications, then headed to French Frigate Shoals to operate with new PBY planes. He was promoted to Signalman 3rd Class. St. Pierre provides details of his work, comradery with shipmates, their living accommodations and general life aboard the ship. They traveled to Sitka, Alaska, Seattle, Washington, Coronado Island and operated off of San Clemente, Long Beach, San Diego and Hawaii. In 1938 they participated in a training defense of the Hawaiian Islands, where the Black Fleet was the US and the Red Fleet was the Japanese, and he shares details of this training exercise and others. He was discharged in June of 1939. St. Pierre served as the historian for the association of individuals who have served aboard the Langley and continues on his interview with additional historical facts about the ships service …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond and Florence Bower. Raymond joined the Army in 1940. He completed aircraft mechanics school and joined the 86th Observation Squadron, 7th Air Force, at Bellows Field in Hawaii. He provides vivid details of his first-hand experiences through the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. He recalls the capture of a Japanese soldier from a midget sub, who later attended their 50th squadron reunion in Hawaii. Raymond stayed in Hawaii until July of 1945. Raymond flew all over the South Pacific in B-24s, and notes that his unit was converted into a combat mapping squadron. They traveled from Honolulu to Saipan, Kwajalein, Japan, Tinian. Florence completed nurse training and served in World War II with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, from 1943 to 1945. She completed recruiting school and was assigned to the Northern New Jersey, Delaware recruiting area. She encouraged women, through TV, radio and speaking engagements to join the military. Florence provides details of her public relations work, her uniform, selling war bonds and overall enthusiasm in serving her country. She was then assigned to the Staten Island Area Station Hospital in New York from …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carl Duncan. Duncan joined the Navy around 1944. In February of 1945, he completed Midshipman’s School, and received his commission in July. He recalls his experiences and the celebrations in New York’s Times Square on both V-E Day and V-J Day. Duncan joined the USS Cotten (DD-669) in Tokyo Bay, beginning late September of 1945. He served as an Assistant Communications Officer. They participated in the allied occupation of Japan through December. In March of 1946, he was transferred to the USS Hollis (APD-68), where he remained until his discharge in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J J Knaupp. Knaupp joined the Marine Corps in November of 1943. He completed boot camp in March of 1944. He joined the 5th Marine Division, and remained in Hawaii through December. He participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima serving as a gunner on 81mm mortars. After the war ended, Knaupp was transferred to the 2nd Marine Division and sent with occupying troops to Sasebo, Japan. He worked in administration. He returned to the US and was discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Richardson. Richardson served as a journalist and sergeant in the Army from 1941-1945. In 1941 he worked as editor of the Camp Pendleton newspaper. He then worked for the Army Weekly and Yank in New York in 1942. They sent him, with orders, to General MacArthur in Australia to put together a group of journalists to document the war in the China, Burma, India Theatre of Operations. He participated in battles in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Leyte Gulf, India, Burma, the Philippines and shares his grim experiences in journaling through combat. In Burma, Richardson walked 700 miles with Merrill’s Marauders. He shares details of casualties, illnesses, attacks, weapons and military vehicles he handled, while writing GI stories from the front lines.