The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Abel Ortega. Ortega was drafted into the Army in March, 1941 and was in the Philippines by November. Ortega was with a tank battalion on Luzon and recalls the retreat to and subsequent surrender on Bataan. Ortega also recalls how his Christian faith served him, and others around him, during captivity. He describes his experiences on the Bataan Death March. Ortega remained in the Philippines for over two years before being shipped to Japan to perform more slave labor. After the war, Ortega was repatriated and describes his return home to his parents.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Albritton. Albritton joined the Navy in 1937. He served aboard the USS Dobbin (AD-3). They were present during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. At the time of the attack the Dobbin was moored northeast of Ford Island. After the attack, they picked up survivors and took the wounded to shore. Albritton participated in the Korean War and was discharged in 1957.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Taylor. Taylor was born in Salesville, Texas on 23 March 1923 into a family of ten boys and six girls. He had only one term of formal schooling and then worked as an itinerate laborer from the age of four. Enlisting in the US Army in 1941 he was sent to Fort McDowell, California. Several months later he boarded the USAT Republic for Manila, Philippines where he joined the 31st Infantry Regiment. He discusses the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and tells of various combat situations, including one in which he was wounded and subsequently awarded the Silver Star. He describes surrendering on 9 April 1942 and the forced march out of Bataan. After spending time at Camp O’Donnell, he was later taken to Cabanatuan where he was hospitalized for malaria, dysentery and yellow jaundice. In July 1943, he was among 500 other prisoners of war put aboard the Matsu Maru which took them to Fukuoka, Japan. There, the POWs were put to work as slave laborers in the coal mines. He describes the conditions under which they worked and the treatment they received from their captors. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alphior Silverio. Silverio went into the Army in 1942 and trained at Camp Atterbury. He was assigned to the 308th Combat Engineer Battalion attached to the 83rd Infantry Division and went overseas in April, 1944. In August, Silverio went to France with the 83rd. He recalls building bridges across France until he was wounded in early December and evacuated to England. By then he had earned a battlefield commission. He was able to rejoin his unit after recovery and was finally discharged in February 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arnold Cole. Cole was born in Beulah, North Dakota 9 October 1924. Joining the Navy in January 1942 he attended boot camp at Farragut, Idaho then was assigned to the Hospital Corps School. Upon completing training, he went to Camp Elliott, California to join the Fleet Marine Force as a combat medic with the 5th Marine Division, 26th Marine Regiment. On 19 February 1945 he was in the third wave of the invasion of Iwo Jima. He mentions the high casualty rate suffered during the invasion and he recalls that the corpsmen removed any type of markings indicating they were medical personnel in an effort to thwart the efforts of Japanese snipers to single them out. Cole was on Iwo Jima for thirty-three days before being severely wounded. After receiving initial treatment at the battalion aid station he was put aboard the USS Queens (APA-103) and taken to Guam. He was taken off the ship on a gurney, identified with a green toe tag (dead) and placed in the morgue. A morgue attendant heard him moaning and contacted medical personnel. He was taken to the hospital and given …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Arthur Monaghan. Monaghan was born in Houston in 1922. After attending boot camp, he was assigned to Torpedo school in San Diego. He relates the various aspects of training he underwent and tells of being assigned to the Motor Torpedo Base 16. In 1943 his unit boarded a ship and he tells of the living conditions on board. He relates incidents that occurred while stationed on several island of the Philippines as well as one of the Russell Islands, including the introduction of the Mark 13 Torpedo. He also recalls one of his officers falling victim to monkey fever, which lead to his death. Monaghan was discharged soon after his return to the US in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Audrey Sigrist. Sigrist joined the Coast Guard in June 1944. She attended boot camp in Palm Beach, Florida and radio school in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sigrist describes her training and daily life as a SPAR. She was stationed in Port Angeles, Washington and discusses he duties as a radioman receiving calls for ship pilots. Sigrist describes celebrating the end of the war and her departure from the service in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Benjamin Severns. Severns enlisted in the Navy in February of 1943. Prior to entering the service, Severns worked for Allis-Chalmers in LaPorte, Indiana, a former agricultural equipment manufacturer now producing 90mm guns for the war effort. Severns provides some details of his work experience. In November of 1943 Severns became machinist mate in the engine room aboard the USS Enright (DE-216). They traveled to Ireland and he vividly describes the destroyer, including sleeping and eating quarters and day to day life aboard. They convoyed to Londonderry, North Africa and a host of British ports, providing escort support. He describes some of his experiences in Ireland. Severns details a merchant ship that hit the destroyer in April of 1944, and their travels back to New York for repairs. They traveled back to North Africa, where Severns describes some adventures he had in Oran. He was assigned to the USS Fred T. Berry (DD-858) in January of 1945. They traveled to Hawaii. Severns was involved in the occupation of Japan, patrolling the harbors and setting up control towers. He was then transferred to the USS Belet (APD-109). They traveled to the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bill Brenner. Brenner joined the Army Air Corps in 1940. He completed medical training at Harris Health Hospital in San Francisco. He was assigned to Hamilton Army Field overseeing sick call, surgical procedures and inspecting quarters. He completed training to work as a flight surgeon. He joined the 34th Pursuit Squadron as a flight surgeon. They traveled to the Philippines in November of 1941, and participated in the Battle of Bataan. Their squadron was nearly wiped out, and Brenner and his fellow survivors continued on fighting in the infantry. He shares his experiences through the Bataan Death March and his time in Camp O’Donnell and Cabanatuan. Once rescued out of the camps, Brenner joined the 200th Medical Corps of New Mexico.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bruce Heard. Heard worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1937 to 1939 as a baker and he build houses and benches at a national park. He joined the Army in April of 1944, and served as a Tech Sergeant with the 1260th Combat Engineers Battalion, Headquarters Company. He provides details of his training. He traveled to France in late 1944. His battalion was attached to the 3rd, 7th and 15th Armies at different times. They moved into Nuremberg, Hanover and Berlin, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. His job was to build bridges and haul ammunition to the Infantry and Artillery on the front lines. He shares some of his experiences through this battle, including casualties of fellow servicemen, bomb attacks and living accommodations. He was discharged around the spring of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carl Crandall. Crandall joined the Navy at age 17. After basic training at Great Lakes, he was trained on running ship’s boilers. Crandall was then assigned to USS Warrick (AKA-89) as a third class watertender. While running the boilers, he would occasionally clean the insides, which required holding his breath for up to three minutes. Crandall was in battle zones in the Philippines for a year and suffered hearing damage from a kamikaze attack on a nearby destroyer. While ashore, he traded with the natives to acquire fresh coconuts. At Iwo Jima, Crandall sat atop the smokestack and watched the flag being raised on Mount Suribachi. After the war, Crandall participated in disarmament of the Japanese by dumping their arms and ammunition into the ocean. While in Japan, he was surprised by the hospitality of the Japanese, having been invited into their homes. Crandall returned to the States after occupation duty and returned home to finish high school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carlos Montoya. Montoya joined the National Guard in 1938. He was assigned as a Battery Clerk for Troop A, cavalry. In January of 1941 he traded his horse for anti-aircraft, joining the 200th Coast Artillery, continuing to serve as a Battery Clerk corporal. They were transferred to the Philippines in August of 1941, providing air defense for Clark Field while based at Fort Stotsenburg. After the 8 December 1941 attack made upon Clark Field, Montoya and his unit were captured by the Japanese in 1942. Montoya became a prisoner-of-war, suriving the Bataan Death March. He was then captive in the Philippines Bilibid Prison for 1 year and 9 months, then transferred to a prison camp in Niigata, Japan, Camp 5B for 1 year and 11 months. He provides vivid details of these events in his life. He was liberated in August of 1945, and given a disability discharge in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Chalmers Miller. Miller attended Rice University for one semester before joining the Navy. He received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the motor pool of CASU-9 at Port Hueneme. In November 1944 he was sent to the Philippines, where he drove a dump truck on the Tacloban air strip, which was small, crowded, muddy, and full of bomb craters. He became the engineer of a boat transporting supplies and personnel from the USS Currituck (AV-7) and Jinamoc Island. He creatively employed canvas from a cargo truck to protect his passengers from rain. In January Miller was sent to the air strip at Puerto Princesa, which was in much better condition than Tacloban. He returned home and was discharged in April 1946. He soon decided to reenlist for another two years and joined the Seabees. After his final discharge, Miller completed his education on the GI Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom joined the Navy around June of 1943. He served with the deck crew aboard USS Mississippi (BB-41). In November of 1943, they bombarded Makin Island, providing fire support. He talks of the mass casualties amongst the crew members during combat. Dahlstrom shares his experiences through the Battle of Surigao Strait in October of 1944, the Battle of Lingayen Gulf in January of 1945 and the kamikaze attacks during the Battle of Okinawa in mid-1945. He was aboard the Mississippi in the Tokyo Bay, during the signing of the surrender documents. They returned to the US and Dahlstrom received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Herlin. Herlin joined the Navy in the fall of 1942. Beginning in late 1943, he served as a Radioman First Class with Composite Squadron Twelve (VC-12) aboard the USS Kadashan Bay (CVE-76). He later transferred to the USS Card (CVE-11). Herlin served with the hunter-killer groups completing offensive operations against German submarines in the Atlantic and North Africa. He continued his service after the war ended through early 1954.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles A. Thuet. Thuet was born in Wilmington, Delaware 21 August 1921. In 1940 he began working in the local shipyard. In 1942 he volunteered for the Navy and underwent six weeks of boot training at Newport, Rhode Island. Afterward, he was assigned to the USS Wainwright (DD-419) and became served as an orderly for Commodore D.P. Moon. He recalls being in Convoy PQ-17 to Murmansk, Russia that was attacked by German air and naval forces. Twenty-four of the thirty-five cargo ships in the convoy were sunk. In August 1942 he was transferred to the USS Wichita (CA-45) where he flew as the observer aboard SOC aircraft. He describes the landing and takeoff procedures of the planes. He also served as a parachute rigger. During November 1942, the Wichita bombarded Casablanca. The ship received damage from a shore battery and retired to Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs. The ship then proceeded through the Panama Canal to Noumea, New Caledonia with a convoy. Thuet recalls the Wichita bombarded various islands including Kwajalein, Hollandia and Saipan. In April 1943 the ship was part of the invasion force assigned to retake …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clair Strong. Strong was drafted in January of 1941. He served in the 666th Ordnance Ammunition Company. He was stationed in Alaska, for the Alaska Theater Operations, from August of 1941 until March of 1944. His job was parts clerk, keeping track of vehicle parts and invoices. In November of 1944 he served in the European Theater of Operations and was located in Belgium. His job there was to gather up unexploded land mines and defuse them.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Clarence Mast. Mast had finished medical school in 1942 before joining the Navy. While serving at Camp Sampson, he treated an outbreak of spinal meningitis. He was then attached as a medical officer to the 112th Naval Construction Battalion and went to Quoddy, Maine before going to Hawaii to serve as a surgeon at Kaneohe. His next station was at Tinian, where his unit built very long runways for B-29 bombers. he was aboard an LST during a typhoon at Okinawa. He was there when the war ended and was discharged the following April.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with Clyde Jauer. Jauer joined the Navy in January 1945 and trained at San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Terror (CM-5) in June. Jauer recalls a few anecdotes about life aboard ship. By the time he reached Okinawa, the island was secure. He also spent some time in Sasebo after the war and shares a few anecdotes. After the war, he made several trips from the Mainland to Hawaii and back repatriating troops. Jauer was discharged in July, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Daniel Jackson. Jackson grew up in Pennsylvania, went to medical school and was doing his internship when the war started. He completed his internship then joined the Army Medical Corps in June, 1942. His first assignment was as a medical officer at Elgin Air Force Base. Then he joined a unit that was forming (the 102nd Station Hospital) to go overseas. Jackson arrived on New Guinea at Lae in 1944. He did not treat casualties wounded in battle. Instead, he treated medical patients, those suffering from scrub typhus, malaria, dengue fever, etc. Out of boredom, Jackson decided to join the Alamo Scouts prior to the invasion of the Philippines. In his stint in the Army, Jackson served as a dermatologist and an anesthesiologist. Jackson also was stationed i nJapan after the war ended. He recalls attempting to drive up Mt. Fuji i na weapons carrier. He describes his return home on the train from Portland through Los Angeles and San Antonio to New Orleans. He was discharged in February, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Daniel Wentrcek. Wentrcek joined the Navy in July of 1941. He served as a Fireman aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) and deployed to Pearl Harbor in September. Wentrcek was aboard the ship when the Japanese attacked in December. He was later transferred to USS Chester (CA-27). They supported landings on Samoa, provided antiaircraft fire for the carriers during the Battle of the Coral Sea and supported operations in the Solomon Islands. From 1944 through mid-1945, Wentrcek served aboard the Chester during battle engagements in Alaska, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Don Riel. Riel joined the Navy in 1943 after working in the tool room at a Chevrolet plant. He received basic training at Camp Perry and joined the Seabees as a second class petty officer. On Kwajalein, while operating a truck, he was struck in the shoulder blade by a piece of coral during a controlled explosion. There were no medical facilities there at the time, so Riel was sewn up on the beach. He was then assigned to operate a cement mixer, which is all he could do with his arm in a sling. On Ebeye, he was tasked with maintaining water stills. When he arrived on Tinian, he was a bulldozer operator for the construction of airstrips. Although Tinian had already been secured, Riel survived attacks by snipers and bombers, hiding under his armored dozer. He then served as a fresh water well mechanic until the end of the war. Riel returned home and was discharged in December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Donald C. Coldsmith. Coldsmith was born in Ottawa, Kansas in 1926, the son of a Methodist minister. He tells of hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while attending a state of Kansas YMCA convention. Being eligible for the selective-service act, he received his draft notice in 1944 and was inducted into the United States Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for basic training. He tells of the selection process and physical requirements needed for assignment into the mountain artillery pack mule training program and of training with pack mules. He comments on the mule’s intelligence. After washing out of Officer Candidate Sschool, he was assigned to the Pacific as a combat replacement. He was assigned to the 637th Tank Destroyer Battalion on Leyte. Soon afterward he was assigned as a medic and he tells of his training in the field. He recalls hearing of the dropping of the atomic bomb and soon thereafter being sent to Yokohoma, Japan where he was assigned to Omori Prison. Although only a Private First Class, he was medically responsible for the Japanese prisoners. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Cullen. Cullen joined the Army Air Forces in February of 1943. In September he was assigned to the 90th Airdrome Squadron. In early 1944 they traveled to North Africa, through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Arabian Sea aboard HMHS Chantilly (63). He traveled into Upper Assam Valley and later into Jorhat, India, working in a message center at the base headquarters as a teletype repairman. He was discharged in January of 1946.