The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Gallagher. Gallagher joined the Navy after quitting high school and trained in aviation ordnance. In May, 1944 he was assigned to USS Franklin (CV-13) where he would arm dive bombers. Gallagher describes an injury he sustained while loading bombs as well as various enemy attacks on the Franklin, including a kamikaze. He was aboard when the Japanese bombed the Franklin in March, 1945. Gallagher recalls the attack and was ordered to transfer to USS Santa Fe (CL-60). From there, Gallagher spent six months at Hawaii before going back to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Hensel. Hensel was drafted into the Navy in June 1943. He trained as an aerial gunner and was eventually assigned to a crew aboard an Avenger. In early 1945, he went aboard USS Franklin (CV-13). In March, when the Franklin was attacked, Hensel was blown overboard and eventually made it onto a raft before being rescued by USS Hickox (DD-673). He went to a hospital at Ulithi to recover from burns before heading back to the US. He was undergoing more training when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Burnet. He discusses his childhood growing up during the Great Depression and what led him to join the chemical warfare service of the US Army. He describes all the different training camps he was sent to around the US and eventually being deployed in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Burnet. He discusses his childhood growing up during the Great Depression and what led him to join the chemical warfare service of the US Army. He describes all the different training camps he was sent to around the US and eventually being deployed in the Pacific Theatre during World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Hensel. Hensel was drafted into the Navy in June 1943. He trained as an aerial gunner and was eventually assigned to a crew aboard an Avenger. In early 1945, he went aboard USS Franklin (CV-13). In March, when the Franklin was attacked, Hensel was blown overboard and eventually made it onto a raft before being rescued by USS Hickox (DD-673). He went to a hospital at Ulithi to recover from burns before heading back to the US. He was undergoing more training when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rose Dern. Dern enlisted in the WAVES and went to Madison Wisconsin to train in communications. After training, Dern was stationed close to home at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City. She then went to a communications station on Maui. Dern was discharged when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Muriel Usselman. Usselman was a child living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Her father worked as an electrician and the family lived on base. She recalls what she witnessed during the attack on 7 December as well as her experiences in the following days. She returned with her family to the Mainland in 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Gallagher. Gallagher joined the Navy after quitting high school and trained in aviation ordnance. In May, 1944 he was assigned to USS Franklin (CV-13) where he would arm dive bombers. Gallagher describes an injury he sustained while loading bombs as well as various enemy attacks on the Franklin, including a kamikaze. He was aboard when the Japanese bombed the Franklin in March, 1945. Gallagher recalls the attack and was ordered to transfer to USS Santa Fe (CL-60). From there, Gallagher spent six months at Hawaii before going back to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Floyd C. Cox. He tells of organizing a group of volunteers to establish a formal oral history program. Cox also shares the growth of the program from an unorganized collection of less than 200 oral histories in 1999 to an organized and diversified collection of over 5000 stories in 2022. He tells of the progression from analog tape recordings to digital recordings and the advancement of making the collection available to the public through an online digital archive.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Carnes. Carnes joined the Navy in 1944 before he finished high school. In the Navy, he became a signalman and was assigned to USS Norton Sound (AVM-1). Carnes was aboard when the ship went to Okinawa, where he describes being attacked by kamikaze aircraft. When the war ended, Carnes went to Japan briefly before returning to the US and receiving his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Warren. Warren was born in Frisco, Texas in February 1921. After graduating from high school, he attended Texas A&M participating in the ROTC program for two years. Upon graduation in 1942 he applied for a commission in the United States Army Air Forces and was accepted. After participating in various stages of flight training, he was assigned as a C-47 pilot. Flying the Northern Route over Greenland, he joined the 439th Troop Carrier Wing, 94th Squadron, 9th Air Force in England. He tells of being involved in Operation Market Garden and of crossing the Rhine, where he pulled Waco CG-4 gliders, and of the Battle of the Bulge where he hauled fuel for General Patton’s tanks.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dietrich Braun. Braun was born in Germany in 1932 and resided there during the war. He tells of housing and shortages during the war years. At age six, Braun was recruited into the Hitler Youth. At the conclusion of the war, his father, a German Rocket scientist, was selected to be a part of Operation Paperclip, a secret United States intelligence program that brought him to the United States. In November of 1946, Braun and his remaining family were smuggled into the US, aboard USNS Henry Gibbins (T-AP-183), to join his father at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base through 1951.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leroy Joppie. Joppie was the youngest of four boys. His three brothers were in the military, one of whom died in Italy. This lead Joppie to join the Navy in 1944 at the age of seventeen. Upon completing training in electronics at Oceanside, California, Joppie was assigned to a Joint Assault Signal Company (JASCO) as a radioman 3rd class. In early 1945, he was assigned to USS Argonne (AG-31). He recalls the ship being in Typhoon Connie and listening to messages from other ships in distress. Joppie returned to the US and was discharged in 1946. He concludes the interview telling of his various jobs, including moving to Midway Island with his family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dean Caswell. Caswell volunteered for the Marine Corps two weeks prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He eventually went to flight training before being assigned aboard USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) from which he flew Corsairs. Caswell made over 100 combat flights from Bunker Hill, eventually becoming an ace with Marine Fighter Squadron 221 (VMF-221). He shares on anecdote about getting seven enemy planes in one mission. He also shares anecdotes from throughout his long career in the Marine Corps.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Floyd Cox concerning his recollections about the Great Depression and his life as a child during World War II. He recalls the family raising a victory garden and his participation in scrap iron drives. He also tells of the patriotism that existed in the United States and of being subjected to various forms of propaganda.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Brown. Brown was born in 1925. In 1942, at age seventeen, he joined the US Navy. Following his training as an Electricians Mate he was assigned to USS LST-47 and he tells of participating in the Operation Overlord, at Omaha Beach, as well as Operation Dragoon. He also tells of being at Okinawa and witnessing attacks by kamikazes. Brown returned home after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John L. East. East was born in central Texas in 1920. After graduation from high school in 1937 he worked in the rice fields. He entered the Army Air Forces in 1942, and, following training at various airfields, served as a B-17 co-pilot. In 1944, he was assigned to the 379th Bomb Group at Kimbolton, England. He tells of some of the tactics he used to thwart German fighter attacks as the pilot of a B-17 bomber. He completed missions over Germany and France. East flew thirty missions before returning to the United States. He retired from the Air Force in 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Z. Rodin. Rodin joined the Navy on May 9, 1944. He completed amphibious training in Coronado, California, and learned how to drive the landing craft, vehicle, personnel, LCVP, and the landing craft mechanized, LCM. He served as pilot on the LCM2 boat crew, aboard the USS Sibley (APA-206). In late 1944, they deployed to Pearl Harbor, then participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima beginning February of 1945. In April, they participated in the Battle of Okinawa. Rodin assisted in transporting Marines and supplies to the islands. He describes his experiences through combat. On April 11, they were ordered to Saipan, unloading troops and cargo, remaining on call for Okinawa through June 4. By October 25, they were called for duty with Operation Magic Carpet, transporting servicemen back to the U.S. He shares a story of Joe Rosenthal, Iwo Jima photographer, who traveled aboard the Sibley. He returned to the U.S. in January of 1946 and received his discharge on May 29.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vernon Ollar. Ollar was working at the Rock Island Arsenal when the war started. He was already married with a child when he was drafted into the Army in late 1942. Ollar was attached to B Company in the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion and proceeded to train with them. In late 1943, Ollar was shipped to England for more training prior to the invasion of Normandy. He recalls fighting in the hedgerows, fighting at St. Lo and liberating Paris. He fought all the way into Germany. In late 1945, Ollar returned to the US and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard E. Byler. Byler joined the Navy on March 12, 1943. He completed radio operator training at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and became proficient in Morse Code. In 1943, he deployed to Hawaii. In February of 1944, he was transferred to Kwajalein and worked at Navy Base 824. He was on board a transport ship during the Battle of Kwajalein. Once the fighting ceased, he worked as a Radioman Second-Class on the island, translating Morse Code. He continued his service through the end of the war, and shares details of his work and life on the island. Byler returned to the U.S. and received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dr. George Burnet. Burnet joined the Army on May 16, 1944. He studied chemical warfare, and was trained on the 4.2 inch mortar battalion. He served as a forward observer with the 99th Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. Around mid-1944, they were deployed to the Philippines and participated in the Battle of Leyte. He recovered from malaria around June and July of 1945. Beginning in September, they served in the occupation of Japan, providing military support to the U.S. government and completing 8 months of demilitarization duties. In mid to late 1946, they occupied a Japanese military base in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. He continued his service, and received his discharge in December of 1947.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Guy Longshore. Longshore joined the U.S. Army Forces in 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a B-29 .50 caliber machine gunner with the 73rd Bombardment Wing, 2nd Air Force. He was stationed in Saipan, Tinian and Guam. He participated in bombing missions and missions to drop supplies to prisoner-of-war camps throughout Japan. His crew was one of the 200 B-29s who flew over Tokyo Bay on the day the surrender was signed. They completed over 30 missions. His discharge date is not noted.

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.