The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Lee ""Tex"" Hill. He discusses his time with the Flying Tigers and with Air Force Fighter Groups flying missions in China, particularly the Salween Gorge bombing to keep the Japanese from crossing into China there.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Rust. Rust joined the Army Air Forces on his eighteenth birthday. He was trained as an aerial gunner and then was sent to flight school to become a pilot. Rust was sent to the 23rd Fighter Group in China and flew P-40s. He flew bomber escort and ground support missions. Rust describes the differences between P-40s and P-51s. He rotated back to the US after completing 100 missions. Rust became a member of the reserves after the war and volunteered for duty in the Korean War. He describes being shot-down on his 43rd mission and nearly drowning in a river. Rust remained on active duty for several more years and eventually became a jet pilot.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Witts. Witts was born in Texas 13 December 1920. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas until 1941. Leaving college during his senior year, he joined the FBI as a special agent in training and before completing the training he resigned and joined the US Army Air Corps in October 1941. After training at various installations he became a navigator in 1944. Witts received combat training in PBY5A aircraft at Kessler Field, Mississippi. He tells of picking up an aircraft at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia and flying to New Guinea where the plane and crew were assigned to the 13th Air Force. He describes the various types of missions flown and strong relationships the crew members formed. He tells of the living conditions encountered and the various types of landing strips from which they had to operate. Following the surrender of Japan he returned to the United States on a troop ship, received his discharge and reentered the University of Texas from which he graduated with a law degree.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earl Ewing. Ewing enlisted in the Marine Corps in March of 1943. He was trained as a tanker and was sent to the Pacific as a replacement crewman where he joined the 3rd Amphibious Tractor Battalion. He crewed LVTs during the invasions of Guam and Iwo Jima. His LVT was hit and caught fire during the landing on Guam. During the battle for Iwo Jima, Ewing’s LVT was sent inland to retrieve wounded Marines and he had to guide it through a minefield. Ewing was discharged on 7 December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earl Smyth. He discusses his time aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) at the Battle of Midway, Guadacanal, sustaining two torpedo attacks and seeing Pearl Harbor three days after the attack.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earle M. Falvey. Falvey was born 14 March 1923 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Quitting school in 1938, he worked various jobs until joining the Navy in December 1942. Upon completing boot camp at Newport, Rhode Island, he attended gunnery school. From there, he volunteered for submarine school at New London, Connecticut. He describes the training, including being aboard an S-boat, an O-boat and an E-boat. Upon graduating he was assigned to the USS Flasher (SS-249) in time for its first war patrol from Pearl Harbor in January 1944. He was injured during a surface battle with a Japanese ship and was sent to the Mare Island Naval Hospital where he spent six weeks after surgery. Falvey returned to Australia and he describes experience with Aborigines during his rail travel to Fremantle. Upon his arrival in March 1945, he was assigned to the crew of the USS-Besugo (SS-321). He recalls various actions in which the Besugo was involved including the sinking of the German submarine, U-183. They picked up one German survivor, who joined a Japanese prisoner they had picked up from a tanker they had sunk. Falvey discusses the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earle Opheim. Opheim volunteered to join the Navy in May 1943 and trained in Idaho. He then trained as a hospital corpsman and worked in a recovery ward at Oak Knoll Hospital then a first aid station at Alameda, California. He was then transferred to the 113th Fleet hospital in San Francisco where he helped tend to returning wounded prior to shipping them elsewhere. Sometimes, he was called upon to do some transport work. He was discharged in May, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edmond Ward. Ward joined the Army in 1942. He served with the 1st Infantry Division, 18th Infantry Regiment. He participated with the Omaha Beach landing forces during the Invasion of Normandy and served in the Battle of the Bulge. Ward returned to the US and received his discharge in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Kicklighter. Kicklighter attended Armstrong Jr. College in Savannah, Georgia and secured a pilot’s license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. He had an appointment to the US Naval Academy, but joined the US Marine Corps instead. Selected for flight training, he became one of six marines in the aviation class of 106 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Florida. Upon graduation he was assigned to multi-engine training and sent to Meacham Field, Texas for transition instruction. Upon graduation, as a reserve officer, he was assigned to fly for United Airlines. In 1942 he received orders to report to the 9th Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point, North Carolina. He recalls several experiences while in this assignment. In 1944, he became the personal pilot for General Roy Geiger. One experience Kicklighter recalls is hearing a conversation between Ernie Pyle and the general shortly before Pyle’s death. He also tells of escorting the body of General Buckner after his death on Okinawa. Kicklighter stayed in the Marine Corps after World War II and he tells of his career prior to retirement including flying 100 combat missions over Korea, instructing midshipmen at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward McCreary. McCreary was born in Spain in 1928 and attended school in the Philippines beginning in 1935. He was a high school sophomore in Baguio when the Japanese invaded, and he managed to escape to the mountains, where he hid for three months. After he was caught, he was imprisoned for one year in a small camp. As guerillas began to recapture parts of the island, prisoners were transferred to Santo Tomas University. There American prisoners organized committees to serve as a form of self-government. Thanks to them, McCreary completed his high school education while there. By the spring of 1944, starvation was setting in, causing death and illness. In September 1944 a Navy air raid brought hope to the prisoners, but it was several weeks before American troops landed. Soldiers broke into the prison and spent three days barricaded there beside the prisoners; together they shared military rations and food that had been smuggled to them by Dominican priests. Upon being liberated, McCreary was evacuated to the States and enrolled in Harvard University.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Emil Smolek. Smolek joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. He served as a B-24 pilot with the 531st Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group. In the spring of 1944, they traveled to Biak, Indonesia and Mindanao, Philippines where they set up operations. Smolek flew a total of 31 missions, including bombing ammunition plants in China, Japanese headquarters in Baggio, oil fields in Balikpapan, and factories in Mindoro. They participated in the New Guinea Campaign. Smolek flew missions through the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Cain. Cain joined the Indiana national Guard and earned a commission. Cain speaks of following General MacArthur into the Philippines in 1944. Cain was an armored artillery battery commander. He describes the surrender of several hundred Japanese toorps. Apparently, after the war, Cain got into some trouble with a Filipino woman and was transferred out o fthe Philippines to Seoul, Korea, where he ran the officer's club. When Cain got out of the Army, he became an insurance broker.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Riester where he discusses his childhood and education and what led him to joining the Navy. He describes his experiences in the attack on Peral harbor and his service in the Pacific Theatre that followed.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eunice Marie Valencia Cavajeh. Cavajeh was born 16 October 1927 in Oskosura on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Her father was a Filipino doctor who was trained in the United States and her mother was an American nurse. They were married in the Philippines in 1919. Cavajeh recalls the Japanese invasion beginning 8 December 1941. She also recalls the confusion encountered upon leaving the city. She tells of the Japanese occupying the hospital her father managed. She joined a guerilla group and was assigned the duty of typing up reports that were sent to other guerilla units by runner. She mentions that a number of friends were executed for supporting the guerillas and of the Japanese burning houses as they retreated once the Allies invaded. She also recalls hearing of the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Breyer. Breyer enlisted in the Army and was attached to the 922nd Field Artillery Battalion after a brief stint in the Army Specialized Training Program (which was discontinued before he could complete the course). He was shipped to India, landing in Bombay (Mumbai) in April, 1944. From there, he went to Burma and fought the Japanese with Merrill’s Marauders. Breyer was evacuated back to India because of an infection. He managed to return to his outfit and continue fighting with them in Burma. He shares several anecdotes about his experiences jungle fighting in Burma. He also traveled to Kunming to train Chinese troops. He also comments on the nationalist and communist Chinese starting to fight after the war ended. Breyer was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank McGuinn. McGuinn trained with the Navy as a part of the V-12 program. He was commissioned in early 1945 and joined the crew of USS Saratoga (CV-3). McGuinn describes the preparations being made for the invasion of Japan and life aboard ship. He also details an incident that he witnessed when a plane caught fire on the flight deck during training. McGuinn took part in Operation Magic Carpet and then traveled with the Saratoga for the bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. He describes seeing the two bombs go off and the effects of the test on the Saratoga.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank R. Strebel. Strebel was born in San Francisco 31 August 1919. He graduated from high school in 1938 and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. Strebel joined the Army National Guard in 1937. His unit, Company F, 159th Infantry, 40th Infantry Division, was called to active duty in March 1941. The unit was sent to Camp San Luis Obispo for three months of training. Following maneuvers at Fort Lewis, the 159th was assigned to a coastal gun battery at Fort Cronkite, California. In May 1942, Strebel was assigned as a first sergeant in the 96th Infantry Division. From there, he attended Officer Candidate School and graduated with a commission. On 15 March 1944 he reported to Company F, 415th Infantry Regiment, 104th Division as a platoon leader. On 25 August 1944 the company arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and boarded the USS Lejeune (AP-74). They landed at Cherbourg, France 7 September 1944. On 15 October they boarded boxcars to Belgium where they joined the 1st Canadian Division in an assault. Strebel describes various combat situations in Aachen and Lammerdorf, Germany. His company suffered 60% casualties in their …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Franklin B. Murphy of Milford, Maine. He discusses enlisting in the U.S. Marines and going through basic training in South Carolina before completing his communications training in North Carolina. He also talks about his journey from Hawaii to Tarawa and the horrors he saw when they arrived and started to set up communication lines. Mr. Murphy was assigned to the twenty-fourth marines as their communication before being sent to Iwo Jima. He was in Guam for some recreational time when the bombs were dropped on Japan and the war ended, he was then discharged December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Franklin Murphy. Murphy joined the Marine Corps and completed Communications School. In late 1943, he deployed to Hawaii, then participated in the Battle of Tarawa, setting up communications. He continued this same work on the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Iwo Jima and Guam. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Daum. Daum joined the Navy in February 1942 and received basic training at Great Lakes and electrician’s mate training at the University of Minnesota. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS LCI-67, where he was responsible for all the electrical work aboard ship. At Bougainville, on Christmas Eve 1943, his ship was tasked with going one mile behind the Japanese position with the purpose of drawing artillery fire to locate their battery; fortunately, the Japanese never opened fire and Daum escaped unscathed. He was transferred back to the States in July 1944, helping run bond rallies, using search lights to illuminate the latest military equipment. Daum was discharged in October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frederick Gilsinger. Gilsinger joined the Army Air Forces in August of 1943. He completed basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi and navigation at Butler University, Indianapolis. He was a second lieutenant and served as a B-26 pilot. He provides vivid details of the various planes he flew during wartime, including the B-26, B-25, A-26, Piper Cub, PT-19, BT-13 and the AT-17. Gilsinger remained stateside throughout his service in the war. He was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frederick Vinson. Vinson joined the Navy in March of 1942. He completed Midshipmen’s school, Recognition school and Gunnery school. He was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 25. Vinson served as a Lieutenant Senior Grade Squadron Gunnery Officer aboard the USS John Rodgers (DD-574). In 1943 they raided Marcus Island, Tarawa and Wake Island, participated in the Bougainville and Gilbert Islands campaigns. Going into 1944 they were involved with the Marshall Islands Campaign, the Battle of Kwajalein, the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Battle of Guam where they received a commendation for their work. They continued on through the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In 1945 they participated in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Vinson provides vivid details of his experiences through each of these battles. He was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Reynolds. Reynolds was drafted into the Army in January 1946 and received basic training at Fort Bliss. Basic was only six weeks long at that point, and Reynolds was happy to have the opportunity to relieve anyone who had served on the front lines. He recalls that his commanding officers weren’t very kind and seemed to be having difficulty readjusting to life after the war. He received nine months of training in handling 90-millimeter antiaircraft guns and was discharged later that year. He joined a refrigeration company as an assembly lineman and worked his way into quality control and engineering, finishing 47 years later as a laboratory manager. Reynolds feels that the artillery training he received prepared him well for the technical demands of his job.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gordon Kruse. Kruse joined the Navy in March 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He attended aviation machinist mate’s school in Jacksonville. Upon completion, he was assigned to a patrol bomber training station in Florida, where he was line captain for SBC and PV aircraft. He then attended hydraulics school in Chicago and was sent to Lockheed in California to learn PV hydraulics. Kruse was stationed at Guam until the end of the war, where he helped the Seabees dig trenches until TBMs arrived for servicing. While on Guam he explored caves and discovered Japanese holdouts. Kruse returned home and was discharged in March 1946.