Transcript of an oral interview with Russell Milliken. He discusses being in the 82nd Airborne, parachuting into Normandy just after D-Day, being treated for frozen feet during the Battle of the Bulge and meeting a doctor he knew from home, serving on General Eisenhower's honor guard in Frankfurt, and coming home through New York and having to stay there for a Victory Parade before being allowed to go back to Texas.

Transcript of an oral interview with Jack O. Arnold. Arnold was born in El Paso, Texas on 27 June, 1923. He enlisted in the Army in May 1942 while in his second year at the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy. After basic training at Camp Maxey, Texas, he joined the 14th Armored Division. Circa 1944-1945, he joined the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. He participated in the battle for the recapture of Corregidor. He discusses the Japanese defensive network of tunnels on the island. He was awarded the Purple Heart for a shrapnel injury while on Negros Island. Arnold describes the living conditions of the soldiers. He also describes the Japanese practice of binding themselves up with cloth for battle. He was discharged from the Army on 31 December, 1945. After he finished college, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1949 at the age of 26 and served during the Korean War. He recounts stories of flying in an airplane during a typhoon, a bird strike, engine trouble and landing gear failure. He was discharged from the Air Force in 1952. Arnold provides information about his parents and siblings as well as his children.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert Lewis Kelly. Kelly joined the Naval Reserve in 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on an ATA (auxiliary ocean tug.) He initially served on a troop transport ship. He later served on minelayers and minesweepers in the Atlantic Theater. He describes being transported in Africa in a 40-and-8 box car. He also provides information about his parents and siblings. He served until the end of the war. Kelly served on a troop transport ship in both the Pacific and Atlantic Theaters. He went to Mine Warfare School and then served on minesweepers and minelayers. He provided minesweeping support for the Normandy Invasion. In addition to sharing information about minelaying and minesweeping, he describes being on liberty in Greece; serving as a brig warden; experiencing a tsunami and a typhoon while at sea; witnessing a German submarine attack near Bermuda; experiencing a London air raid; witnessing the USS Osprey and the USS Tide hitting mines and the USS Texas being hit by German shells; and living on the beach in Casablanca. He recounts a story about missing alcohol in the marine compass. He also describes the food situation …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Cox. Cox was born in Bismarck, Illinois on 3 November 1917. He joined the Army Air Corps in December 1939. Upon completing basic training he was sent to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines, arriving there in May 1940. Soon after his arrival he was assigned to the 27th Materials Squadron and trained in an aircraft mechanics school. He was selected for a special mission to Port Moresby, New Guinea and was there when the Japanese attacked the Philippines. He was then ordered to report to Townsville, Australia. Cox recalls various experiences while working with the Australian forces. Returning to the United States in 1943 he was promoted to Warrant Officer and assigned as Aircraft Maintenance Officer at Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri in December 1943. In March 1944, he was sent to Fulbeck, England where he joined the 303rd Troop Carrier Squadron. He describes the loading of the squadron’s planes with troops prior to the launching of Operation Overlord, 6 June 1944. He concludes the interview describing the unit’s involvement in Operation Dragoon August 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Rowe. Rowe was a gunnery officer aboard the USS Remey. His first combat experience was bombarding Vabelthaup in the Palau Group, then the ship assumed screening stations for landing troops on Angaur Island, before heading for Manus and the Admiralty Group where they met up with the 7th fleet to begin the Leyte Gulf assault. Rowe discusses making torpedo attacks on the Japanese in the Surigao Straits, setting smoke screens and picking up crews from downed planes. He ancedotes about watching a failed kamikaze attack on the Missouri, being able to see a Japanese pilot's grin with gold teeth as he passed close to Rowe's station, being in San Francisco for VJ Day, and a dog on his ship biting a Japanese pilot who came on board. He also talks about food on board ship and getting mail.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ellis D. Skidmore. Skidmore joined the Navy in April 1940 after receiving a letter from a friend in the Navy. After basic training, Skidomore went to radio school before being assigned to Patrol Squadron 44 (VP-44). In May, 1942, his unit was transferred to Pearl Harbor and by early June, Skidmore was at Midway Island. He was a PBY-5 crewman and served as a radio operator. Skidmore describes attacking two Japanese battleships during the Battle of Midway. After that, he returned to the US for flight training and earned his wings and a commission in June, 1943. Upon completion of flight training, Skdmore was stationed to the Aleutian Islands. Skidmore finished the war in the Aleutians and shares stories of being aboard the USS Rochester (CA-124) during the Korean War. He mentions he was a courier of secret documents from the Army, Navy and Air Force that got delivered to General MacArthur in Japan. When he retired from the Navy, Skidmore set up an insurance businesswith Rex Barbour (one of the claimants for shooting down Admiral Yamamoto).

Transcript of an oral interview with William Richard Pendleton. Growing up in Utah, his family knew that of Captain Mervyn Bennion, USN (captain of the USS West Virginia (BB-48) awarded the Medal of Honor during the attack on Pearl Harbor). Due to that acquaintance, Pendleton decided to join the Navy in November 1942. He was sent to Farragut, Idaho for basic training. He qualified as an aviation machinist's mate and was assigned to a PBY crew in VP-44. Their job consisted of picking up downed airment, dropping supplies and patrolling for submarines around Truk, Rabaul and Bougainville. Pendleton shares several anecdotes about serving aboard PBY aircraft and being part of the crew. One in particular was a story about making sure one crewmember never fell asleep in the plane on a mission again. He describes everything from rescue missions to beer runs. When the war ended, Pendleton was discharged only to enlist in the US Air Force in time to serve in Korea as a maintenance officer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Davis. Davis joined the Navy in November, 1943 and trained at Farragut, Idaho. He was then assigned to USS Smalley (DD-565), which escorted troop ships to the Marshall Islands and patrolled in the Aleutian Islands. He recalls seeing kamikazes at Okinawa and rescuing survivors of another destroyer, USS William D. Porter (DD-579). After the war, Davis recalls being aboard the Smalley and dumping large amounts of Japanese weapons into Tokyo Bay. Davis was discharged in March, 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Lewis A. Hoelscher. He went into the Army in December, 1942 before finishing high schooland started basic training at Fort Sam Houston. Before completing basic, he was shipped to Colorado to continue training. He was attached to Company B, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Then, Hoelscher went to San Diego for amphibious training before shipping to Kiska, Alaska. He relates experiences on Kiska before discussing more training and heading for Italy. Hoelscher then describes heavy fighting in the mountains in Italy. He earned a Silver Star in Itlay. His division was slated to participate in the invasion of Japan, but the war ended and Hoelscher was discharged in November, 1945.

Transcript of a simultaneous oral interview with Clarence and Delia Wood. Delia reveals she worked for North American Aviation in Inglewood, Claifornia building P-51 fighter planes. She met Clarence Wood at a USO show. Mr. Wood served on a submarine chaser (SC-1012) and an APA during the war.

Transcript of an oral interview with Norman Dorsey and his wife. Mr. Dorsey mentions going to boot camp in California, briefly going to the Aleutian Islands after the Japanese pulled out in fall of 1943, then entering the 10th Mountain Division and deploying to Italy, where he served until the end of the war. The Dorseys also mention German POWs and ancedotes about showers getting interupted to let Margaret Bourke-White send a shell into enemy territory from the artillery batteries right next to the shower stalls.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents on oral interview with Billy Jackson. Jackson joined the Navy in August, 1944 and was assigned aboard USS Fergus (AP-82). Jackson recalls hauling troops to various destinations in the Pacific and returning to the US with a load of former prisoners of war.

Transcript of an oral interview with William A. Herrington. In 1944, Herrington lied about his age and forged his mother's consenting signature to get into the Navy at age 16. He went to San Diego for boot training. Soon, he was training on Landing Craft, Vheicle / Personnel (LCVPs) at Coronado. His first assignment was aboard the USS Fergus (APA-82), which hauled troops to destinations throughout the Pacific. Herrington's job was to transport men and material from ship to shore in an LCVP. The Fergus made stops in the Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands, the Philippines and Okinawa. Herrington describes loading the boats over the side of the transport and living conditions aboard the Fergus. He also relates several of his adventures while aboard and arriving in Japan after the end of the war to fetch some American POWs and bring them back to the US. After the war, Herrington participated in Operation Magic Carpet aboard the Fergus.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Redding. Redding was born in San Jose, California in 1927 and joined the Navy in 1944. Upon completion of boot camp at Farragut, Idaho, he went aboard the USS Fergus (APA-82). He tells of his first few days on the ship and his on-the-job training as a cook. Redding recalls during May 1945 the ship was bound for Okinawa with a contingent of marines. During a refueling procedure, extensive damage was done to the bow of the ship necessitating the troops be transferred to another ship. The Fergus then went to Guam for repairs. Once the ship was repaired, casualties from the battle of Okinawa were taken on board and the ship returned to the United States. Redding describes being aboard the ship as it rode out a typhoon while anchored at Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Willard Cole. Cole was drafted into the Army in April, 1943. Cole went to Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas and was assigned to the 125th Evacuation Hospital, Semimobile when it formed. He went overseas to England with the unit in November, 1944. Cole arrived in France in March 1945. By early April, they had established their hospital in Krefeld, Germany and began receiving casualties. When the war ended, they were around Munchen and remained there during part of the occupation. He also worked in hospitals in Passau and Augsburg before leaving for the US in 1946. Cole was discharged later in June.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Harper. In 1937, Harper joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked in his native Texas. In 1939, he joined the Army and was assigned to D Battery in the Fifth Field Artillery. He never received basic training. He went straight to work with a 155mm Howitzer crew at Fort Benning. The unit moved to New York after participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers. Harper made sergeant and worked in supply. He eventually was assigned to the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion and shipped out aboard RMS Queen Mary with the 1st Infantry Division bound for Scotland in August 1942. He arrived in North Africa with his unit in December and drove a half-track. After leaving North Africa, Harper's unit was attached tot he 36th Infantry Division and landed with them at Salerno. Later, he landed at Anzio with the 3rd Infantry Division. After landing at Southern France, Harper received a 90 day furlough beginning in October, 1944. When he was home, he got married. When he returned to his unit, he drove with them into Germany before he was wounded at Nuremburg in April, 1945. He was discharged n …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wayne Landes. Landes was drafted into the Army in June, 1944. He was hurried overseas during the Battle of the Bulge and joined the 333rd Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division in Belgium. Then, they proceeded to attack into Germany. Landes returned home after the war with several German souvenirs.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Merritt. When Merritt finished high school I n1941, he went to work for GM making marine engines for PT boats. He volunteered for service in the Army and was assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment. After going overseas and having more training, Merritt landed with his unit at Leyte, where he was wounded. While serving as a scout for his company, Merritt was wounded by a Japanese grenade. He was evacuated and sent aboard USS Mercy (AH-8). He recovered on Guadalcanal until being shipped back to his unit in time for the liberation of Manila. When the war ended, Merritt went to Japan and describes some of his experiences there during the occupation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Devon Moon. Moon joined the Army in April 1943 and trained as a combat engineer. He joined the 247th Combat Engineer Battalion and went to England in early 1944. He landed at Omaha Beach two days after the invasion and built bridges in the area. Moon was wounded in February but was able to return to his unit. His unit travelled From France to Belgium to Germany and was near the Elbe River when the war ended. Moon returned home and was discharged in November 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Russell Milliken. He discusses being in the 82nd Airborne, parachuting into Normandy just after D-Day, being treated for frozen feet during the Battle of the Bulge and meeting a doctor he knew from home, serving on General Eisenhower's honor guard in Frankfurt, and coming home through New York and having to stay there for a Victory Parade before being allowed to go back to Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Davidson. Davidson was drafted into the Army in September of 1941. He was assigned to the 252nd Coast Artillery. He describes basic training, including food and clothing, and the ship he went aboard on his first assignment to Trinidad, the SS Evangeline (II). From February 1942 to March of 1944 they were stationed on the island of Trinidad off the coast of Venezuela. In March of 1944 he was transferred to the 530th Field Artillery Battalion in the 5th Army. They arrived in Italy in March of 1945. He was in charge of the advance detail, where he supervised the layout of the gun position, including moving the guns, leveling and digging out the ground and sandbagging. He describes their maneuvers through Italy, getting shelled heavily in some places, and details some of the people and places he witnessed. He was discharged in October of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Jack O. Arnold. Arnold was born in El Paso, Texas on 27 June, 1923. He enlisted in the Army in May 1942 while in his second year at the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy. After basic training at Camp Maxey, Texas, he joined the 14th Armored Division. Circa 1944-1945, he joined the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. He participated in the battle for the recapture of Corregidor. He discusses the Japanese defensive network of tunnels on the island. He was awarded the Purple Heart for a shrapnel injury while on Negros Island. Arnold describes the living conditions of the soldiers. He also describes the Japanese practice of binding themselves up with cloth for battle. He was discharged from the Army on 31 December, 1945. After he finished college, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1949 at the age of 26 and served during the Korean War. He recounts stories of flying in an airplane during a typhoon, a bird strike, engine trouble and landing gear failure. He was discharged from the Air Force in 1952. Arnold provides information about his parents and siblings as well as his children.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert Lewis Kelly. Kelly joined the Naval Reserve in 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on an ATA (auxiliary ocean tug.) He initially served on a troop transport ship. He later served on minelayers and minesweepers in the Atlantic Theater. He describes being transported in Africa in a 40-and-8 box car. He also provides information about his parents and siblings. He served until the end of the war. Kelly served on a troop transport ship in both the Pacific and Atlantic Theaters. He went to Mine Warfare School and then served on minesweepers and minelayers. He provided minesweeping support for the Normandy Invasion. In addition to sharing information about minelaying and minesweeping, he describes being on liberty in Greece; serving as a brig warden; experiencing a tsunami and a typhoon while at sea; witnessing a German submarine attack near Bermuda; experiencing a London air raid; witnessing the USS Osprey and the USS Tide hitting mines and the USS Texas being hit by German shells; and living on the beach in Casablanca. He recounts a story about missing alcohol in the marine compass. He also describes the food situation …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lowell Metheny. Metheny was drafted into the Army in July, 1943. He qualified for the Army Specialized Training Program, but when it ended, he was sent to the 42nd Infantry Division in Oklahoma. He served as a mechanic in the Headquarters Company of the 242nd Infantry Regiment in motor transport. He went to France with the unit. Metheny reads short vignettes into the record his personal writings that recall his experiences overseas: with locals, with displaced persons after the war, etc. Metheny was discharged in April 1946.