Concert presented at Winspear Hall at the Murchison Performing Arts Center.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wes Rhine. He was born in Amarillo, Texas, 27 February 1928 and was enlisted in the Marine Corps on 13 February 1945. After completing recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina and Camp LeJeune, North Carolina he was transferred to Camp Pendleton, California in June 1945. He describes shipping out to Guam in August 1945 and learning, while enroute, that the war was over. He recalls being transferred to Saipan and joining C Company, 1st Battalion, Second Marines. He next describes embarking on a troopship and sailing to Japan. In late August his Battalion landed at Nagasaki. His battalion was directed to a prisoner of war camp outside ground zero and he recalls seeing the former prisoners being removed as his battalion was approaching the camp to be bivouacked. He describes his duties while at Nagasaki and Kyushu, Japan. He recalls being transferred to the 2nd Motor Transport Battalion in Sasebo and his duties while there. In July 1946 he volunteered for duty in China where he was transferred to a mortar platoon in the 1st Division Marines located in a city outside of Peking. He recalls that …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Ramage. Ramage James D Ramage graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939. In 1943 he joined the USS Enterprise (CV-6), and became executive officer and later commanding officer of Bombing Squadron Ten (United States. Navy. Bombing Squadron 10 (VB-10)), flying the SBD Dauntless dive bomber. He saw his first combat in the Battle of Kwajalein in January 1944, and participated in the attack on Truk in February and landings at Hollandia in April. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, he led 29 aircraft from Enterprise in a maximum-range twilight attack against the Japanese fleet, and was personally credited with crippling a Japanese aircraft carrier. Ramage additionally participated in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was promoted to rear admiral in June of 1967, and retired in January of 1976.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Mnichowicz. Mnichowicz was born in Chicago, Illinois on 10 November 1927. He joined the US Navy in 1944 and attended boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. Following boot camp he was assigned to the engine room of the USS Pochard (AM-375). He tells of the ship being involved in the laying of smokescreens and minesweeping operations prior to the invasion of Okinawa and of the shooting down of Japanese aircraft during the operation. He also tells of the ship sweeping mines in both Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay prior to the surrender of Japan and of being one of the first Americans to set foot on Japan following the surrender. Mnichowicz was discharged in 1946, but reenlisted shortly thereafter and retired from the Navy in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bob Balch. Balch joined the Navy in August of 1943. He completed Radio School in February of 1944. In June he traveled to Melanie Bay, New Guinea. He speaks on shellback initiation crossing the equator. He was assigned to the USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2), where he served as a radioman. In August of 1945, after the war ended, Balch worked at a communication center on Manus, in the Admiralty Islands. He worked in the China occupation group beginning October of 1945. Balch returned to the US and was discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Hamilton. Hamilton joined the Marine Corps in July of 1945. In January of 1946 he was sent overseas as a replacement. He traveled to Tangku in North China, where he remained for the duration of his service. He worked on bridge guard duty, ensuring the bridges remained open. He shares his experiences living and working in China after the war. Hamilton was sent home and discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elbert Dixon. Dixon joined the Marine Corps in November of 1944. He completed radio school. In April of 1945 he went overseas as a replacement. He traveled to Pearl Harbor, and worked as a guard in the brig. They traveled on to Eniwetok, Truk, Kwajalein, Saipan and Guam. Dixon and his unit participated in the Battle of Okinawa, where he served as a radioman with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. Dixon was discharged in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Louis Weller. Weller was born in Fowler, Michigan on 3 January 1925. In 1943 he joined the US Marine Corps and reported to San Diego for boot camp. Upon completing boot training, he was assigned to the motor pool in Marine Photographic Squadron 154 (VMD-154) at Kearney Naval Air Station, California. In September 1945 he boarded a transport for Zamboanga, Philippines. Upon his arrival he was assigned to VMB-443. After a short period of time he returned to Zamboanga where he joined VMF-115 of Marine Air Group 12. On 13 October 1945, the squadron went aboard the USS Hydrus (AKA-28) and set sail for Taku, China. Arriving there, the equipment was off loaded and moved to Beijing. In the spring of 1946 the squadron was transferred into Marine Air Group 24 and moved to Nanfang Airfield, China. In July 1946, Weller went aboard the USS General J.C. Breckinridge (AP-176) and returned to the United States. He was discharged soon thereafter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Zanck. Zanck was born in Chicago, Illinois on 2 May 1927. Upon joining the Marine Corps in early 1945, he took a troop train to Paris Island, South Carolina. He witnessed his first case of racial prejudice during the trip. Upon competing boot training, he was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for two months of infantry training. He then went to Marine Corps engineering school where he was trained in demolition, bridge building, and heavy equipment operation. In January 1946, he boarded the SS Young America (1943) and arrived in China as a member of the 7th Marine Regiment occupation forces. He tells of guarding the roads and railways to prevent destruction by the Chinese communist forces. In November 1946, he flew from Tsingtao, China to Hawaii aboard a Military Air Transport Service plane. He then went by boat to San Diego, where he received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Blum. Blum quit school, lied about his age and joined the Marines in December, 1943. He trained as an artilleryman and was deployed overseas to Okinawa. His artillery unit was deactivated and Blum then volunteered for service in the 5th Marine Regiment. After the war, Blum went to China on occupation duty in Beijing. He recalls several incidents involving repatriating Japanese soldiers and skirmishes with Chinese communists.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Barry Crites. Crites was born in Osage City, Kansas on 7 July 1928. After completing high school, he joined the Marine Corps in February 1946. Following boot camp in San Diego, he was sent to Camp Pendleton as part of the 104th replacement draft. He embarked on the troopship USS General J. C. Breckenridge (AP-176) in June 1946 and sailed to Tsingtao, China. He provides a description of his experiences during the transit. He says that Tsingtao was the headquarters of the Sixth Marine Division which was soon disbanded, and he was assigned to the First Division as a sales clerk at the local Post Exchange in Chinwangtao, China. Crites provides several anecdotes from his experiences in Tsingtao and Chinwangtao. He returned to the United States in January 1947 and was discharged at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in California.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Patcke. Patcke was born in born in Chicago, Illinois on 13 July 1927 and was drafted into the Marine Corps in September, 1945. He describes some of his experiences at boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was sent overseas to Tsingtao, China in the middle of 1946, and describes a typhoon that his ship experienced during the transit. He was assigned to a communications company in the 15th Marine Regiment, which was part of the Sixth Marines at the time. He provides details of his experiences in Tsingtao and recalls that he was discharged in the fall of 1946 after 50 weeks active duty.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ed De la Torres. De la Torres joined the Marines around 1945. He traveled to Pearl Harbor, and upon completing basic training, the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in August of 1945. They traveled to Guam and De la Torres served as a rifleman. He worked to get remaining Japanese off the island. From there he went to Chinwangtao in China and joined an Allied tank unit. Working with the Merchant Marines, De la Torres helped bring in food for the civilian population. He returned home and was discharged in the spring of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Farneth. Farneth joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He trained as an ordnanceman, and joined fighter squadrons VMF-523 and VMF-524, training pilots to go overseas. In 1945 he joined the 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division. They traveled to Guam and trained for the invasion of the mainland of Japan. After the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki their mission ceased. Farneth was then sent to China to complete his final year of service. He helped repatriate the Japanese from the Chinese mainland. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Kovar. Kovar joined the Marine Corps in the spring of 1945. In February of 1946 he traveled to China aboard the USS President Adams (APA-19). Kovar served as a combat engineer with the 1st Marine Division, 1st Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company 1st Engineers. He worked as an engineer throughout 1946, including building and blowing up structures, making roads and building bridges. They were also responsible for transporting coal to keep the trains running, and assisting with the disarming of the Japanese Army and shipping them back to Japan. Kovar returned to the US in June of 1947, and continued his service with the Marines for 28 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Jacot. Jacot joined the Marine Corps in January of 1945. He served with the 6th Marine Division as a field artillery crewman in the Occupation of North China from 1945 to 1946. He was discharged in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Gill. Gill joined the Marine Corps around June of 1945. He traveled to Japan with the occupation and then on to China working as an engineer. He ran the water pumps and worked on the railway ensuring equipment ran properly to transport coal. He speaks on engaging bandits and communist soldiers that were stealing the coal and disrupting production. His living quarters were in a Japanese hospital. Upon returning to the US Gill was stationed in Washington DC at Marine Corps headquarters. Through his station he completed his GED and a degree from Georgetown University. Upon graduating Gill took a position with AT&T, responsible for the telephone facilities for NORAD. He remained in the Marines and was discharged around 1950.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Don L. Holmes. He joined the Marine Corps in 1943. In December 1944, he was sent to the Pacific Theater and assigned to an artillery regiment, E Battery of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He describes the landing on Iwo Jima on the third day of the invasion and supporting the 21st Marines, an infantry regiment. Following the surrender of Japan, he was sent to Tientsin, China with Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. He discusses his duty patrolling the Japanese compound as well as serving in a detachment tasked with transporting Japanese and Koreans to be repatriated to their respective countries. He also discusses the Chinese people and the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists. He shares his memories of R & R in Peking, China. He was discharged in 1946. He also shares the story of his high school friend, Jack Wallace, a marine who was killed during the Eniwetok Invasion.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Art Goetz. Goetz joined the Marine Corps in 1945 and received basic training at Parris Island followed by engineer training at Camp Lejeune. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, stationed in China, where he performed maintenance work at the American Legation in Peking. He arrived in January 1946 to a welcoming population who lined the streets waving American flags. While there he visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Whispering Wall at the Temple of Heaven. The exchange rate was so favorable to Americans that his acquaintance bought a Ming Dynasty urn for a few dollars, and Goetz purchased two cloisonné blouses for 25 cents each. In April 1947 Goetz was transferred to Guam with the 1st Marine Brigade. In 1948 he returned to China, this time stationed at Tsingtao. As the Chinese Civil War intensified, the engineers were the last to evacuate, loading their heavy equipment onto ships as shots were being fired all around the city. Goetz returned to the States in May 1949 and went on to serve in the Korean War. His last duty was as a special …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Parker. Parker joined the Marine Corps in late 1944. In 1945 he completed advanced infantry training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They trained in preparation for the invasion of Japan. After the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Parker was reassigned to China in early 1946. He served for one year with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st marine Division at the American embassy in Peking, now Beijing, China. In 1947 he was transferred to Tsingtao, now Qingdao, China, where he served with the 6th Fleet Marine Force. Parker returned home and was discharged in early 1949.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Tierney. Tierney joined the Marine Corps and trained in communications. He was sent to China for occupation duty as a replacement in the 1st Marine Division. Tierney served as a guard on trains to prevent delays caused by Chinese communists and describes the tactics that were employed. Tierney describes conflict between Nationalist and communist forces. He returned to the US in October of 1946 and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earle Soper. Soper was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on 6 March 1928. After graduating from high school in 1945, he joined the Marine Corps. After completion of training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he boarded the USS Starlight (AP-175) bound for China. Upon arriving at Tangkou, China, he joined the 1st Marine Division, 5th Marines. There, the unit guarded coal stations and oil facilities as well as their ammunition depot. He tells of the efforts of Chinese communist forces to take over or destroy bridges used by the Chinese Nationalist forces and the measures taken by the Marines to protect these locations. In addition to the guard details, the Marines also rounded up Japanese troops to be sent back to Japan. Soper comments that the Japanese looked upon the Marines as protectors. The Japanese feared that if afforded the opportunity, the Chinese civilians would have killed them because of past atrocities by Japanese troops. Soper returned to the United States in December 1946 and was discharged shortly thereafter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William W. Smith. Smith was born in China in 1927 and started school in California when he was five. He did not speak English at the time because his mother was Russian and he had a Chinese nanny. When he was 17 in 1944, he tried joining the Marine Corps, but was denied. He instead went back to work for the forestry service in Northern California. He was in San Francisco on V-J Day. Smith joined the Marine Corps in November, 1945 and went to Basic Training in San Diego. Smith was shipped to China and attached to the 1st Marine Division as a radio operator during the occupation there.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bob Tizzard. Tizzard was born in Rochester, New York on 30 June 1916. He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and completed several courses of training, including Officer Candidate School after which he received his commission. He was sent to Honolulu as a member of the 184th Regiment, 7th Army Division which was training for the invasion of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. His duties included company officer in charge of automatic weapons. By the time his regiment reached Kwajalein, most of the fighting was over and his company received orders to Truk on 5 January 1945. While enroute to Truk the ship was redirected to Okinawa where they arrived on Easter Sunday, 1945. He recalls that his unit was involved in combat at Shuri Castle and Yonaharu. He describes being in Okinawa on V-J Day in September 1945, after which, his unit was sent to Seoul, Korea to accept the surrender of Japanese forces in Korea. While in Korea, he resigned from the Army, volunteered for the Internantional Red Cross, and was sent to Qingdao, China for five years, assisting in the relocation of White Russians. Following his time …