The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Bentley. Bentley joined the Navy in 1942 and went through the V-12 program. He was assigned to the Seabees. Bentley was trained on ship loading and unloading and joined the 30th Special NCB stateside. He was transferred to the 4th Special NCB and traveled to Okinawa. Bentley describes the work that his unit performed and life on Okinawa at the end of the war. He left the service after four years in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Sage. Sage joined the Marine Corps in mid-1941. He served aboard USS Maryland (BB-46) as an orderly for Rear Admiral Walter Stratton Anderson, commander of battleships in the Pacific Fleet. Sage was aboard the ship the morning of 7 December. They were moored along Ford Island, with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on Battleship Row. Sage describes his experiences through the attack, including passing ammunition down a line to the anti-aircraft gun. They traveled to Bremerton, Washington for repairs, where he was detached from the ship. Sage later joined the 14th (Artillery) Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Hawaii. In 1945, they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He returned to the US in late 1945, and went on to complete a 21-year military career in the US Air Force.

Transcript of an oral interview with Murven J. Witherel. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Allegheny High School in 1939. He went to work for a untility company before being drafted into the Army in February 1942. He qualified for Officer Candidate School (OCS) after Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia in December 1942. He was then assigned as the leader of 3rd Platoon, Company E, 20th Infantry,6th Infantry Division and sent to the Mojave Desert to train anticipating a trip to North Africa. Instead, his unit went to New Guinea in January 1944. In June, his unit landed at Baffin Bay and assaulted Lone Tree Hill. Witherel was evetually wounded twice and received the new drug, penicillin at the Lae General Hospital. He was eventually shipped back to the USA. the conversatio then veers to cover such subjects as USO shows, friendly fire, the Red Cross, Tokyo Rose on the radio, morale in his outfit and a visit in the Lae General Hospital by Jack Benny.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jesse Farmer. Farmer joined the Marine Corps in July of 1943. He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In June of 1944, Farmer and his unit participated in the first wave of assault landings on Saipan, continuing to take Tinian in the days following. They additionally served in the fifth assault wave on Iwo Jima in February of 1945, where he sustained injuries. Farmer returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Clarence E. Peck. Peck was drafted into the Army in the fall of 1942, went through boot camp at Camp Clairborne then on to Camp Miles Standish for motor pool training before joining the 338th Engineers and shipping out to Oran, Africa. In Africa, he helped build staging areas for General Patton and worked in the motor pool as a mechanic and truck driver, then following Patton into Italy, landing in Naples. In Naples, his unit built roads and airstrips and helped villages around Naples when Vesuvius erupted during his stay there. He discusses moving north through Italy, following the fighting and repairing bomb damage, rebuilding bridges, aqueducts and airstrips in cities like Pisa, Rome, Anzio, and Livorno. He ancedotes about recovering art stolen by the Nazis from Florence in a barn near Lake Como and shipping it back to Florence, going to Switzerland on leave and touring the League of Nations' building, building a lumber camp in Balzano before returning to Pisa to build a POW camp, where he was when Germany surrendered and had a few bottles of cognac with his unit to celebrate.

Transcript of an oral interview with Paul T. "Tom" Beeghly. Beeghly was attending Ohio Wesleyen University when war was declared. He enlisted in the Army Reserve and stayed in school until he was called in early 1943. He trained as a medical aid man in the infantry at Camp Joseph P. Robinson in Arkansas. After basic training, he joined the 96th Infantry Division in Oregon for more training. By the time the division left for Hawaii in the spring of 1944, Beeghly was serving as an administrative clerk in the division's adjutant general section. En route to invade Yap, the division was diverted to Manus in the Admiralty Islands to participate in the campaign to liberate the Philippines. Beeghly then describes un;loading artillery equipment onto the shores and being on Leyte while it was being liberated. Eventually, the division left the Philippines and headed for Okinawa. When Beeghly got to Okinawa, he manned a 50-caliber machine gun while others unloaded cargo from an amphibious landing craft. When the Okinawa campaign concluded, Beeghly and the 96th went back to Mindoro to replenish train for the invasion of Japan. They were there when the war ended and eventually shipped out back to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Oliver E. Marheine. During the Depression, Marheine worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1939 before moving to Detroit and taking a jobn in a factory making poarts for airplanes. From there he was drafted into the Army Air Forces in September, 1942. For a while he served as a cook at a glider pilot training base in North Carolina. Then Marheine shipped out to New Guinea. He continued serving as a cook there, then on Luzon and Okinawa. He was attached to the 7th Glider Echelon, 54th Troop Carrier Wing, 5th Air Force while serving in the Pacific. On Luzon, in the Philippines, Marheine worked in an officer's club. He was serving there when Japan surrendered. After the war, Marheine established an officer's club in Japan during the occupation before shipping home.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Bentley. Bentley joined the Navy in 1942 and went through the V-12 program. He was assigned to the Seabees. Bentley was trained on ship loading and unloading and joined the 30th Special NCB stateside. He was transferred to the 4th Special NCB and traveled to Okinawa. Bentley describes the work that his unit performed and life on Okinawa at the end of the war. He left the service after four years in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gordon Sage. Sage joined the Marine Corps in mid-1941. He served aboard USS Maryland (BB-46) as an orderly for Rear Admiral Walter Stratton Anderson, commander of battleships in the Pacific Fleet. Sage was aboard the ship the morning of 7 December. They were moored along Ford Island, with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on Battleship Row. Sage describes his experiences through the attack, including passing ammunition down a line to the anti-aircraft gun. They traveled to Bremerton, Washington for repairs, where he was detached from the ship. Sage later joined the 14th (Artillery) Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, in Hawaii. In 1945, they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He returned to the US in late 1945, and went on to complete a 21-year military career in the US Air Force.

Transcript of an oral interview with Murven J. Witherel. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Allegheny High School in 1939. He went to work for a untility company before being drafted into the Army in February 1942. He qualified for Officer Candidate School (OCS) after Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia in December 1942. He was then assigned as the leader of 3rd Platoon, Company E, 20th Infantry,6th Infantry Division and sent to the Mojave Desert to train anticipating a trip to North Africa. Instead, his unit went to New Guinea in January 1944. In June, his unit landed at Baffin Bay and assaulted Lone Tree Hill. Witherel was evetually wounded twice and received the new drug, penicillin at the Lae General Hospital. He was eventually shipped back to the USA. the conversatio then veers to cover such subjects as USO shows, friendly fire, the Red Cross, Tokyo Rose on the radio, morale in his outfit and a visit in the Lae General Hospital by Jack Benny.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Oliver E. Marheine. During the Depression, Marheine worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1939 before moving to Detroit and taking a jobn in a factory making poarts for airplanes. From there he was drafted into the Army Air Forces in September, 1942. For a while he served as a cook at a glider pilot training base in North Carolina. Then Marheine shipped out to New Guinea. He continued serving as a cook there, then on Luzon and Okinawa. He was attached to the 7th Glider Echelon, 54th Troop Carrier Wing, 5th Air Force while serving in the Pacific. On Luzon, in the Philippines, Marheine worked in an officer's club. He was serving there when Japan surrendered. After the war, Marheine established an officer's club in Japan during the occupation before shipping home.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jesse Farmer. Farmer joined the Marine Corps in July of 1943. He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In June of 1944, Farmer and his unit participated in the first wave of assault landings on Saipan, continuing to take Tinian in the days following. They additionally served in the fifth assault wave on Iwo Jima in February of 1945, where he sustained injuries. Farmer returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Clarence E. Peck. Peck was drafted into the Army in the fall of 1942, went through boot camp at Camp Clairborne then on to Camp Miles Standish for motor pool training before joining the 338th Engineers and shipping out to Oran, Africa. In Africa, he helped build staging areas for General Patton and worked in the motor pool as a mechanic and truck driver, then following Patton into Italy, landing in Naples. In Naples, his unit built roads and airstrips and helped villages around Naples when Vesuvius erupted during his stay there. He discusses moving north through Italy, following the fighting and repairing bomb damage, rebuilding bridges, aqueducts and airstrips in cities like Pisa, Rome, Anzio, and Livorno. He ancedotes about recovering art stolen by the Nazis from Florence in a barn near Lake Como and shipping it back to Florence, going to Switzerland on leave and touring the League of Nations' building, building a lumber camp in Balzano before returning to Pisa to build a POW camp, where he was when Germany surrendered and had a few bottles of cognac with his unit to celebrate.

Transcript of an oral interview with Paul T. "Tom" Beeghly. Beeghly was attending Ohio Wesleyen University when war was declared. He enlisted in the Army Reserve and stayed in school until he was called in early 1943. He trained as a medical aid man in the infantry at Camp Joseph P. Robinson in Arkansas. After basic training, he joined the 96th Infantry Division in Oregon for more training. By the time the division left for Hawaii in the spring of 1944, Beeghly was serving as an administrative clerk in the division's adjutant general section. En route to invade Yap, the division was diverted to Manus in the Admiralty Islands to participate in the campaign to liberate the Philippines. Beeghly then describes un;loading artillery equipment onto the shores and being on Leyte while it was being liberated. Eventually, the division left the Philippines and headed for Okinawa. When Beeghly got to Okinawa, he manned a 50-caliber machine gun while others unloaded cargo from an amphibious landing craft. When the Okinawa campaign concluded, Beeghly and the 96th went back to Mindoro to replenish train for the invasion of Japan. They were there when the war ended and eventually shipped out back to …