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 oral interview with Voris C. Riley of Kingland, Texas. He discusses enlisting in the military while living in Abilene, Texas and getting sent to civil service for the Army before being offered to join the Navy. In the Navy he went through basic training in San Diego, California, then to St. Louis Electrical School and finally through firefighting training in Rhode Island. After he completed his training Mr. Riley was assigned to the U.S.S. Lake Champain, CB 39 and went on a shakedown cruise where 16 crewmen were lost for various reasons. In the Navy he was an electrician aboard the ship and dealt with setting up electricity onshore. He also dealt with Prisoners of War, being put in charge of a group of them to build a swimming pool. He was in New York City on temporary leave when the news of the wars end was released by President Truman. Mr. Voris also talks about serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Mexico.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Mildred Bauman. Bauman’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1923. She was born in Brooklyn, New York in November of 1926. Her family sent her back to Germany to live with her grandparents in Berlin in 1928. Bauman grew up in Germany during the Nazi reign and was 13 years old when World War II began. Being an American citizen, Bauman endured relentless harassment from neighbors and classmates. She vividly describes her experiences growing up and as a young woman in the early 1940s, including forced evacuations, Russians taking over, bombings, concentration camps and casualties. She was sent back to the U.S. in 1946 due to her American citizenship. From the early 1950s to the 1980s Bauman worked for Guaranty Federal in Dallas. She retired to Burnet, Texas. She speaks of desiring to compile her story into a book, though it wasn’t until 2014 that a book came to fruition, titled “Abandoned! The WWII Ordeal of an American Child Living and Surviving from 1928 to 1946 in Hitler’s Nazi Germany”, available at the Burnet County Library.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Hardin. He was born in Brock, Texas 25 December 1921. His three other brothers served in the military during World War II. Two were killed in action. After graduating from Howard Payne College at Brownwood, Texas, Hardin entered the Naval Officer’s Candidate School program and was sent to Columbia University for sixteen weeks of training. Upon being commissioned, he was sent to San Diego for small boat training. While there he saw several USO shows danced with Marilyn Monroe. Upon completion of small boat training, he was sent to Pearl Harbor and was assigned to the USS White Marsh (LSD-8). After the invasion of Iwo Jima, he was transferred into Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 17. He describes the intensity of the UDT training. Based on Guam, Hardin’s team participated in the invasion of Okinawa. During the operation, a close friend and team member was killed. While on Saipan, he witnessed the loading of the first atomic bomb that was dropped over Japan. While based on Guam, he was designated as a mail censor. Following the surrender of Japan, he returned to San Francisco and assisted sailors to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lester Carvey where he discusses his childhood and what compelled him to join the Navy. He describes his experiences during the war in the Pacific Theatre working in a Navy hospital.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Elwyn Becker discussing his childhood and education and how he came to join the Navy. He describes the training process for becoming an Aviation Radioman and his experiences in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Violet Troutman where she discusses her childhood and the process of enlisting in the Women Accepted for Voluntry Emergency Service program, and her experiences in the Pacific Theatre During World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Manuel and Amalia Montecillo. Manuel and Amalia were in Manila engaged to be married when the Japanese attacked the Philippines on 8 December 1941. Manuel was already in the Filipino Army and was folded into the US Army Far East and headed for Bataan. Amalia stayed in Manila. Manuel commanded a platoon of Igorot soldiers. They share a few anecdotes about Japanese atrocities during the occupation of the Philippines. Manuel was released after the fall of Bataan and eventually joined a guerrilla outfit and operated radios. Amalia was busy with children.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ann Jonushaitis. Jonushaitis was born in Germany in November of 1934. Her family was from Lithuania and she describes their fleeing to Germany as the Russians filtrated in. Jonushaitis describes their hard life during wartime, living in barracks and having very little to eat. She describes her family’s trip to America and beginning anew in Chicago. She also describes living on a farm in Indiana with her husband and family. She expresses her deep appreciation for the Americans helping her and her family make a life-changing transition.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wayne VanDerWeele. VanDerWeele joined the Navy in June of 1944. He discusses briefly the relocation of the Japanese-Americans during wartime. He was assigned to HMS Battleaxe beginning August of 1944. They traveled to the New Hebrides Islands, working on a dry dock. From there they went to New Caledonia working on a receiving station, and at the Fleet Record Office forwarding mail. He served in the Fleet Office from October 1944 until March of 1945 and provides details of their work and living conditions. Their office was then moved to Guam, where he worked from April 1945 until February 1946. He was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Peter Terpstra. Terpstra joined the Navy in February of 1944. He served in the Pacific aboard the USS Ara (AK-136). They traveled to Pearl Harbor with Seabees and Marines on board. They stopped at a staging area at Eniwetok where they collected all the ships heading out to invade Guam. Terpstra provides detail of the ship and equipment and weapons aboard. They went to Guam and he provides detail of some of the battle. He discusses life in the Navy in general and working up to 3rd Class Petty Officer. He manned the captain’s gig as helmsman. They made stops at Kwajalein, Leyte, Auckland, New Zealand, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian Island delivering troops and supplies.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Irma Riddle. Riddle describes life growing up in Peoria, Illinois, in 1913-1922. At the time of this interview she was 100 years old. She talks about their move to Hamlet to live on a farm, and then a later move to Rochester where her father owned a hardware store. Riddle speaks on her marriage and family. She discusses briefly her activities during World War 1 and World War 2. Her son Charles Lee joined the service in 1945. Riddle served as a hospital volunteer for 44 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Pete Rocha. Rocha joined the Navy and trained at Great Lakes. He served as a storekeeper in Florida and Texas for a while before receiving amphibious training in Virginia. Rocha was assigned to LSM-262 as a storekeeper. Rocha recalls combat experiences at Okinawa and the Philippines. His battle station was on a 40mm gun at the bow. After the war, while ashore at Yokahama, Rocha encountered his brother.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lucy Overmeyer. Overmyer was born in Culver, Indiana on 21 June 1920 and after graduating from high school in 1938 she went to work for a defense contractor, Bendix Aircraft. She enlisted into the Marine Corps on 12 May 1943, completed basic training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and enrolled in Quartermaster School at Quantico, Virginia. She describes some of her experiences while at Quantico, where she spent the remainder of her time in the service. She was discharged from the Marine Corps on 26 September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ivan Troutman. Troutman joined the Merchant Marines in 1942. He traveled aboard an oil tanker to Venezuela to get a load of oil for Standard Oil. He remained in the States throughout the war. He was sent to Seattle on a cable laying ship. He assisted in splicing telephone cables.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Clevenger. Clevenger was born on 13 April 1922 and was drafted into the Army in October 1942. After completing basic training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas and assigned to the 31st mule pack troop of the Quartermaster Corps. He embarked on the USS General H. W. Butner (AP-113) in Baltimore and arrived at Bombay, India. He took a train to Camp Landis where he contracted a severe case of malaria. Upon recovering, he was transferred to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as Merrill’s Marauders, under the command of Brigadier General Frank Merrill. He describes some of his experiences at Camp Landis. He recalls his unit crossing the Ganges River with their mules on a train. In Burma, Clevenger remembers watching American 75mm howitzers firing upon Japanese troops in a valley. He also recalls he and his mule came under friendly fire on one occasion. He mentions in passing that he bought some jewelry from a woman in China. On 10 August 1944 the Marauders were consolidated into the 475th Infantry, which continued service in northern Burma. In September …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Mary Burkett. Burkett completed psychiatry and nurse training at Indianapolis City Hospital in February of 1940. She volunteered and entered the Army in October of 1943. She was assigned to Ashford General Hospital in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She was assigned to five different wards in the hospital and was assigned to care for the patients. She provides some detail of her experiences working on the neuro-psychiatric floor, and shares stories of some of her patients. She completed additional training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. She traveled on the USS Matsonia (ID-1589) to the South Pacific, and she provides some detail of her travels.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Taylor Wilson. Wilson joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1942. He served as a bombardier in B-29s and worked with radar. Wilson was in the 45th Bombardment Squadron, 40th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force. He and his crew went to India and Tinian. They bombed Singapore, Rangoon, Osaka amongst others. He lists his crew members and their jobs. He discusses how bombardiers are trained. He provides some of his experiences flying in the B-29. He was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Michael Jewett. Jewett was inducted into the Army in August of 1943. He completed Officer Candidate School in January of 1944. He was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to the replacement training center as an instructor for basic officer training. Then, off to Fort Benning to become an infantry officer, which he served as throughout his active duty. Jewett was sent to Leyte in the Philippines. He was assigned to the 40th Infantry Division, 160th Regiment. They traveled to Panay and Korea. In Korea he became part of the military government unit and was assigned as the agricultural officer. They distributed rice from the captured warehouses of the Japanese. Additionally, they processed the POWs, shipping them out. Later he became the colonel at the 428th Group Headquarters in South Bend, Indiana and the commandant at the 4169th US Army School at Kingsbury. He returned home in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wayne Hissong. Hissong joined the Army in March, 1941 and served in a horse cavalry outfit before moving into tanks. He joined the 712th Tank Battalion and went to Normandy in late June. Hissong shares a story of being captured and liberated within 72 hours while overseas. He also shares several anecdotes about supplying the tanks with fuel and ammo. He describes a few encounters with General Patton. Hissong was discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clair Strong. Strong was drafted in January of 1941. He served in the 666th Ordnance Ammunition Company. He was stationed in Alaska, for the Alaska Theater Operations, from August of 1941 until March of 1944. His job was parts clerk, keeping track of vehicle parts and invoices. In November of 1944 he served in the European Theater of Operations and was located in Belgium. His job there was to gather up unexploded land mines and defuse them.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Good. Mrs. Good assists with the interview. Good went into the Army in October 1941. He landed at Normandy with the 178th Signal Repair Company. He relates a few anecdotes about his time in Europe during the Normandy campaign and the Battle of the Bulge; he also saw some friends from home at random in Europe. He also recalls working closely with a unit of Moroccan soldiers. When the war ended, Good returned to the US and was discharged. He had some trouble adjusting to civilian life, but soon became readjusted.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Good. Good was drafted into the Army around 1943. He completed basic training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. He was sent to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and Washington D.C. for Radio Intelligence Repair school. He traveled to Gouruck, Scotland and served with the 178th Repair Company, connected with the 3rd Army. Their barracks were at the Lord Morley Estate and he provides some detail of living conditions. He then traveled to Normandy aboard an LST, arriving 18 days after the D Day invasion. They traveled to Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. He provides some details of these experiences. He was discharged in late 1945.

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.