Transcript of an oral interview with Enid Cothren, nee Barton. Cothren joined Great Britain's Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in 1942 when she was 20. The ATS was the women's branch of the British Army. After two weeks training, she was assigned to a company in her hometown of Winchester where she worked in the quartermaster store. She discusses rationing in Britain during the war. She married an American in the medical corps during the war and left the ATS. She moved to the UNited States in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leonard Zaehler. Zaehler joined the Marine Corps in early 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He was assigned to the service squadron of MAG-12, running a mobile machine shop where his primary duty was repairing ground vehicles. He spent a good part of his duty stationed on Emirau Island, where the squadron’s plucky COO would cheerfully bring him Japanese bombs that he had discovered on the island. He would ask to borrow Zaehler’s tools in order to disarm and study the bombs. Zaehler gingerly provided him the tools and then made a polite and speedy exit, in case of an accident, of which there were none. When there were no vehicles to repair, Zaehler towed Corsairs to the line. He often saw the comings and goings of fighter ace Joe Foss and watched Charles Lindbergh teaching New Zealanders how to land the F4U.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Glenn Lane. Lane joined the Navy in February of 1940 and was assigned to the USS Arizona (BB-39) in Pearl Harbor. He worked in the Aviation Division as a Radioman Third Class, flying as an air crewman on the battleship’s Kingfisher scout planes. He was aboard the Arizona on 7 December 1941, when the Japanese attacked. An explosion blew him overboard and he swam to the USS Nevada (BB-36). Lane was then assigned to various squadrons and ships, flying as a crewman in scouts and dive bombers during battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands and Tulagi. He was on an aircraft attempting to land aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) when it was attacked by the Japanese. His plane was diverted to Midway Island but ran out of fuel and ditched. The crew was eventually picked up by a PBY Amphibian. Lane went on to finish a 30-year naval career, retiring as a Command Master Chief at NAS Whidbey Island in 1969.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hal La Vine. La Vine was drafted into the Army in February of 1942. He was assigned to the 45th Division, 445th Combat Group. He graduated as an officer from cadet navigation school. He served as an instructor in Monroe, Louisiana. In November of 1942 his unit was assigned to a base in Hethel, England. La Vine served as a navigator aboard B-24s. They served as a lead crew, flying missions out of England in 1943. He describes life at the base in Hethel. They completed 30 missions. He describes some of their more involved missions including Berlin and Stuttgart, Germany. Upon completing his missions, he was sent to Ireland to serve again as a navigation instructor for incoming navigators.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Hastings. Hastings was drafted into the Army in March 1941. He was sent to radar school and was promoted to an officer in the Signal Corps. Hastings was sent to New Guinea in 1943 and led an autonomous unit that operated on a radio boat disguised as a native fishing boat. He tells of an encounter with head hunters. Hastings was then sent to the 310th Bombardment Wing of the 5th Air Force in the Philippines where he maintained radio equipment. He describes a bombing mission that he joined over China. Hastings helped liberate civilian POWs from Santo Tomas and describes their treatment and condition. He then traveled to Osaka for occupation duty. Hastings talks about his time there as well as flying over Hiroshima. He describes what he saw and discusses his conflicted feelings on the use of the bomb. Hastings stayed in the Reserve and was recalled for the Korean War where he served in Alaska.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Betty Blalock. Blalock joined the Navy in 1945 and received basic training in Yonkers. She was assigned to the hospital corps and sent to the amputee ward at Quantico. Once a day, an airplane would arrive with amputees whom Blalock would visit and encourage. She remembers them as having good morale. After the war, she was discharged and married a tech sergeant, Hugh Blalock, who went on to serve in the Air Force for 30 years. She and her husband spent 10 years with Air America in Laos, Saigon, and Bangkok. While there she opened three kindergartens, taking a 12-hour train, a bicycle ride, and a boat taxi twice each week to teach classes. Blalock says that she’s led an interesting life and has gone around the world about five times.

Transcript of an oral interview with Major General John R.D. Cleland. Cleland joined the Army after he finished high school in 1943 because he wanted to be a paratrooper. He took basic training at Fort Hood, Texas and discusses several aspects of it. He eventually was accepted into jump school and describes training to be a paratrooper. After jump school, Cleland went to Parachute demolition school. He graduated top of his class and then went to Officer Candidate School. In November, 1944, he graduated as a second lieutenant from OCS. He finally joined the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team in June, 1945 in the Philippines. He got there aboard the USS Pondera (APA-191). Shortly after arriving on Negros, the Japanese surrendered and Cleland set up and command a prison camp for them. By October, all his prisoners had been shipped out and he went to Japan for occupation duty. While on occupation duty, Cleland was gathered surrendered weapons and demolished ammunition stockpiles. Cleland returned to the US in 1947 and stayed in the service. He describes his participation in the war in Korea. He served as a rifle company commander and was wounded in a night attack. He was evacuated …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Annabel Ring. Ring was in college on 7 December 1941, completed one semester and then went to work in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She went into the Navy on 6 May 1943 as a WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and took boot camp in the Bronx, New York for six weeks. The Navy took over a women’s college there and they stayed in apartments across the street. From there, Ring went to medical school at Great Lakes, Illinois. She had classes and then would work in the ward with the patients. Ring then went to Patuxent River, Maryland where she worked in a hospital on different wards. After two years there, she was sent to dentist school in Quantico, Virginia. Ring was there when the war ended and was discharged in October 1945 as a hospital second class petty officer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Simmons. Simmons joined the Navy in July 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. He received electro-hydraulics training and was assigned to the USS Davis (DD-395) as a gunner’s mate, his battle station in the lower forward handling room, sending up five-inch shells. He participated in the invasion of Normandy, providing support to troops landing on Omaha Beach. After escorting the USS Texas (BB-35) back to England and attempting a return trip with supplies, the Davis hit a mine and was sent to Scotland for repairs. Simmons returned to the States, where he was diagnosed with asthma and given a medical discharge. He claims to have not suffered any psychological impacts from witnessing drownings at Normandy, but his wife recalls that Simmons would become so nervous watching news reels that they would often leave the theater early together. Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rolland Briar. Briar joined the Navy in 1940 and received basic training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Dixie (AD-14) where he was chosen as staff for the Commander of …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernard Campbell. Campbell joined the Navy in May 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was sent to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, where he became a barber. During the attack on 7 December, he was assigned to an officer, as his foot messenger. He recalls that American planes were shot down by friendly fire later that evening, before personnel were quickly advised on nighttime Identify Friend or Foe (IFF). In 1944 he was transferred to Midway, where he was coxswain of a small boat for transporting the captain of the USS Pelias (AS-14). Campbell returned home and was discharged in September 1945, just one week after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Burdell Cobb. Cobb joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1940. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to USS Concord (CL-10) and then transferred to an aviation squadron on Ford Island. On 7 December 1941, Cobb was on the flight line when he heard an explosion and saw smoke rising from his hangar, prompting him to sound the fire alarm. Soon, a plane emerged from the smoke and flew towards Cobb, strafing. Without hesitation, Cobb returned fire with a forty-five. He attempted to flee in a plane that was in need of repair, but he could not find a pilot and instead took cover until the raid ended. The squadron eventually relocated to New Hebrides and New Caledonia, where Cobb maintained reconnaissance seaplanes. He was briefed by intelligence personnel on the atomic bomb, shocked to hear that they could not predict what the bomb’s impact would be like. After the war, Cobb returned to the States and spent two decades as a military recruiter in Dodge City.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ledford Coggeshell. Coggeshell joined the Navy in 1938 as a means of earning money for college. Following boot camp, he boarded the USS California (BB-44) in Long Beach and sailed to the Atlantic. The California sailed back to the Pacific through the Panama Canal, where Coggeshell witnessed President Roosevelt board with South American heads of state. Coggeshell soon transferred into mine warfare and and boarded the USS Preble (DD-345). During the Pearl Harbor attack, the ship was in overhaul and unarmed. Coggeshell assisted the USS Cummings (DM-20) which needed help manning guns, and he also helped survivors of the USS West Virginia (BB-48) escape the fiery waters. But at the battle of Leyte Gulf, Coggeshell felt helpless when the ship could not stop for survivors of burning and sinking ships. Coggeshell was discharged as a chief watertender in August 1945, just days after the second atomic bomb was dropped. He later became an electrical engineer and worked on cruise missiles, the B2 bomber, and outer space weaponry.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard C Higgins. Higgins joined the Navy in December of 1939. He completed Aviation Radio School in San Diego. In 1940 he transferred to VP-43 at Naval Air Station, Sand Point, Seattle. He then served with a flight crew as Third Class Radioman in Patrol Squadron 22 (VP-22) on Ford Island. In October of 1941 they traveled to their new station at Midway Island. Higgins and his crew were in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 during the attack and he provides vivid details of what he witnessed. He also spent time in Indonesia and was discharged in October of 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Michael Ganitch. Ganitch joined the Navy in January 1941 and was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) as a quartermaster. He was getting ready to play a football game against the team from the USS Arizona (BB-39) when Pearl Harbor suddenly came under attack. He climbed to his battle station in the crow’s nest, grateful for the extra protection from his football padding. He recalls that American planes were shot down by friendly fire after the attack subsided, before personnel were quickly advised on nighttime Identify Friend or Foe (IFF). Ganitch remained with the Pennsylvania through the end of the war. He lost 26 quartermasters in a torpedo strike at Okinawa just hours before the Japanese surrendered. He was present for the atomic testing at Bikini Island and remained in the service for another 23 years. Ganitch was discharged in October 1963 and went on to work a civilian security job at Naval Air Station Alameda until 1996.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Ide. Ide???s father completed the Naval ROTC program at the University of California at Berkley while Admiral Chester Nimitz was there. His father was among Nimitz???s first students. His father joined the Naval Reserve and became a Lieutenant in1940. His father was assigned as skipper of a net tender and he and his family of six headed to Pearl Harbor. They lived at the officer???s quarters. Charles provides some details of life in Hawaii growing up, going to school and checking on the ship with his father. They were there on 7 December 1941, and Charles describes what he witnessed that fateful day, and how his family reacted. He talks about his father???s response in providing generators to the hospital and using his station wagon for a temporary ambulance. After living in Hawaii for one year, the family traveled back to California aboard the SS Lurline. His father participated in Saipan and Okinawa and retired later as a Captain. Charles himself served in the Army.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Rauschkolb. Rauschkolb enlisted in the Navy in 1938 and was assigned to the USS West Virginia (BB-48). As a third class signalman, Rauschkolb performed bunting maintenance, fixing torn flags as necessary. On the morning of the Pearl Harbor attack, he narrowly escaped strafing by jumping into oily water set ablaze by the USS Arizona (BB-39). He then reboarded his ship to fight fires, dragging a friend out of the flames and to safety. Recovering bodies in the aftermath was the most difficult job he’s ever had. On a trip home to attend his mother’s funeral, Rauschkolb learned that there had also been a service held a for him after he had been erroneously reported killed in action. On his return trip, aboard the USS Raleigh (CL-7), the skipper taught him navigation and requested that Rauschkolb be reassigned to their crew. On V-J Day, the ship fell silent until Rauschkolb suggested they shoot flares in celebration. He returned home and was discharged as a senior chief petty officer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Rees. Rees joined the Marine Corps in October 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. After training a few platoons as a drill instructor, he was transferred to Combat Engineers as a crane operator. He improved the airstrip at Guadalcanal and transferred supplies from LCTs to amphibious vehicles at Guam. He arrived at Iwo Jima just after D-Day and left for the States two weeks later. Although he was never on the frontlines, he was at the tail end of invasions and often operated under enemy shelling. Rees returned home and was discharged in October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gus Seeley. Seeley joined the Navy in July of 1940. During his career, he completed schooling for Yeoman, Naval Intelligence, Stenography and the Portuguese Language. Seeley served as Yeoman Third-Class aboard USS Honolulu (CL-48). They were moored in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Seeley was later transferred to USS LST-312, serving in the European Theater. He participated in the Sicily Campaign, the Salerno landings and the Invasion of Normandy. Seeley was transferred to another LST, and also served in the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa, and served with occupation forces in China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin Schuler. Schuler joined the Navy and in early 1940 was assigned to the USS Phoenix (CL-46) as a fire controlman. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was at the gun director, preparing the ship’s artillery, which required the coordination of several hundred men. He describes the happenings at East Loch that morning, including a moment when he stopped to help a wounded Army man. After the ship got underway, they chased what they thought to be a Japanese ship, going so far as to train all of their guns on it, only to receive a signal at the last minute that it was actually the USS Minneapolis (CA-36). Still, Marines cheered them for their bravery upon return to the harbor. He recounts several escort missions in the Indian Ocean, including one in which the USS Langley (CV-1) was sunk off Java. He remembers that General MacArthur spent several weeks aboard their ship, and it was evident that he and the crew did not like each other. When the ship went back to the States for repair, Schuler returned home. He celebrated V-J Day on the lawn …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Waggoner. Waggoner participated in a Civilian Pilot Training program in Nogales, Arizona. He volunteered in the Air Force Reserves, and trained at various bases throughout the U.S. He provides details of his training experiences. He trained as a tow pilot for gliders in Lubbock, Texas. In the spring of 1945 Waggoner was shipped to England. He was assigned to the 440th Troop Carrier Group and 95th Squadron in Orleans, France. They participated in Operation Varsity in Germany and he provides details of that mission. He also provides detail of the glider pilot museum in Lubbock.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Irving Butler. Butler joined the Navy in October of 1942. He completed Aviation Mechanic School in Memphis, Tennessee, and Gunnery School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was trained as an Air Crewman. In September of 1943 he went to Tarawa, Makin and Guam aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He was made Second Class and placed in charge of 62 men going to the Admiralty Islands. He was later assigned to USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) as a gunner in a torpedo plane. He was in Composite Squadron 787 (VC-78). Butler went through 14 battles. He remained in the reserves 2 years after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Swingholm. Swingholm joined the Army Air Forces in early 1942. Beginning in March of 1944, he served as a top turret gunner and flight engineer aboard a B-25 with the 12th Air Force. Swingholm completed 64 bombing missions, over Northern Italy, Belgium and France.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald K Cradit. Cradit joined the Navy in November of 1939. He served as Boatswain’s Mate aboard the USS McCook (DD-496), participating in the Normandy invasions. Cradit later served aboard the USS Rogers (DD-876), where he witnessed the signing of the Peace Treaty in Tokyo Harbor. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert White. White finished high school in 1934 and shares several anecdotes about making a living during the Great Depression. During most of the war, White was working in an essential oil and gas industry job and was deferred from military service, until he was drafted into the Army in early 1945. He shipped out for occupation duty in Japan, arriving in November, 1945. WHite eventually received a hardship discharge because hi wife was going to have a surgery.