The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Robinette. Robinette was born on 27 March 1925. He joined the Navy and completed Basic Engineering School. Beginning in early 1944, Robinette served as a Fireman aboard USS Claxton (DD-571). They aided in the invasion of the Philippines and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where they received damage from a kamikaze plane. They provided escort duty in the Lingayen Gulf landings in January of 1945. In May, they arrived off Okinawa for duty as radar picket and fighter-director until the close of the war. Robinette returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Norman Riggsby. Riggsby was drafted into the Army in October of 1943. He served as a bugler at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. In January of 1944, he was deployed to Scotland, then England, and assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, 175th Infantry Regiment. Riggsby trained on the anti-aircraft guns. He participated in the invasion of Normandy, landing at Omaha Beach. He describes the events and combat of this day, and how he got wounded. In July, Riggsby and his division participated in the Battle of St. Lô, where he was struck by a German Tiger tank shell, spending several weeks in a coma. He woke up back in England. He earned two Purple Hearts. In late 1945, Riggsby was assigned to the 759th Military Police Battalion in France. He served during the Nuremberg Trials and left Berlin in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Norris Jernigan. Jernigan enlisted in the Army Air Forces in June 1943. After basic training and being eliminated from flight training, Jernigan was assigned to the intelligence section of the 393rd Bomb Squadron in Nebraska before it was attached to the 509th Composite Group. He spent time in Wendover, Utah before going with the group to Tinian prior to the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. Though he was in the intelligence section of the bomb group that dropped the atomic bomb, Jernigan had no idea about the atomic bomb until after it was dropped. He mentined those in his group referred to it as the gimmick or the gadget until they understood what it was. When the war ended, Jernigan returned to the US and was discharged in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Johnson. Johnson joined the Navy as soon as he finished high school in 1943. After training at Farragut, he was assigned to USS Colorado (BB-45). He boarded the Colorado in time for the Marshall Islands campaign and was still aboard for the Mariana Islands campaign. He was aboard when Colorado got hit by shore batteries off Tinian and kamikazes off Leyte. His duty station was in a bloier room or a powder room so he was well below decks at the time of these incidents. He was still aboard during the Okinawa campaign and the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He also describes being in a typhoon. Johnson was dicharged in March, 1946 and went to work for the Rock Island Railroad. Johnson describes his experiences around his Honor Flight in May 2011.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kenneth Smith. Smith joined the Navy and was in boot training when the war ended. After training, he was assigned to USS Rutland (APA-192). He recalls a few anecdotes about being aboard ship, seeing part of Japan and hauling troops home after the war. Smith shares some of his Christian testimony and entered the seminary after returning to college after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Gruetter. Gruetter was drafted into the Army in February 1945. He suffered appendicitis during boot camp and was held back. His last day of training was the last day of the war. He was sent to Japan for occupation duty and stayed about 13 months.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Lepore. Lepore was born in Boston in 1926 and joined the Navy at 15 years of age in August 1942. After boot camp, he attended gunnery school before joining the crew of USS Bogue (CVE-9). He joined USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) commissioning crew in January 1944. Lepore spent close to 500 days aboard the ship in the combat area and shares several anecdotes about his experiences, including one about George HW Bush.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arnold Holden. Holden joined the Navy on 30 December 1943. He served as a coxswain aboard USS Olmsted (APA-188). They transported troops and supplies in support of amphibious operations, traveling to New Guinea, Leyte and Okinawa. Additionally, they participated in the first occupational landings in Japan. He returned to the US and received his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Smith. Smith joined the Marine Corps in April 1944. After basic training, Smith went to Sea School where he trained in 40mm antiaircraft gunnery. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Iowa (BB-61).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James C. Nolan. Nolan joined the Navy on October 19, 1943. He completed Landing Craft School, and served as Landing Craft Coxswain, Seaman First-Class aboard the USS Pierce (APA-50). They traveled to Kwajalein, Palaus, Guadalcanal, Leyte, New Guinea, Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay and Okinawa. Nolan made eight total landings aboard landing craft boat number 13. He recalls his combat experiences landing on Leyte on October 20, 1944 in the third wave. After the war ended, the Pierce traveled to Seoul, Korea and Japan to pick up and transfer troops back to the U.S. He received his discharge on January 26, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Michael Keaveny. Keaveny joined the Navy in May 1944. After training in Virginia, Keaveny joined the crew of USS Raymon W. Herndon (APD-121) in November as a signalman. They arrived in Manila the following March where they embarked some Underwater Demolition Team 16 and took them to Okinawa. Keaveny was discharged in June 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy Barrera. Barerra grew up in Texas during the Depression and enlisted in the Army at 17 in 1944. He was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division and shipped out with the unit to Luzon in 1945. After the war, Barerra served in occupied Korea playing in the division band. He injured one of his finger badly and had to switch to playing trumpet. He used the GI Bill to finish law school upon being discharged in December 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Owen. Owen was born in Lufkin Texas in 1926. He went to Texas A&M for a year after high school then joined the Navy after turning 18 in 1944 and trained at San Diego in June. In December, he was in the commissioning crew of USS Colusa (APA-74). Owen recalls hauling wounded from Iwo Jima back to Pearl Harbor aboard the Colusa before heading for Australia to repatriate American sailors whose ships had sunk. When the war ended, Owen returned to A&M, graduated and went to work.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Griffith. Griffith was born in Granbury Texas in 1913. He worked as an electrician and volunteered for service in the Navy in 1943. He served with the Seabees in the 76th Naval Construction Battalion and went to Guam during the invasion. While there, his outfit built power stations.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Hamilton. Hamilton was born in 1921 in New York. He joined the Navy in April 1942, but finished college before getting a commission later in 1943. He was then sent aboard USS Quincy (CA-71) in December. He was aboard for the invasion of Normandy. Hamilton was still aboard when Quincy transported President Roosevelt to Yalta. He was able to get close enough to FDR to observe the state of his health at the time. He was still aboard during the Okinawa campaign. Hamilton shares several great anecdotes about his experiences aboard the Quincy during and after the war including kamikazes and typhoons.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bruce Williams. Williams was born in August 1920 in Pennsylvania. He entered the Navy’s V-7 program at Northwestern University in September 1943. Upon commissioning in December, Williams reported aboard the submarine chase USS SC-731 as the executive officer. He recalls experiences from around New Guinea and the Philippines. Part of his job included delivering supplies to Filipino guerrillas. When the war ended, Williams elected to go to seminary and stayed in the reserves and worked as a chaplain until retiring in 1975.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Don Pickard. Pickard was in high school when the war started and recalls a few anecdotes from childhood before joining the Navy in mid-1944. Once in the Navy, Pickard was assigned to the Amphibious Force. He served as a signalman aboard USS Bergen (APA-150). On his first voyage, they delivered ammunition to Ulithi. Pickard also went to Okinawa and describes typhoons. After the war ended, his ship carried parts of the First Marine Division to China. Upon returning to the US, Pickard received his discharge in mid-1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Bishop. Bishop joined the Marines late December 1942. He served with K Company, Third Battalion, First Marines. He shares his experiences through the Guadalcanal, New Britain and Peleliu campaigns. He was injured at Peleliu and returned to the US in late 1944. He assisted at West Point and Annapolis, teaching beach landings. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge on 22 January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hayden Earl Reynolds. Reynolds was born in 1926 in Texas and joined the Marine Corps in January 1945. In April, he was shipped to Hawaii and joined the 4th Marine Division. He was on Maui when the war ended. He then shipped out to Guam and served as a highway patrolman there. Reynolds was discharged in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert James Broadwell. Broadwell was born in Iowa in 1926 and joined the Coast Guard in 1944. He recalls several anecdotes about his experiences in the Philippines during the war. He was involved in medical care in the Philippines after the Allied invasion as a chief pharmacist mate. He developed an interest in homeopathic remedies there because the Filipino doctors seemed to be getting better results with their patients. After the war ended, ne traveled to Japan for a while, still working on medical issues. He returned to the US and was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with B B Browning. Browning joined the Navy in mid-1943. Beginning mid-1944, he served as Seaman First Class, supporting Marines aboard a troop ship. He recalls his experiences through the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June of 1944, and going ashore on Tinian with the Marines. He vividly describes his time on the island, serving on guard duty, communicating with Japanese civilians on the island, supervising work of the remaining Japanese soldiers and serving as yeoman to the captain. He remained on Tinian after the war ended, returning to the US in mid-1946 to receive his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dewey A. Holden. Holden joined the Navy Coast Guard on December 15, 1941. He was stationed in Mobile, Alabama and served aboard the HMS Larkspur (K82). In 1942, he was assigned to bosun mate training at Manhattan Beach, New York. Later, Holden was assigned to Picket Boat #3836 in New Orleans, LA. He transported bar pilots and ship supplies from the Gulf of Mexico up through the Mississippi River to stations located in Southwest Pass and South Pass. He speaks of the activity and threat of German submarines in this area during late 1942. He continued this service throughout the war, and was discharged on October 26, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Heinz Bachman. Bachman was born in Germany in 1921 and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1924. Upon graduating from high school in 1939, he joined the Army Air Corps and underwent basic training in Hawaii. Bachman trained as an auto mechanic and was assigned to Hickam Airfield, Hawaii. He tells of his experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, he was selected for flight training and recalls the disappointment he felt when he washed out of the program. In 1945 he was sent to England and was as a member of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey teams to serve as an interpreter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles William Sloan. Sloan joined the Navy in mid-1942. He completed torpedo school in San Diego, California. He landed in Noumea, New Caledonia in January of 1944, then transferred to Tulagi where he worked in a torpedo shop, conducting inspections on Mark 15 torpedoes and preparing them to go aboard submarines and destroyer escorts. Sloan served as Third-Class Torpedoman, working specifically on torpedo engines, air flaps, afterbodies, warheads and exploders. He provides vivid details of his work, and life on Tulagi. He returned to the U.S. in February of 1945 for medical reasons, and received his discharge.