The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gabriel Chapa. Chapa was born in Alice, Texas on 7 August 1925. Upon being drafted into the US Navy in 1944, he was sent to San Diego for boot training. Soon after finishing the training he was assigned to USS LCI-470. He participated in the invasions of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. He describes being in a typhoon and of the decision being made to beach the ship to prevent it from sinking during the storm. The ship returned to San Diego and Chapa was discharged in April 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph Simoneau. Simoneau went into the Marines in November 1943 and went to boot camp in San Diego. After some home leave and time in the brig (he was AWOL, coming back late from leave), he was sent to Camp Pendleton where he trained with the Raiders for a while until they were disbanded and became part of the 5th Marine Division. Simoneau was put in the 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines. He volunteered for a 60mm mortar section and they were attached to D Company. They were sent to Camp Tarawa (Hawaii) and continued training there. They boarded ships and after a stop in Eniwetok, they were transferred to LST's which sailed for Iwo Jima. After they were onboard the LSTs, they finally found out where they were going; they studied relief maps and models, found out what their objectives were, etc. After being loaded in amtraks, circling and waiting until all the vessels that were going to make the attack were in position, they headed for shore as part of the first wave. The ramp on their amtrak didn't come down so they had to climb over …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Graef. Graef joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and was called to active duty in July 1943. He received basic training in San Diego and was served as an MP attached to various divisions. He landed at Saipan in the third wave, wading ashore under enemy fire, the sharp coral cutting his boots away. He later sustained a concussion during a kamikaze attack, and much of his memory as to the details of his service were clouded as a result. He recalls detaining an Army general who disobeyed orders to advance. At Okinawa, he witnessed the mass suicide of natives. After serving in China with the 3rd Marine Regiment, Graef returned home and was discharged in January 1946. When he visited his best friend's parents to tell them that their son had been killed in action, they were overcome with grief and lashed out in anger. Graef himself was traumatized by the war and experienced lasting PTSD.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kenneth Niles. Niles joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He received radio operator and repairman training at Texas A&M. Upon completion, he was assigned to VMF-155, working on the F4U Corsair. At Midway he serviced John Glenn’s plane but didn’t meet him until years later at reunions. Niles served at the Marshall Islands and gathered rainwater off his tent for showers. Seabees fashioned a spear for Niles so that he could hunt fish to be cooked in the galley. He returned to the States and was awaiting further assignment when the war ended. Niles later served in Korea and retired from the Marine Corps in 1963.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Potter. Potter joined the Marine Corps in August 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to VMF-124 and sent to Guadalcanal. His duty was to replenish oxygen in the cockpits of the F4U-1 Corsairs. The island was mostly secured by the time he arrived in February 1943, but there were still snipers in the trees, and Potter saw Japanese POWs being marched to secured areas. He remembers intense rain, mud, and mosquitoes on the island. When the Seabees arrived, conditions improved, and they shared their freshly baked bread with the Marines, who didn’t have comparable rations. He returned to the States and worked in supplies at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. During the Korean War, he was stationed in Japan, coordinating supplies sent to Korea. He left the Marine Corps in 1956 and managed manufacturing services for a steel company. There he cultivated strong relationships with distributors and ultimately opened his own trucking company to serve their needs. Potter retired in 2009.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frederick Waigand. Waigand joined the Marine Corps just after the attack on Pearl Harbor and received basic training at Parris Island. Upon completion of mechanic training, he became a plane captain and was assigned to VMO-155. After serving on Midway, he transferred to VMF-311 as the executive officer’s crew chief for the invasion of Okinawa. There he shot a Japanese soldier who charged him in a banzai attack springing from an enemy bomber that crash-landed near the flight line. After the island was secured, Waigand oversaw Okinawan work crews, noting that the natives were incredibly jovial. When it came time for his return to the States, he transferred ships after the first one was struck by a kamikaze. Waigand remained in the Marine Corps into the 1950s and retired as a master sergeant.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold M. Wordsman. Wordsman was born in Manhattan, New York, in May 1924. Inducted into the Navy in February 1943, he went to boot camp at Bainbridge, Maryland. He was then assigned to electrician’s school at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After completing school he went aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). The ship was involved in Operation Overlord and he recalls a medical team coming on board and setting up a surgical center in a portion of the ship. On 8 June 1944, wounded Army soldiers were brought on board for treatment. He recalls the ship’s crewmen provided comfort to the wounded. On 24 June the Texas participated in the bombardment of Cherbourg, France and while doing so was hit by German artillery. After undergoing repairs at Plymouth, England the Texas joined other ships to provide fire support during Operation Dragoon. Upon the ship’s return to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Wordsman was assigned to an APD. He recalls the ship was carrying a UDT team and was proceeding to Kyushu when Japan surrendered. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor and he was discharged soon thereafter. Following his discharge in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Roche. Roche was born on 24 November 1924. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Program in June 1943. He completed basic training, armament and gunnery school, and was deployed to England in November 1944 as a B-17 waist gunner with the 452nd Bomb Group. During this combat tour, he was shot down twice, crash landing in France once and behind Russian lines in Poland following a February 1945 mission to Berlin. He spent several months interned with the Soviet Army in Poland until the war ended. Roche returned to the US and served a distinguished 32-year career in the military including assignments in intelligence, as a faculty member at the US Air Force Academy and Air Attaché postings in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Norman Martin. Martin was born in Chicago in January 1924. While in college he applied for and was granted conscientious objector status, however, he volunteered for the Army in 1943. Arriving in England he was assigned to the 44th Field Artillery Battalion where he joined a forward observation team, which landed on Utah Beach. He tells of capturing a group of ten German soldiers single-handedly. He describes being severely wounded and returning to the front after his recovery. He closes the narration by telling of his experiences following his discharge, which included working on the Titan and Minuteman missiles.

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 interview with Earl Call. Call joined the Army Air Forces in January 1943 and went to weather school in Michigan. His first assignment was to Mitchel Field in New York as a weather observer. He went overseas aboard SS Jeremiah O'Brien (1943) to New Caledonia, then to a weather station on Guadalcanal for one day. Then he went to an island north of Bougainville, Green Island, and was assigned to the weather station there with the 17th Weather Squadron. He also spent a few months on Christmas Island before being assigned to Hickam Field. He was also assigned to Kwajalein. When the war ended, Call was discharged, but joined the Navy in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl Call. Call joined the Army Air Forces in January 1943 and went to weather school in Michigan. His first assignment was to Mitchel Field in New York as a weather observer. He went overseas aboard SS Jeremiah O'Brien (1943) to New Caledonia, then to a weather station on Guadalcanal for one day. Then he went to an island north of Bougainville, Green Island, and was assigned to the weather station there with the 17th Weather Squadron. He also spent a few months on Christmas Island before being assigned to Hickam Field. He was also assigned to Kwajalein. When the war ended, Call was discharged, but joined the Navy in 1947.

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 Robert Graef. Graef joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and was called to active duty in July 1943. He received basic training in San Diego and was served as an MP attached to various divisions. He landed at Saipan in the third wave, wading ashore under enemy fire, the sharp coral cutting his boots away. He later sustained a concussion during a kamikaze attack, and much of his memory as to the details of his service were clouded as a result. He recalls detaining an Army general who disobeyed orders to advance. At Okinawa, he witnessed the mass suicide of natives. After serving in China with the 3rd Marine Regiment, Graef returned home and was discharged in January 1946. When he visited his best friend's parents to tell them that their son had been killed in action, they were overcome with grief and lashed out in anger. Graef himself was traumatized by the war and experienced lasting PTSD.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kenneth Niles. Niles joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He received radio operator and repairman training at Texas A&M. Upon completion, he was assigned to VMF-155, working on the F4U Corsair. At Midway he serviced John Glenn’s plane but didn’t meet him until years later at reunions. Niles served at the Marshall Islands and gathered rainwater off his tent for showers. Seabees fashioned a spear for Niles so that he could hunt fish to be cooked in the galley. He returned to the States and was awaiting further assignment when the war ended. Niles later served in Korea and retired from the Marine Corps in 1963.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Potter. Potter joined the Marine Corps in August 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to VMF-124 and sent to Guadalcanal. His duty was to replenish oxygen in the cockpits of the F4U-1 Corsairs. The island was mostly secured by the time he arrived in February 1943, but there were still snipers in the trees, and Potter saw Japanese POWs being marched to secured areas. He remembers intense rain, mud, and mosquitoes on the island. When the Seabees arrived, conditions improved, and they shared their freshly baked bread with the Marines, who didn’t have comparable rations. He returned to the States and worked in supplies at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. During the Korean War, he was stationed in Japan, coordinating supplies sent to Korea. He left the Marine Corps in 1956 and managed manufacturing services for a steel company. There he cultivated strong relationships with distributors and ultimately opened his own trucking company to serve their needs. Potter retired in 2009.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frederick Waigand. Waigand joined the Marine Corps just after the attack on Pearl Harbor and received basic training at Parris Island. Upon completion of mechanic training, he became a plane captain and was assigned to VMO-155. After serving on Midway, he transferred to VMF-311 as the executive officer’s crew chief for the invasion of Okinawa. There he shot a Japanese soldier who charged him in a banzai attack springing from an enemy bomber that crash-landed near the flight line. After the island was secured, Waigand oversaw Okinawan work crews, noting that the natives were incredibly jovial. When it came time for his return to the States, he transferred ships after the first one was struck by a kamikaze. Waigand remained in the Marine Corps into the 1950s and retired as a master sergeant.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Norman Martin. Martin was born in Chicago in January 1924. While in college he applied for and was granted conscientious objector status, however, he volunteered for the Army in 1943. Arriving in England he was assigned to the 44th Field Artillery Battalion where he joined a forward observation team, which landed on Utah Beach. He tells of capturing a group of ten German soldiers single-handedly. He describes being severely wounded and returning to the front after his recovery. He closes the narration by telling of his experiences following his discharge, which included working on the Titan and Minuteman missiles.

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 interview with William Roche. Roche was born on 24 November 1924. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Program in June 1943. He completed basic training, armament and gunnery school, and was deployed to England in November 1944 as a B-17 waist gunner with the 452nd Bomb Group. During this combat tour, he was shot down twice, crash landing in France once and behind Russian lines in Poland following a February 1945 mission to Berlin. He spent several months interned with the Soviet Army in Poland until the war ended. Roche returned to the US and served a distinguished 32-year career in the military including assignments in intelligence, as a faculty member at the US Air Force Academy and Air Attaché postings in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold M. Wordsman. Wordsman was born in Manhattan, New York, in May 1924. Inducted into the Navy in February 1943, he went to boot camp at Bainbridge, Maryland. He was then assigned to electrician’s school at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After completing school he went aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). The ship was involved in Operation Overlord and he recalls a medical team coming on board and setting up a surgical center in a portion of the ship. On 8 June 1944, wounded Army soldiers were brought on board for treatment. He recalls the ship’s crewmen provided comfort to the wounded. On 24 June the Texas participated in the bombardment of Cherbourg, France and while doing so was hit by German artillery. After undergoing repairs at Plymouth, England the Texas joined other ships to provide fire support during Operation Dragoon. Upon the ship’s return to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Wordsman was assigned to an APD. He recalls the ship was carrying a UDT team and was proceeding to Kyushu when Japan surrendered. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor and he was discharged soon thereafter. Following his discharge in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph Simoneau. Simoneau went into the Marines in November 1943 and went to boot camp in San Diego. After some home leave and time in the brig (he was AWOL, coming back late from leave), he was sent to Camp Pendleton where he trained with the Raiders for a while until they were disbanded and became part of the 5th Marine Division. Simoneau was put in the 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines. He volunteered for a 60mm mortar section and they were attached to D Company. They were sent to Camp Tarawa (Hawaii) and continued training there. They boarded ships and after a stop in Eniwetok, they were transferred to LST's which sailed for Iwo Jima. After they were onboard the LSTs, they finally found out where they were going; they studied relief maps and models, found out what their objectives were, etc. After being loaded in amtraks, circling and waiting until all the vessels that were going to make the attack were in position, they headed for shore as part of the first wave. The ramp on their amtrak didn't come down so they had to climb over …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gabriel Chapa. Chapa was born in Alice, Texas on 7 August 1925. Upon being drafted into the US Navy in 1944, he was sent to San Diego for boot training. Soon after finishing the training he was assigned to USS LCI-470. He participated in the invasions of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. He describes being in a typhoon and of the decision being made to beach the ship to prevent it from sinking during the storm. The ship returned to San Diego and Chapa was discharged in April 1946.