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Oral History Interview with Mary Jean Tanner, December 30, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Mary Jean Tanner, December 30, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mary Jean Tanner. Tanner joined the Army after working as a civilian in a parts warehouse at Kelly Field. She was given special clearance to handle the Norden bombsight. Upon enlisting in the Army, she was sent to Algiers, as secretary to General Sables. She was the only woman in the chemical warfare unit there. The water in Algiers had been so badly contaminated by air raids as to be deemed unsafe, even for bathing. One evening, while she was sitting on her bed, a 90mm high-explosive dud landed where her chest would have been, had she been lying down. Later, an ammunition boat exploded near her office, shattering her window and covering her in glass. Tanner returned home and was discharged in the fall of 1943. As a result of her experiences abroad, she experienced extreme anxiety during thunderstorms, hiding in the closet. And she never told anyone that she had been a WAC, as she felt that women were looked down upon for having served.
Date: December 30, 2004
Creator: Tanner, Mary Jean
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Trubiano, December 30, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with William Trubiano, December 30, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Trubiano. Trubiano was born in Somerville, Massachusetts on 17 August 1920. Enlisting in the National Guard in February 1939, he joined the 101st Combat Engineers. After the unit was activated, it went to Camp Edwards, Massachusetts for training. On 23 January 1942 they boarded the SS Argentina for a thirty-eight day voyage to Melbourne, Australia. Then they went to Espiritu Santos and built an airstrip. The unit then went to New Caledonia where Trubiano was hospitalized with malaria. Soon after his release from the hospital the unit went to Guadalcanal where they joined the Americal Division becoming the 57th Combat Engineers. He tells of various projects the unit constructed including bridges, piers and an underground hospital. The unit was then sent to Bougainville and he describes seeing air action over the island. While there, he received orders to return to the United States. After a five week sea voyage he arrived in San Francisco and was sent to Camp Edwards. Upon his arrival he was assigned to work in the operating room. Later he was assigned the task of escorting patients to various hospitals throughout the country.
Date: December 30, 2004
Creator: Trubiano, William
System: The Portal to Texas History