The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Willard Cole. Cole was drafted into the Army in April, 1943. Cole went to Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas and was assigned to the 125th Evacuation Hospital, Semimobile when it formed. He went overseas to England with the unit in November, 1944. Cole arrived in France in March 1945. By early April, they had established their hospital in Krefeld, Germany and began receiving casualties. When the war ended, they were around Munchen and remained there during part of the occupation. He also worked in hospitals in Passau and Augsburg before leaving for the US in 1946. Cole was discharged later in June.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Martin Burl. Burl joined the Army in 1943. He served with the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. In late 1943, Burl participated in the New Guinea Campaign. In February of 1945, he served in the Battle of Corregidor. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Irving Westbrook. Westbrook joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in early 1940 and went to Idaho. He joined the Navy in January 1942. When he finished training, he was assigned to a degaussing unit in New Orleans as a signalman. He asked to go overseas and was then trained to be a beach master with the Marines. After getting to the Southwest Pacific, Westbrook participated in the invasion of Leyte in October 1944. He remained on Leyte until December 1945, eventually serving as harbor master as he set up a communications station. When he left he Navy, Westbrook joined the Air Force.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Fowler. Fowler was teaching in Big Spring, Texas, when she went out for the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1939. She was accepted and was trained to fly. She evetually became an instructor. She also discusses rationing.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. T. Appleton. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of sixteen in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes being transported to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the USS Shasta (AE-6). He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) where he served as a member of a 5-inch gun crew. He talks about the role of the USS Smith in protecting the aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6). He describes the crashing of a Japanese torpedo plane into the Smith and its aftermath. While serving on the Smith, he went to New Guinea and participated in the bombardment of locations such as Port Moresby, Finschhafen, and Buna in preparation for Marine landings. He recounts an attack by Japanese Betty Bombers and the deployment of a smoke screen for cover. He also discusses the sinking of the USS Hornet (CV-8). He returned to the United States where he was assigned to the USS Hank (DD-702) and sent again to the Pacific Theater. He describes kamikaze attacks while on the USS Hank near Taiwan. He also describes being on patrol in Japan after the atomic bombs were …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Tietjen. Born in 1920, he joined the Navy in January 1940. He was first assigned to the USS Dixie (AD-14) destroyer tender. He was transferred to the USS Smith (DD-378) in February 1942 where he served as a machine gun loader as well as a gunner. He discusses the aftermath of the explosion on the Smith during the Battle of Santa Cruz. He describes the configuration of the artillery as well as the living conditions on the Smith. He was transferred to the USS Sicily (CVE-118) in 1946. After he was discharged from the Navy in December 1948, he became a mason.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph and Vivian Malmstrom. Joseph Malmstrom joined the Navy in 1942. He served on the deck force aboard the USS Smith (DD-378). Malmstrom recalls when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into their ship in October of 1942. In April of 1943 they traveled to Guadalcanal to perform antisubmarine patrols. In mid-1943 he was reassigned to the USS Casablanca (CVE-55). They served as a training ship for escort carrier crews. In late 1943 Malmstrom transferred to the USS Hornet (CV-12), where he served the remainder of the war. He remained in the Navy, and later served in the Korean War. He was discharged in 1952.

Transcript of a simultaneous oral interview with Archie L. Sherman and Ray Magro. Both served in the Navy. Sherman served for a while on patrol craft in Alaska before transferring to the USS Cummings (DD-365). He was released from the Cummings due to excessive seasickness, but eventually was assigned tothe USS Smith (DD-378). Magro joined the Navy in 1940 and served aboard the USS Mahan (DD-364) and the USS Cummings before being assigned to the USS Smith. Magro describes his actions and impressions when the Smith was attacked in 1942 by Japanese torpedo bombers and when one crashed into Smith's forecastle. Sherman joined the Smith in 1943. The men describe the collision of the Smith with the USS Hutchins (DD-476) in January 1944. After a while, Magro got sick, was sent to the US to recover after which he was assigned to a patorl gunboat, the USS Tenacity (PG-71) bound for England. As a result, he was in England when the war with Germany came to an end. Sherman goes on to describe the landings in the Philippines, and witnessing the destruction in Nagasaki after the atomic bomb was dropped.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Miller. Miller was born in Beaver Township, Indiana on 28 April 1922. Upon joining the Navy in November 1942, he went to Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois for boot training. Upon his arrival he was selected for six months of training as a pharmacist’s mate. Upon completion of the course he was assigned to the Midshipman’s School at Notre Dame University. Among those from whom he drew blood, for medical purposes, was the movie actor Jackie Cooper. In 1943 he went to Treasure Island, California where he boarded the SS America bound for Brisbane, Australia. Upon his arrival he was assigned to the medical emergency room aboard the USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2). He describes his experiences while aboard the ship. Miller was then assigned to the patrol craft USS PC-1119. He recalls picking up USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) survivors and describes their condition and the treatment he administered. He was later awarded the Bronze Star for his work in treating those sailors. Soon after returning to the United States, Miller was operated on for a medical condition. He was discharged soon after leaving the hospital in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William S. O'Donnell. O'Donnell was working for Montgomery Ward in Chicago when he was drafted into the Army after the war got started. His aptitude with numbers led him to be assigned as a statistician in a Machine Records Unit (MRU). He went to Europe with the 39th MRU and was attached to General Patton's Third Army. He landed in Normandy, France 7 days after D-Day. His unit provided daily punch card analysis of unit strength in Patton's 3rd Army. O'Donnell was on an assignment in Paris when Germany surrendered. When the war ended, O'Donnell retunred home to Indiana.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marcia Howe Bratusek and Marcile Howe Harrison. Twins Bratusek and Harrison grew up in San Antonio, Texas and participated in the local committee called the National Defense Recreation and Service Committee of San Antonio (similar to the USO). Born in 1932, they were nine in 1941 and 13 in 1945. They took dance lessons and their mother made them costumes. Their costumes were bought in Mexico. They took classes from Bertha Almaguer. During the war, they performed dances for military men as frequently as three nights a week. They performed at different bases and mention Dodge Field near Fort Sam Houston. They also had three brothers in the military. They had their pictures in National Geographic magazine. They also visited the military hospitals.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ed Harrell. Harrell grew up in Kentucky and joined the Marine Corps in 1943. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the USS Indianapolis in 1944. His first encounter was in the Carolina Islands. He then went to Eniwetok Islands, Kwajalein Islands, Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. The next battle was the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Then the ship went on to Peleliu until the island was secured, and onto Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The ship protected other ships as well as invasion troops during the battles. At Okinawa, the ship was damaged by a kamikaze plane and went back to the United States for repairs. He discusses the kamikaze culture and his experience at a forty-millimeter gun when the kamikaze hit the USS Indianapolis. At the point, while in the United States, the ship was chosen to take the atomic bomb parts to Tinian. At San Francisco, he describes the acquiring of the atomic bomb materials without the knowledge of the Captain of the ship or the soldiers. Next, he describes the bombing of the USS Indianapolis and the aftermath. Harrell witnessed other soldiers drink salt water, …

Transcript of an oral interview with Herman Billnitzer. Mr Billnitzer was a Pharmacist Mate in the Navy and spent most of his time as a corpsman with the 1st Marine Division, landing on Guadalcanal in October 1942. He describes the conditions on Guadalcanal as well as the conditions of the sailors that were rescued from ships sunk in Iron Bottom Sound. Near the end of the year, the 1st Marine Division was relieved by the Army and went to Australia for about eight months. From there, they were shipped to New Guinea, Milne Bay, where they stayed for about three months. Then, they landed on New Britain. Billnitzer gives a gripping description of the front line fighting on New Britain including the counterattacks by the Japanese; very revealing of what went on there. After New Britain, he was shipped back to the base hospital at Cape Gloucester and then to Pavuvu (Russell Islands) before he came back to the States for rest and rehabilitation in 1944; after over 20 months in the South Pacific. Billnitzer was sent to the naval hospital at Corpus Christi and then to the west coast for training at San Bruno, California. He went to Sasebo, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William A. Klenk. He enlisted in the Navy in May 1942. He was accepted into the Naval Air Cadet Program and received his commission in June 1943. He talks about his qualifying carrier landings at NAS Glenview. He was assigned to U.S. Carrier Air Group 80 Dive Bomber Squadron United States. Navy. Bombing Squadron 80 (VB-80) on the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). They joined the Third Fleet in Ulithi. He recalls various bombing locations in the South Pacific. He describes when the ship was hit by two kamikaze airplanes near Formosa. His air group was subsequently assigned to the USS Hancock (CV-19). He talks about making air strikes on Iwo Jima, Tokyo, and Okinawa. He describes making the trip back to the U.S. aboard various ships. He got out of the Navy in September 1945. After graduating from Penn State, he joined the Naval Reserve from which he retired in 1965. Kathryn Klenk remembers blackouts and rationing. She shares an anecdote about being married in bedroom slippers due to the rationing of shoes. William Klenk shares an anecdote about getting married despite the national holiday declared upon President Roosevelt’s …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wendell W. Fenn. Born in 1922, he enlisted in the Regular Army in June 1940. He was assigned to the 1st Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After his unit received one hundred motorcycles, he volunteered to take over the Motor Pool. He subsequently trained in the use of the cryptographic machine and was assigned to the Division Headquarters. He quickly advanced to the rank of Master Sergeant. He attended Officers’ Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He describes social refinement training after receiving his commission. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne, 327th Glider Infantry and sent to England. He shares an anecdote about using glider boxes for living quarters. He describes his glider training as well as his additional duties as a Military Police Officer. He talks about landing in a glider in Normandy immediately prior to the D-Day invasion. He describes the capture of Sainte-Mère-Église. He shares an anecdote about flying an American flag there. He returned to England via Omaha Beach. He speaks of the grave registration unit located there. He describes participating in Operation Market Garden. In November 1944, he was evacuated to …

Transcript of an oral interview with Al Flocke. He discusses his flight training and being the radio operator on a B-24 bomber which did raids on Guam, Turk, Iwo Jima and other islands. He also ancedotes about food, rations and living conditions on the islands.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jospeh Edward Robeau. While attending Texas A & M, Robeau joined the Army and was sent to Office rCandidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was commissioned in June 1944. In October, Robeau was assigned to a heavy weapons company in the 87th Infantry Division an dsailed for England. He was assigend to a 81mm mortar section and arrived in France in November 1944. He recalls the winter weather conditions during the Battle of the Bulge. In February, Robeau was wounded by German artillery. When he recovered, he was sent from the hospital in England back to Paris where he served on a courts martial board. When the war ended, Robeau returned to the US in 1946 and resumed his studies at Texas A & M.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Marshall. Marshall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 20, 1918. He joined the Naval Reserve in 1936. In 1940 his unit was called to active duty. He entered Midshipman’s school. He tells of being hospitalized for encephalitis and hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Marshall received a discharge from the service against his wishes. He was reinstated in March 1943 and assigned as an instructor to a construction battalion where he met Draper Kauffman. Marshall was then assigned to a newly formed underwater demolition team (UDT) and describes the strenuous training conditions. Upon completion of training, Marshall was assigned to UDT team #5. He tells of UDT actions on Saipan the day prior to the Allied invasion and UDT team casualties.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Haynes. Haynes was born in Dallas 5 January 1921 and upon graduation from Southern Methodist University, he joined the Marine Corps, training at Quantico in February 1942. Upon completion, he spent two years training incoming junior officers at Quantico. His next duty assignment was as an infantry member of the 28th Regiment, 5th Marines, conducting training at Camp Pendleton and on Hawaii. Haynes’ regiment was sent to Iwo Jima in February 1945. He observed the original flag-raising on Mount Suribachi and describes the machinations that resulted in the second flag-raising. He describes the battle in great detail until it ended in late March and his regiment was sent back to Hawaii to train for the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, his division was sent to Nagasaki and Sasebo as part of the occupation force. When the 5th Marine Division went back to the States in October 1945, Haynes was transferred to the 2nd Marine Division, where he served as a member of the occupation force on Kyushu. After a few months, he returned to Washington and decided to remain in the Corps. He was assigned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Bale. Bale was born in Dallas, Texas on 19 March 1920. He attended Texas A & M University and upon graduation received a commission in the United States Marine Corps. In 1943 he was assigned to 1st Medium Tank Battalion as commanding officer of Company C. Bale expresses criticism of the training received in tank maneuvers for it lacked liaison with infantry and artillery units, which led to difficulties during actual combat. In November 1943 the battalion was loaded onto the USS Ashland (LSD-1) and embarked on the invasion of Tarawa. He discusses the difficulties in landing the tanks, combat conditions and heavy casualties encountered at Tarawa. Following refit and training on the island of Hawaii, the unit was assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment and landed on Saipan June 1944. He describes the civilians committing suicide by jumping off the cliffs of the island. Following action in the Mariana Islands, Bale’s unit was assigned to the 1st Marine Division during the Okinawa campaign. Bale tells of the death of General Simon B. Buckner. After the surrender of Japan he was transferred to division headquarters as Provost …

Transcript of an oral interview with Otha Grisham. He was born in Moran, Texas and enlisted in Marine Corps Officer Candidate Program on November 3rd, 1942 while still attending Southwest Texas Teacher?s College. Upon graduation in August, 1943 he went to boot camp followed by Officer Training School. Upon graduation from OTS in June 1944, he sailed to Guadalcanal. He was assigned to the First Marine Division, 6th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, preparing for the invasion of Peleliu. Following two months of training, he was part of the fifth wave of the invasion forces on September 15, 1944, where he was leader of a platoon with nine amphibian tractors. He describes the Marine Corps experimenting with using flame throwers in an amphibious tractor. Following Peleliu, he was transferred to Saipan where he was assigned to the Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion, Second Marine Division, in training for the invasion of Okinawa. After participating in two landings at Okinawa, he returned to Saipan to train for the invasion of Japan. Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, he returned to the States in November 1945, where he was transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve and retired in 1976.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald O. Dencker. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 25, 1924. Upon graduation from high school in February, 1943 he joined the Army. In March 1944 after attending Army Corps of Engineers school, he was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division. He witnessed the explosion of a munition ship in Port Chicago, California. Eventually he departed Pearl Harbor embarked upon USS LST-745 sailing to Leyte Island in the Philippines. He recalls several anecdotes during the transit and landing on Leyte Island in October, 1944. He recalls gunfire support from a destroyer that was off target, resulting in six casualties from white phosphorus as well as a Japanese suicide attack on his company that resulted in 75 enemy killed. His unit was then sent to Okinawa on April 1, 1945. He remembers that his 3rd Battalion had so many casualties that it was relieved and sent to guard Kadena Airfield. He recounts the many nights of shelling at the airfield followed by assaults on Japanese positions in which he lost four company commanders and many of his fellow soldiers, including several close friends. His company had sustained over …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Grace Carr. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1942 and accepted a job with Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, California, where most of the C-47s flown in World War II were made. She recalls that the factory was covered with netting which acted as camouflage from the air. She also remembers gas rationing, difficulty finding new tires and having to drive with parking lights at night to avoid disclosing the factory to enemy aircraft. She left Douglas to work at Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation, as the Head of Payroll. The shipyard repaired ships damaged in the war and she recalls one Russian ship with both males and females onboard.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Carr. He was born in Benton County, Indiana on February 17, 1914. Upon graduation from high school in 1932 he hopped a freight train to California. He enlisted in the 38th Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard in December 1940. After Pearl Harbor he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and transferred to the 30th Infantry Division. He embarked on the troopship SS Brazil for the transit to England, during which he recounts several experiences. He remembers London, including bombings by the German Luftwaffe and V-1 flying bombs. He was placed in charge of the motor pool and joined the invasion of France six days after D-Day. He describes the ensuing confusion and his company getting separated from the Regiment. During a battle he recalls observing General Bradley arriving to discuss whether Carr's regimental commander should be court-martialed for refusing to follow an order that he considered suicidal. The commander was exonerated, but was transferred to another battalion. Eventually his regiment joined up at the Battle of the Bulge, where they remained just outside the front lines providing and maintaining vehicles used in the assault. After the battle, …