The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with R A Barbezat. Barbazet joined the Navy in 1939. He served as a second-class fireman aboard USS California (BB-44). They were moored on the southern side of Ford Island, the southernmost ship along Battleship Row when the Japanese attack occurred. Barbezat later served aboard USS Astoria (CA-34) until it was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island in August of 1942. He then served two years aboard USS Coral Sea (CVE-57). They completed naval operations supporting attacks on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Barbezat returned to the US and was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.M. Barclay. Barcaly was born in Broadus, Texas 12 September 1923. Upon joining the Navy in 1941 he went to San Diego for boot camp. He then was assigned to the USS Utah (BB-31) as a helmsman. The ship was at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and Barclay recalls observing Japanese planes attacking the fleet and a bomb hitting the Utah. He abandoned ship and tells of Japanese planes strafing men in the water. He assisted in recovering bodies of sailors from the USS Arizona (BB-39). Later in the evening, among a group of sailors resting on an oil tanker, Barclay’s group was subjected to friendly fire, resulting in casualties. For several weeks before the attack, Barclay recalls seeing a foreign submarine on the surface near the ship on a daily basis. He would report the sighting to the captain but no action was taken. In early 1942 he was transferred to the USS Honolulu (CL-48). He recounts several battles and recalls the Honolulu having forty feet of her bow blown off by a torpedo. After a short period of shore duty Barclay was transferred to the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jerold Barnes. Barnes joined the Coast Guard in September of 1940. He recalls serving aboard one of the ships that was turned over to the English during the Lend-Lease program in 1941. He remained aboard his ship to help train the English crew. Barnes was present in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. He completed Officer’s Training School at the Coast Guard Academy. He later served aboard the USS Shoshone (AKA-65), providing air and sea rescue services. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wayne Chambers. Chambers joined the Naval Reserve in September of 1940. He completed the V-7 Officer Training Program. Beginning September of 1941, he served in the Engineering Department aboard USS Henley (DD-391). They were moored in East Loch at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. In May of 1942 they rescued survivors of USS Neosho (AO-23) and USS Sims (DD-409), sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea. They protected Marines landing on Guadalcanal, and remained in the area screening ships bringing in supplies and reinforcements. In June of 1943 Chambers transferred to the USS Quincy (CA-71). In June of 1944 they participated in the invasion of Normandy. In that same month they traveled to Cherbourg, France providing bombardment of the batteries surrounding the city in conjunction with the Army ground assault. Chambers returned to the US and was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Phillip Corsello. Corsello joined the Army Air Corps in May of 1941. He completed aircraft and engine mechanic school, and was stationed in Hawaii when the attack occurred on 7 December 1941. After the attack, Corsello worked guard duty at night and worked on B-17s during the day. He returned to the US in June of 1942 for flight training, but washed out.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with M J Cotter. Cotter joined the Navy in March of 1941. After boot camp, he provided upkeep and maintenance of the 16-inch gun turret aboard the USS Maryland (BB-46). They traveled to Hawaii around July of 1941. The Maryland was present on Battleship Row during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Cotter was aboard the ship and describes his experiences through this fateful day, including their 50-caliber gunner taking down a Japanese plane. After repairs to their ship, they participated in the battles of Midway, Tarawa, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Cotter was discharged in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rudolph David. David was born in Orange, Texas on 19 January 1918 and graduated from high school in 1937. In 1939 he entered Southwestern Louisiana University and in June 1941, was drafted into the US Army. He went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for basic training and Camp Callan in Torrey Pines, California for training field artillery training. Assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment, he went to Manila, Philippines aboard the USS President Coolidge (1931). He recalls that following the fall of Bataan, he went to Corregidor where he remained until the Allied forces surrendered. As a prisoner of war, he was taken to Bilibid in Manila. During December 1942, he was taken to Osaka, Japan where he was made to do various jobs as a slave laborer. He also performed forced labor jobs at Kanagawa and Kobe, Japan. After the surrender of Japan, he was sent to Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco, California. He also spent recovery time in Northington General Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. David remained in the Army and retired after thirty years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Davis. Davis entered the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was sent to Wheeler Field, Hawaii and spent a short time with the 19th Pursuit Squadron. He was transferred to the 58th Bomb Squadron. He recalls he was a crew chief on an A-20 (Havoc) bomber when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Field on 7 December 1941. Davis describes the actions he took on that day, which included two days of intense labor repairing aircraft to a flyable condition. He was assigned to flight training, but washed out. Davis was soon assigned to gunnery school at Las Vegas, Nevada. After completion, he went aboard RMS Queen Elizabeth. Upon arrival at Turleigh, England he was assigned to the 306th Bomb Group, 367th Bomb Squadron as a flight engineer and gunner on a B-17. He describes many of the 24 combat missions he flew and tells of several incidents involving members of the crew. After the surrender of Germany, he returned to the United States. He tells of reenlisting and of some of his experiences he had until his retirement in 1965.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Dickman. Dickman was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1920 and joined the Marine Corps in 1938. After finishing Sea School, he joined the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) as an admiral’s orderly. He was eventually transferred to North Island Naval Air Station. There he began flying as a radio operator/rear gunner. In January 1941 Dickman’s unit boarded the USS Enterprise (CV-6) bound for Ewa, Hawaii. Once there, he had courses in Japanese aircraft identification and rear seat gunnery practice. During sector searches on 5 December 1941, planes from Dickman’s squadron reported seeing submarines of unknown origin. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dickman was wounded by aircraft machine gun fire. In March 1942 he was sent to the Mainland to assist in forming a Marine transportation squadron. Assigned as a crew chief aboard a C-47, his squadron flew to New Caledonia where they flew supplies and munitions into Guadalcanal and returned with wounded. On one occasion, their flight was threatened by Japanese fighters and Allied planes under the command of Joe Foss came to their aid. While on New Caledonia, Dickman contracted malaria and was hospitalized in Australia …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roland Eberhardt. Eberhardt joined the Navy in 1937, and attended a watertender school in Philadelphia. He served as chief watertender aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36). Eberhardt was aboard the ship while it was docked in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He provides vivid details of his experiences through that fateful day, and the grounding of their ship. He was then assigned to the USS San Francisco (CA-38) for the remainder of the war. Later in December of 1941 they reinforced Wake Island. In August of 1942 they participated in the Battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal. They patrolled around the Aleutian Islands, Attu and Kiska, to keep the Japanese from reinforcing their bases. From there they went through the Marshall Islands in 1943 and the Mariana Islands in 1944. Eberhardt was then sent to Oil Burning School in Philadelphia, and then assigned to a base in Salamaua, Papua New Guinea. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Gray. Gray joined the Navy in September of 1939. Gray trained as an aviation mechanic. He worked with Squadron VP-14, using multi-engine seaplanes to relocate older seaplanes from water to land. Gray was one of 6 family members serving in the war, and stationed at Hawaii, during the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. From spring through August of 1942, he worked as a plane captain aboard a PBY Catalina Patrol Bomber in Hawaii. From August through July of 1943, Gray served with Patrol Aircraft Service Unit 1-1 and was assigned to Guadalcanal to support the first Black Cat squadron, VP-12. In the summer of 1943 through the end of the war, he was assigned to a B-24 unit, overseeing advanced trouble-shooting and engine changes. He retired in 1959.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Neal Hachenberg. Hachenberg joined the Navy in June of 1941. He served as First Class Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Detroit (CL-8). They were moored at Pearl Harbor alongside the USS Raleigh (CL-7) and USS Utah (BB-31) when the Japanese attacked. They ran convoy duty from Pearl Harbor, transporting 9 short tons of gold evacuated from Corregidor, to the United States Treasury Department at San Francisco. In early 1945 they transported troops to Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Hachenberg served aboard the Detroit through the end of the war. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Douglas Harper. Harper joined the Navy in July of 1941. He was transferred to the Naval Receiving Station at Pearl Harbor, and served as 2nd Class Carpenter’s Mate aboard the USS Kingfisher (AM-25). They were on station, and Harper was located at Bishop’s Point base at the entrance of the Harbor when then Japanese attacked. Harper remained at Pearl Harbor through October of 1943. He later served at a motor torpedo boat base at Toguchi, Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Heller. Heller joined the Army in September 1944 and received basic training at Camp Hood. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 40th Infantry Division as a rifleman. In March 1945 he travelled to Leyte and was camped beside survivors of the Bataan Death March. He made patrols along various islands, to protect villagers from Japanese raids. While in the Philippines, he bought fresh fruits from natives. He recalls that although his unit prepared for a full-scale landing on Mindanao, it was unopposed, save for a lone Japanese soldier who charged with a sword. At Panay, Heller was treated by a medic for jungle rot. He then survived a typhoon on the way to Inchon. On V-J Day he saw USS Missouri (BB-63) break away from his convoy to celebrate by firing ammunition. Heller patrolled the 38th parallel, opposite the Russians. Heller returned home and was discharged in October 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Herndon. Herndon joined the Navy in January of 1940. In April he was assigned aboard USS San Francisco (CA-38). He maintained the decks of the ship and worked as a mess cook. They were in Pearl Harbor Navy Yard awaiting an overhaul of their engineering plant when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. In late 1943 Herndon was assigned to a beach landing party aboard the USS Oxford (APA-189). He served in visual communications, and assisted troops from ship to shore. They landed parties in the Philippine Islands and Okinawa. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Hornok. Hornok joined the Navy around 1940. He served as a Machinist’s Mate aboard USS St. Louis (CL-49). The ship was moored to the pier in Southeast Loch at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He notes how his ship was in 11 major battles, including the Marshall and Gilbert islands, Guadalcanal and Wake Island. They escorted ships back and forth from the US to Pearl Harbor. Hornok was later transferred to a submarine base in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, before he was transferred to the USS Massachusetts (BB-59). He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James John. John joined the Navy in June of 1941. He operated the boilers in the engine room aboard the USS Case (DD-370). They were berthed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. He recalls dropping a depth charge on a Japanese midget submarine stuck in the mud 40 feet under water, and seeing it surface. After the attack they had patrol duty in the Harbor. From May to August of 1942, they patrolled off Kodiak, Alaska and participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Kiska. They assisted with further engagements at Guadalcanal, the Marshall Islands, Truk Island, Iwo Jima and the Mariana Islands. He was later transferred to the USS Knight (DD-633), again serving with the Black Gang. John returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Jones. Jones joined the Navy in January of 1941. He served in the Fire Control Division and Gunner’s Gang aboard the USS Tennessee (BB-43). The ship was moored near Battleship Row during the attack on 7 December 1941. He recalls going through the Harbor and retrieving servicemen out of the water. He was transferred to the USS Massachusetts (BB-59). They supported the invasion of North Africa in October of 1942 and struck Iwo Jima for the invasion in February of 1945. Jones was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Kimzey. Kimzey joined the Coast Guard in September of 1939. He provides details of his training in Alameda, California, and service aboard a 75-foot patrol boat. He served as a gunnery pointer and gun captain. In 1940 he was assigned to the USCGC Taney (WHEC-37), where he remained for one year, patrolling at sea and completing search and rescue operations. They traveled to Hollandia, Johnston, Palmyra, Wake, Canton Island and others. Kimzey was then transferred to the buoy tender, USCGC Kukui (WAGL-225), serving as the ship’s cook, commissary chief and more. They maintained and replaced navigational buoys in the Hawaiian archipelago. They were at Sand Island on 7 December 1941, and Kimzey provides vivid details of what he witnessed and how he participated through that fateful day. He returned to the US in 1944 and was promoted to Chief Commissary Man. He was discharged in 1945 and joined the Coast Guard Reserves.

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The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Luckham. Luckham joined the Navy in 1939. He served as a deck hand aboard the USS Helena (CL-50). He completed Machine Gun School in the fall of 1941. Luckham was aboard the Helena, moored at 1010 Dock, Navy Yard on the base (southeast) side of Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese attacked. In late 1942 Luckham was transferred to USS Feland (APA-11) and served as a 20mm gunner. They transported Marines for the invasions of Tarawa, Saipan and Guam. He remained in the Navy for a total of 20 years, retiring in 1958.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Evelyn Meehan. Meehan and her husband, who served in the Navy, were stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. At the time of the attack, her husband was at sea aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). They remained in Hawaii after the attack, and Meehan continued working in the Office of Censorship in Honolulu. She speaks on general civilian life during World War II.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Barton Dale Messler. Messler joined the Navy in January of 1940. He served as a Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). They were in Dry Dock No. 1 in Pearl Harbor undergoing a refit when the Japanese attacked. He was transferred to the USS Columbia (CL-56), and traveled to Guadalcanal. He also served aboard the USS Amsterdam (CL-101), traveling to Leyte, Okinawa and Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Peace Treaty. Messler participated in 9 major engagements.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Montague. Montague joined the Navy in August 1941 and went to boot camp at San Diego, California. He recalls being sent to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor and attending signal school. His first assignment was at the signal tower where incoming ships were assigned docking positions by the use of lights and signal flags. One of his frequent visitors was Admiral Chester Nimitz who would often take his daily walk in the area. His recollections of 7 December 1941 include returning from breakfast mess and seeing Japanese planes strafing. Montague describes the scene and tells of the actions he took. He went aboard the US Stingray (S-40) in 1943 and recollects the war missions they went on including mine laying, picking up downed flyers and a special mission to Luzon. He was transferred off the boat into the Shore Patrol and tells of his experiences. Montague returned to the United States in 1945 and was discharged in 1946.