Opera Theatre performance of Albert Herring at the UNT College of Music Lyric Theater.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Burry. Burry was born in Rocky Ford, Colorado 28 March 1924. He was inducted into the Army Air Forces in January 1943 and received flight training at various bases. After completing gunnery school, he was assigned to the 45th Fighter Squadron, which flew P-47 fighter planes. Traveling by merchant ship, Burry arrived at Iwo Jima in February 1945. He relates an incident where the Japanese made a banzai attack on the air field resulting in several pilots of the 15th Fighter Group being killed. He describes being on a strafing mission to Japan when his plane suffered engine failure and he bailed out. He tells of tying himself to his rubber dingy and surviving a typhoon. On his sixth day at sea he was picked up by the crew of the submarine USS Trutta (SS-421). He was transferred to the USS Peto (SS-265) and taken to Guam. After going to Hawaii for R & R he returned to Iwo Jima and received orders to return to the United States. He was discharged in September 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Bill McClellan. He joined the Marine Corps in 1944 where he had training at Parris Island, Camp Lejeune and Camp pendleton before shipping out and joining his unit on Guadalcanal. On their way to Okinawa, the unit stopped off at Mog Mog for a beer bust. McClellan was among the first marines to land on Okinawa. After securing the northern portion of the island, his unit moved south. He was detached and spent 10 days assisting the Graves Registration commander in digging graves. A leiutenant from his company rescued him from this duty and sent him back to the rest of his company on the line. From Okinawa, McClellan went to Guam with his unit, then Yokosuka after the surrender. He spent over a year in Japan before being discharged in Corpus Christi, Texas in February, 1947. In 1950, he was called up for duty in Korea.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents on oral interview with Billy Jackson. Jackson joined the Navy in August, 1944 and was assigned aboard USS Fergus (AP-82). Jackson recalls hauling troops to various destinations in the Pacific and returning to the US with a load of former prisoners of war.

Transcript of an oral interview with Charles Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick joined the Marine Corps in 1942. He had basic training at Parris Island, then was selected to go to Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was eventually assigned to the Sixth marine Division as an artillery forward observer and joined the division on Guadalcanal before going to Okinawa. Kilpatrick discusses the fighting on Okinawa in the vicinity of Sugar Loaf Hill and the Horseshoe. After Okinawa was captured, Kilpatrick went to Guam, then to Japan for occupation duty. He also spent time in China during the occupation there, as well. Kilpatrick stayed in the reserves until he retired in 1962.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charlie Adams. Adams enlisted in the Marine Corps in March, 1943 and after training was assigned to the Fifth Marine Division. He landed late on the first day of the invasion of Iwo Jima. He remained there for 36 days. He served as a radio operator and describes much of the combat conditions he encountered on the island as well as some of the Japanese tactics. He was one of 13 of his original company of 248 men to walk off Iwo Jima unhurt. Adams also describes some of his experiences in Nagasaki, Japan during the occupation. He returned to the US and was discharged in March, 1946.

Transcript of a simultaneous oral interview with Clarence and Delia Wood. Delia reveals she worked for North American Aviation in Inglewood, Claifornia building P-51 fighter planes. She met Clarence Wood at a USO show. Mr. Wood served on a submarine chaser (SC-1012) and an APA during the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cull W. ?Bud? Forbus. Born in 1924, he joined the Marine Corps in June 1942. He was transported on the USS George F. Elliott (AP-105) to Noumea, New Caledonia in December 1943. He was a Browning Automatic Rifleman in the 3rd Marine Division, 34th Replacement Battalion. He discusses the formation of the 3rd Marine Division and the division colors. He recounts waiting for the 77th Infantry Division to arrive prior to the invasion of Guam. He describes being injured at night by a knife-wielding Japanese soldier as well as his evacuation and medical care. When he recovered from his wounds, he was assigned to the 81st Mortar Section of the 4th Marine Division. He describes the landings on Guam using an LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) and on Iwo Jima using an LST (Landing Ship, Tank). He discusses battleship artillery support at Iwo Jima, the landing at Boat Basin, and the Japanese bunkers and tunnels. He describes being injured on Iwo Jima, his evacuation, and medical treatment. After his recovery, he was assigned to guard duty at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. He was discharged in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Deward Terry. Terry was born in Bristol, Missouri in 1925. After graduating from high school, he attended business school for six months at Southeast Missouri College. He joined the Marine Corps in August 1943 and underwent boot training at San Diego. Upon graduating, he went to Camp Pendleton, where he joined the 5th Marine Division and attended the Communications School. He then went to Camp Tarawa, Hawaii for training with a forward observation team with the artillery. He recalls landing at Red Beach on Iwo Jima and being unable to move for four days due to heavy mortar and artillery fire from the Japanese defenders. He had a close encounter with a Japanese soldier and recalls the death of a close friend. After the surrender of Japan, Terry’s unit went to Japan where they performed guard duties for six months before returning to the United States. Upon his return, Terry was discharged.

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Edward Drea. Drea joined the Air Force in 1965 after college and trained as an intelligence officer. He was eventually assigned to the Fifth Air Force in Fuchu, Japan in 1968 where he monitored communications between communist countries. After a tour with the Air Force in Vietnam, Drea returned to Japan in 1971 to attend university on the G.I. Bill and study for a masters degree in international relations. He returned to work on a Ph. D. at the University of Kansas and was able to return to Japan for some doctoral work where an interest in the Imperial Japanese Army grew and matured. Upon completion of the degree, he took a position at the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as a civilian historian. The conversation drifts into breaking the Japanese code during World War II and using it to Allied advantage. From there, the conversation goes into Japan's decision to go to war against the United States. From there, it moves to the occupation of Japan after the war ended and the Imperial Japanese Army.

Transcript of an oral interview with Edmund K. Austin. Austin was drafted his junior year in high school (1943) and sent to Camp Greely in Oklahoma for basic training. From there he was sent to the Pacific and went into a heavy artillery unit (155 mm Long Tom outfit) that had been based on Christmas Island at the beginning of the war. Got bad jungle rot in the Philippines. After the Philippine operation (near the end of Luzon), his unit (532nd Field Artillery Battalion) was sent to Okinawa aboard a LST. They landed on Shishi Jima (small island off Naha) a day or so before the big invasion of Okinawa proper. Witnessed kamikaze attacks a saw several Navy ships hit. Japanese tried to invade Shishi Jima but they were not successful. Had a shell land in his gun pit but it was a dud. Later in the operation his unit was loaded on a barge and taken over to Okinawa, somewhere around Naha. Did lots of firing supporting the Army and Marines because their guns had the range. Operated for a while in the rain and mud. Assigned to a USO unit when the war was over. Austin was a …

Interview with Gary Raymond, a gunship pilot in the US Army. He answers questions about his life in the military during the Vietnam War.

Transcript of an oral interview with George Keith. Keith enlisted in the Navy Seabees in May 1942 and went to boot camp at Camp Allen in Norfolk, Virginia. From there, they were sent by train to Port Hueneme, California. They spent two months training there before they boarded a ship in San Francisco which sailed to Pearl Harbor. He stayed there with the 10th Battalion and worked two years in the Navy Yard switching equipment. Cook was there when they righted the USS Oklahoma. He came back to the States in 1945, first to Camp Parks, California and then they were shipped to Davisville, Rhode Island (Seabee base). After he was discharged, he went back to work at New England Bell which later became AT&T.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Glenn G. Morgan. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and discusses a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign, carrying a crate to Tinian that contained the first atomic bomb, the ship's sinking, and the four days/five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be rescued.

Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, a bugler in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis and experienced a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. He also describes transporting the crate that contained the first atomic bomb to Tinian, the ship's sinking, and the four days and five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be rescued.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Sims. Sims was born in Sanger, Texas on 15 August 1921. He quit school and joined the US Marine Corps in September 1940. After completing boot training at Camp Pendleton, California he was sent to Iceland. After eight months, he returned to San Diego. Soon after his arrival he was among fourteen Marines selected for duty on American Samoa. After sixteen months, they were sent to Pearl Harbor for four months of training. As Sims had contracted elephantiasis while in Samoa, he was put into a hospital in San Francisco. Upon recovering he was sent to the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas where he performed guard duty for four months. He went to Guam for a short time, was involved in limited action on Eniwetok and was sent to China following the surrender of Japan. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Merritt. When Merritt finished high school I n1941, he went to work for GM making marine engines for PT boats. He volunteered for service in the Army and was assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment. After going overseas and having more training, Merritt landed with his unit at Leyte, where he was wounded. While serving as a scout for his company, Merritt was wounded by a Japanese grenade. He was evacuated and sent aboard USS Mercy (AH-8). He recovered on Guadalcanal until being shipped back to his unit in time for the liberation of Manila. When the war ended, Merritt went to Japan and describes some of his experiences there during the occupation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard R. Brandenburge. In January 1942 he transferred into the Army Air Force and began basic training at Shepherd Field and finished at Foster Field, graduating in February 1944. He received his wings and commission. He went to California and flew P38s, P39s, P40s and P51s. He loaded the P51s onto a small carrier in Pearl Harbor and moved to Tinian Island in March 1945. After Iwo Jima was secured they flew there to serve as escorts between the islands in their P51s. He discusses his experiences with Japanese bonsai raids, flying missions over Japan, escorting B29s, shooting at Japanese fighters and unfortunate casualties of planes and crew. His first mission as escort began April 1945, and he completed 26 missions overall. After he was discharged he had to stay in the reserves and completed a tour in the Korean War. He joined the reserves unit in San Antonio at Kelly Air Force Base, flying transports: C-46s, C-119s and C-124s.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Bowell. Bowell entered service in the Navy in February 1942 and trained as a signalman and on sonar. In February, 1944 he was assigned to USS Defense (AM-317). Bowell speaks about the relationships he developed aboard ship. He also mentions minesweeping and kamikaze attacks off Okinawa and talks about fire support for the Marines on Iwo Jima. Bowell also recalls going into the water to rescue men from other vessels. When the war ended, Bowell’s ship swept mines off Japan. He remembers a typhoon off Okinawa and being discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Redding. Redding was born in San Jose, California in 1927 and joined the Navy in 1944. Upon completion of boot camp at Farragut, Idaho, he went aboard the USS Fergus (APA-82). He tells of his first few days on the ship and his on-the-job training as a cook. Redding recalls during May 1945 the ship was bound for Okinawa with a contingent of marines. During a refueling procedure, extensive damage was done to the bow of the ship necessitating the troops be transferred to another ship. The Fergus then went to Guam for repairs. Once the ship was repaired, casualties from the battle of Okinawa were taken on board and the ship returned to the United States. Redding describes being aboard the ship as it rode out a typhoon while anchored at Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with June Brandenberger. Brandenberger finished high school in 1943 and was married later I n1944 to an officer in the Army Air Forces. She worked for a telephone company in San Antonio during the war. Brandenberger shares what it was like to be married with a small child and a husband overseas toward the end of the war. She describes his homecoming and what life was like after the war ended.

Transcript of an oral interview with Karl E. Momsen. Momsen joined the Marine Corps and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina before reporting to Camp Pendleton. He sailed to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Arenac (APA-128), then Guam in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. Momsen carried the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in his squad. He landed on Okinawa in the second wave on 1 April 1945. Momsen briefly describes being wounded in action.

Transcript of an oral interview with Les Caffey. He was born near Ballinger, Texas, grew up on a farm near Brady, Texas and when he finished high school in 1944, he joined the Navy because his brothers and friends had all joined the service. He had two months training in San Diego, then went aboard a troopship to Pearl Harbor. From there, Caffey was assigned and went aboard the USS Wichita (CA-45). He speaks of towing the USS Canberra (CA-70) after it suffered a torpedo hit off the coast of Formosa. Caffey also speaks of watching from the deck of the Wichita planes from VF-2 come in and land on the illuminated deck of the USS Lexington (CV-16) after operations in the Philippine Sea. As the cruiser was headed into Buckner Bay to soften up Okinawa prior to the invasion, Caffey describes near misses by a torpedo and a kamikaze. After the war ended, the Wichita sailed to Nagasaki where Caffey describes scenes of destruction. After that, the Wichita was sent to Philadelphia for decommissioning and Caffey got his discharge shortly thereafter. He made his way back to Brady and reunited with his folks.

Transcript of an oral interview with Lewis A. Hoelscher. He went into the Army in December, 1942 before finishing high schooland started basic training at Fort Sam Houston. Before completing basic, he was shipped to Colorado to continue training. He was attached to Company B, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Then, Hoelscher went to San Diego for amphibious training before shipping to Kiska, Alaska. He relates experiences on Kiska before discussing more training and heading for Italy. Hoelscher then describes heavy fighting in the mountains in Italy. He earned a Silver Star in Itlay. His division was slated to participate in the invasion of Japan, but the war ended and Hoelscher was discharged in November, 1945.