The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Linamen. Linamen joined the Army Air Corps. He completed Primary Flying School at Hicks Field in Fort Worth, Texas, and Basic Flying School at Perrin Field in Sherman, Texas learning to fly a single engine aircraft. He went to Ellington Field in Houston, Texas and learned to fly a twin engine, and received his wings and commission. Back in Fort Worth to Tarrant Army Air Force Base he went to Transition School and learned to fly a B-24, and became an aircraft commander. Linamen flew to Karachi, India in a B-24, then down to Pandaveswar. He was assigned to the 436th Bomb Squadron. He flew 52 bombing missions in Burma and Thailand. He hauled aviation gas to over the Himalaya Mountains. In December 1944 he went to Lijiang, Chia and flew out of there to Szechwan and Canchow. On one mission, Linamen bombed the steel bridge over the River Kwai and gives great detail of this event. He talks about the living conditions in detail. He went through three airplanes during his missions.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lent Logar. Logar was born in Spring Valley, Illinois on 23 July 1920. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army Air Corps and had basic training at Fort Niagara, New York. He was then sent to Decatur, Alabama where he took primary flight training with Southern Aviation. He then went to Lamesa, Texas to a flight school dedicated to liaison flying where they trained in the L-5 Stinson. Upon graduating, he was assigned to the 115th Liaison Squadron and sent to Kunming, China. Upon his arrival in Kunming, he was transferred to the 19th Liaison Squadron. He tells of various experiences working with the Chinese Army and his involvement in the Salween Campaign to open the Burma Road. He relates his experience of transporting a Japanese commander to Taiwan for the signing of a surrender agreement of certain Japanese forces based in China. He also tells of delivering men of the OSS to sites within the jungles of Vietnam.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ken Marks. Marks joined the Army Air Forces in December 1941 and was sent to Aircraft Mechanics School at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas. From there he trained at a Flight Engineer and Gunnery School in Harlingen, Texas, graduating in June 1942. From there he went to Boise, Idaho where he was Assistant Flight Engineer on a B-17. He trained on B-24s in Fort Worth, Texas. He left Christmas morning 1942 on his first flight overseas in a B-24, heading to the 7th Bomb Group in Pandaveswar, India. They were assigned to the 9th Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Group. He flew missions bombing Japanese targets in Burma. After the sixth mission they were transferred over to the 492nd, a newly formed squadron. He was there for less than two years and completed 59 combat missions, 479 combat hours. He flew missions over Burma, China, Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Bangkok. He discusses one of his toughest missions over Rangoon encountering Japanese Zeroes. Upon completing 59 missions he was sent to Tezpur, completing 16 round trips flying gasoline over the Hump to Kunming to the 14th …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Thomas Phillips. Phillips joined the Army and after training was sent to Burma where he joined Merrill's Marauders. He was also assigned to the 613th Field Artillery Battalion. Phillips relates several experiences dealing with the mules in the jungles while attached to this artillery unit. When the war ended, Phillips was in Kunming, China. He stayed on in China and helped with the negotiations between the communists and nationalist Chinese with General Marshall.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edgar Wolf. World joined the Army Air Forces in January, 1942 and trained at Biloxi, Mississippi before heading for Lockheed in California to learn about P-38s. He went to Officer Candidate School and earned a commission before being assigned to the Air Transport Command in New York. With the ATC, Wolf learned loadmaster techniques and air traffic control procedures before heading for Chabua, India. At his base he was responsible for transient aircraft. He also served at Agra and at Karachi. Wolf was in India for 27 months and returned home in September, 1945 and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rufus Johnson. He begins the interview with a summary of his life. Rufus Winfield Johnson was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1911. He was in the ROTC at Howard University. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1934 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. In 1939 he received his LLB degree from the Howard University School of Law. He shares stories from his time working in the White House as lifeguard and personal butler to Franklin Delano Roosevelt prior to entering the armed forces. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division. He shares an anecdote about receiving a ten thousand dollar reward for shooting a bandit that preyed on American sailors in North Africa. He describes the campaigns of Sicily and North Apennines. He recounts an altercation with General Almond after which he was transferred to the 442nd Infantry Division. He describes his role in rescuing Company K of the 71st Infantry. He also recounts his capture and escape from German soldiers. He discusses the treatment of African American soldiers. He also served during the Korean War. He retired from the Army Reserves …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Boesch. After high school Boesch went to summer school at the University of Texas at Austin, joined the enlisted reserve corps and was eventually 'called up'. He had basic training in Cheyenne, Wyoming and learned to drive a truck. In what he calls 'casual status', he was shipped (like cargo) on a Liberty ship which landed in Canistel, North Africa. Conditions on board the ship were atrocious - little food, water, etc. They were drilled, exercised and run in North Africa; conditions were pretty deplorable there too. They were then put on a convoy ship which landed in Bombay, India. From there they took a train (last class) to Calbutta, then Passam and finally Ledo where he was assigned to the 195th Engineering Company. Interview contains good descriptions of his living conditions during this time - they lived off the land, had some air drops and some supp,ies trucked in. Boesch contracted malaria and jungle rot during this time. He was working on the Burma Road when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Hafter. Hafter went into the Air Force right after Pearl Harbor, attended radio school in Illinois and then was sent to Colorado Springs, CO Air Base. His unit (17th Photo Recon, flying P-38s) was shipped overseas via a Dutch freighter ending up on Guadalcanal on 6 Jan 1943. While on Guadalcanal, Hafter transferred to the 70th Fighter Squadron which was flying P-39s. Had malaria five times. His unit moved to Ondonga Island in the New Georgia Group about Aug 1943, then to Munda, and then Sanspore, New Guinea. At Munda, they switched over to P-38s. After Sanspore, his unit went to Morotai, Dutch East Indies, then to Lingayan Gulf and finally Mindoro in the Philippines when that island was taken. From there, his unit moved to Mindanao and Palawan, which is where he came home from. His first relief was after 21 months in the islands. Got back to the States right before Thanksgiving 1945 and mustered out shortly afterwards.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Paine. When Paine joined the Army in September, 1942, he went into the 955th Engineering Topographic Company. His unit drew maps of islands based on aerial photographs from the Solomons to the Philippines that were used by the other service branches. In 1945, his unit moved to Manila while the city was still being cleared of Japanese, but they were not making maps anymore. They instead performed regular engineering tasks: setting up radio towers, clearing roads, etc. When he arrived in the Philippines, Paine was glad to return to some form civilization. He comments on the damage done in Manila.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Philip Fox. Fox was drafted into the Army in 1943 where he was assigned to the 34th Evacuation Hospital. He describes the living conditions in the area outside of Manchester, England where he participated in establishing the 3rd Army, 34th Evacuation Hospital. This evacuation hospital group landed at Normandy and followed the Army through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. He discusses German casualties and prisoners of war. He shares his impressions of Munich, Germany at the close of the war. He also shares anecdotes about playing poker aboard a hospital ship; encountering Allied tanks on a French road; General Patton; working in the ear and eye clinic; and learning about the birth of his son while in Europe. He was discharged in Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kelly Gibson. Gibson joined the Army Air Corps in September, 1941. He was trained as a radio repairman and serviced radios in airplanes at Turner Field, Georgia. He volunteered for overseas duty and was sent to England in 1943 and attached to the 61st Troop Carrier Group. He soon was the radio operator in a C-47 flight crew and participated in the Invasion of Normandy. As the war in Europe was winding down, Gibson was transferred to Natal, Brazil where he resumed repairing radios. When the war ended, Gibson was returned to the US where he elected to be discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Lyman. After completing one year at The Ohio State University, Lyman joined the Navy 1943. He trained at Great Lakes and was assigned to the USS Colorado (BB-45). He was assigned to the 40mm anti-aircraft guns aboard the Colorado and participated in the invasions of the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands. He describes the Colorado receiving fire from a Japanese shore battery at Tinian. Lyman then describes operations in the Philippines at Lingayen Gulf where the Colorado suffered from friendly fire. Lyman then speaks about the Okinawa invasion. At the end of the war, Lyman was aboard the Colorado when it was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony where he spied the Missouri through binoculars as he was posted in his 40mm gunmount. Afterwards, Lyman describes having former POW on board and how they appeared after released from the Japanese. Lyman stayed on the Colorado through the fall while the ship transported Army soldiers home from the Pacific. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to Ohio State.

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.

Transcript of an oral interview with Trinidad J. Martinez. During the Great Depression, Martinez quit school in the 4th grade and went to work selling newspapers, shining shoes and driving a vegetable truck to raise money for the family. Martinez was at Clark Field when the Japanese attacked the Philippines. He and a few others surrendered to a Japanese squad on Bataan and were sent on the Bataan Death March. At Camp O'Donnell, Martinez worked on a burial detail before being moved to Cabanatuan, where he worked on the farm. Eventually, Martinez was shipped to Japan where he worked in an iron foundry. He also describes being liberated and travelling back home to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Michael J. Bauman. Bauman was born 14 September 1919 in Star City, Indiana. Joining the Army Air Corps in 1940, he went to Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio. He was then sent to Langley Field, Virginia where he volunteered for the bombardier program. Bauman and seven others began the training with no written instructions and very little equipment. In January 1941 he began practice bombing missions in a Douglas B-18 bomber. By May, Bauman was training in B-26s. He discusses the various attributes of each type of plane. Remembering 7 December 1941 he tells of being ordered back to the air field where they immediately began mounting machine guns and bomb racks on all the bombers. On 8 December they flew the planes to Muroc, California where he was assigned to the 22nd Bomb Group (Medium), 33rd Squadron. He relates several flying escapades that occurred prior to boarding the USS U.S. Grant (AP-29) for Hawaii. In March 1942 they flew to Townsville, Australia. On 10 April he flew his first bombing mission over Rabaul. He comments on the lack of success of the mission. Bauman flew sixteen combat …