The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Weiblen. Weiblen signed up to be a flying cadet in the Army Air Forces when he was almost finished with high school. In May 1945, he was inducted into the Army and trained as an artilleryman. He was still in training when the war ended and was sent to Germany with occupation forces in November, 1945 and worked in a medical dispensary around Nuremburg. Weiblen managed to visit the war crimes trial at Nuremburg one afternoon and heard Russians reading evidence into the record. He was discharged in 1947 and went to school. Before the Korean War ended, Weiblen served as a case officer in Korea for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mariachi concert performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Jazz concert performed at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John M Olsen. Olsen joined a reserve program with the Army Air Forces in February of 1944. In mid-1945, he deployed to the Philippines and joined a Recovered Personnel Detachment, processing allied prisoners of war. He transferred to Japan, continuing his work. Olsen returned to the US and received his discharge in December of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ivan Toller. Toller joined the Army Air Corps in 1940. He provides some details of his experiences in basic training at Brooks Field, San Antonio. He was assigned to the 64th Airbase Squadron. He took a job at Kelly Field in the transit hangar as an assistant crew chief and trained new Army recruits. His outfit was sent to assist in the building of Goodfellow Field in San Angelo. He describes the changes that occurred in the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Toller was transferred to the Army Specialized Training Corps and attended the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia for engineering. He was assigned to the 2nd Air Commando Group in the China-Burma-India Theater. His job was to keep the supply lines open and keep the troops well supplied on the front lines. He provides great detail of his experiences in this operation. He was discharged around 1946.

A senior recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Choir concert performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

Jazz concert performed at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall.

A junior recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Witmer. Witmer joined the Navy in early 1943. Beginning in late 1943, he served as Second-Class Torpedoman aboard the USS Twiggs (DD-591). They completed training exercises in Bermuda and Pearl Harbor. They escorted convoys operating between Oahu and Eniwetok. Witmer also participated in the Philippines Campaign, and the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He recalls the kamikaze attack at Okinawa that sunk the Twiggs, and he received significant wounds. Witmer returned to the US and received his discharge in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jonah Peterson. Peterson was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He finished signal school in October and was assigned to the USS Cascade (AD-16), a destroyer tender. He was there at Ulithi for a while before transferring to the USS Argonne (AG-31) in time for the invasion of the Philippines. Peterson returned to the US in December and was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas M. Lawson. Lawson was born in Pierre, South Dakota in 1924. After two years of ROTC in college, he joined the Army Air Forces in August 1943. After basic training in Wichita Falls, Texas, he went to pilot training at Randolph Field in San Antonio. He was ready to solo in a PT-19 trainer, but his instructor pilot was not happy with his forced landing exercise and he was washed out. Being a pilot now out of the question, Lawson was sent to South Dakota for radio school, learning code, repair, radio navigation, and how to jump out of an airplane. Since the radioman on a B-17 relieved the waist gunner if he was incapacitated, he was then sent to Yuma, Arizona for 5 months of gunnery school. He then went to Panama City, Florida for additional flying familiarization. There he went on flights in B-17s over the gulf looking for submarines. His next duty station was Lincoln Army Air Base, Nebraska. He was to be given all his shots and assigned to a bomb group. Before this happened, however, the war ended, so he was assigned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Webster. Webster volunteered for the Army Air Forces in December 1943. He qualified for pilot training, but was trained in photography instead at Walker Field, Kansas. He was then sent to Tinian and assigned to the 6th Bomb Group, 22nd Photo Lab. He served as an aerial photographer and lab technician. Webster relates several anecdotes from his time in and out of the service.

Lecture presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree.

Latin Jazz concert performed at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

A senior recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall.

Mu Phi Epsilon concert performed at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Jazz concert performed at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall.

Choir concert performed at the UNT College of Music Winspear Hall.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with R.L. Hawkins. Hawkins was born in Springfield, Illinois on 31 May 1924. Upon joining the Navy in February 1943, he attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, in Illinois. After twelve weeks he entered fire control school, also at Great Lakes. From there, he attended advanced fire control school in Washington, DC. Hawkins was then sent to Providence, Rhode Island for gunnery training. In early 1944, he went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and was assigned to the USS Diphda (AKA-59) as a senior fire control man. Hawkins describes the mechanisms used in controlling the guns including gyros, fitting systems, motors of the control system and vacuum tubes. In January 1945 the ship participated in the Lingayen Gulf invasion and he describes landing LCVPs and relates the experience of bringing them back on board. Following the ship’s participation in the invasion of Okinawa, during which they came under kamikaze attack, the ship returned to the United States. While they were in the US Japan surrendered.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruben Davis. Davis was born in Texas on 5 July 1926. In 1944 he was inducted into the Navy and sent to San Diego for boot training. Upon completing eight weeks of boot training he was assigned to amphibious training at Coronado Island, California. During training, he covered boat handling, semaphore and Morse code. While in training he developed pneumonia and was hospitalized. Upon recovering, he was assigned to USS LSM-171 as a coxswain. He recalls the ship laying smokescreen during the invasion of Okinawa and being under attack by kamikaze aircraft. He also remembers the ship being in a typhoon in 1945. Following the surrender of Japan the ship went to various islands and picked up and disposed of Japanese weaponry. Davis returned to the United States aboard the USS Wakefield (AP-21) and was discharged in April 1946.