The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Bell. Bell finished college at Texas Tech before joining the Army Air Forces in 1942. He was commissioned and sent to India where he joined the 341st Bomb Group as an engineer officer. He shares several anecdotes about his experiences.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Matthew Constantino. Constantino joined the Marine Corps in June, 1941 and trained at Parris Island. He was assigned to the 7th Marines and went to Samoa before heading for Guadalcanal in September, 1942. Constantino served as a 60mm mortar man. He shares several anecdotes about combat patrols on Guadalcanal. He caught malaria and returned to the US where he was treated. He also served on Okinawa and went on to China. He received his discharge in 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Cox. Cox was born in Detroit in 1923. After graduating from high school he attended the University of Michigan. In 1943 he entered the Army Air Forces. After taking basic training at Miami Beach, he went to Technology Western Reserve University for three months of study before going to Nashville, Tennessee for qualification testing. He was selected for pilot training and tells of the various bases at which he trained. Following his qualification with mutli-engine aircraft and being commissioned a second lieutenant he was sent to Naples, Italy to fly bombers. Reacting to a need for fighter pilots, he volunteered to fly P-38s and was assigned to the 82nd Fighter Group, 696th Fighter Squadron. Soon after his arrival he was selected for temporary assignment to the 154th Weather Squadron based at Bari, Italy to fly weather reconnaissance. He describes flying missions over Ploiesti, Romania and tells of seeing numerous American aircraft downed by flak. In 1944, he transferred into the Air Transport Command based at Cairo where he flew C-46 transport planes. Several months later he went to Lalmonirhat, India where he joined the 1326th Army Air …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Nicholas Erdely. Erdely was born in Tolick, West Virginia. He lived in a coal mining town where everything was controlled by the mining company. He joined the Army Air Corps in September 1940 and took basic training at Chanute field, Illinois. After completing radio operator school he boarded a ship bound for Bombay, India. Upon his arrival he went to Assam, where he was assigned to the 759t9h Signal Aircraft Warning Company. He walked three days to get to a signal aircraft warning site. The site was so remote, all supplies had to be dropped by airplanes. Erdely describes the living conditions they endured. The purpose of the eleven man team at the site was to observe and report by radio any aircraft in the vicinity. After seven months the team was relieved and went to Lahore, India. Then they traveled to a remote location in the mountains of northern Burma where they stayed another seven months. The team traveled to Calcutta where they boarded C-46 to fly to Fort Meade, Maryland. Soon after arriving, in the United States, Erderly was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leroy Fisher. Fisher enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In Long Beach, California he studied the workings of a C-47, then trained in towing gliders with the C-47, and then worked with paratroopers. He served as a flying crew chief and his job was to pre-flight the airplane every morning. In 1943 he flew over India and Burma dropping off supplies to the troops. He was a part of the 10th Army, and in the Air Forces 1st Combat Cargo Group, 3rd Squadron. His squadron supported the British 14th Army by dropping supplies. He also went into Kunming, China, transporting supplies to Foochow. He discusses how the British operated and how they utilized their troops. He shares some stories of working with Merrill’s Marauders, and dropping supplies to them. After the war he studied chemical engineering.

Transcript of an oral interview with Loyd Jensen. After moving to Los Angeles from Kansas, Jensen was drafted into the Army in October, 1940. While serving in California, Jenses went to glider pilot school, but the program got cut. He ended up in flight school in Marfa, Texas, earned his wings and was commissioned an officer in January, 1944. He elected to fly B-25s and began training in them. With training complete, Jensen and his crew shipped to India. He flew 67 combat missions supporting the British 14th Army in Burma. Jensen also describes his living conditions and the various Indian servants he and his fellow servicemen employed. He also describes a typical mission briefing; the time he went on R&R; the food avaialble at his base; what the crews did for entertainment. When the war ended, Jensen rotated home and trined pilots before heading for occupation duty in Japan. He was there when the Korean War started. He also mentions being part of hte Military Advisory Group in Vietnam. His job was to advise the small South Vietnamese Air Forces and he flew guys to Hong Kong for R&R on occasion.

Transcript of an oral interview with Peter Lanchak. Lanchak joined the Army in 1939 and was sent to Panama to serve in a coastal artillery battery. He enjoyed riding in airplanes and volunteered for duty as a crewman or as a gunner on the various aircraft stationed where he was. Eventually, after the war started, he was shipped to India in 1942. Once he arrived in India, Lanchak began participating in missions over Rangoon and eventually flew over the Himalaya Mountains to China. After 47 missions, Lanchack was shipped back to the US in late 1943. When he returned, he served as an aerial gunnery trainer at Colorado Springs and in Idaho.

Transcript of an oral interview with Joseph McGuire. In November, 1940, McGuire joined the Army Air Corps and trained at Randolph Field and at Barksdale for twin-engine training. Upon completion of training, McGuire was assigned to the US Army Air Corps Ferrying Commnad. His job was to get airplanes from factories to air bases. While doing this, he met his future wife, an airline stewardess. In 1943, he received an overseas assignment and reported to Jorhat Air Base in Assam, India. There, he continued ferrying airplanes, this time to air fields in China. He also flew cargo over the Himalaya Mountains to bases in China. McGuire went home in August, 1944 and became a test pilot for jet fighters. He was finally discharged in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Salvador Marcello. Marcello grew up in DeRidder, Louisiana and begins by recalling his experiences witnessing the Louisiana Maneuvers in 1941 around Camp Polk. Marcello joined the Army and was assigned to the Dental Corps and stationed at Cape Cod. In 1945, Marcello was sent to India with as a dental assistant. After the war, Marcello returned to go to pharmacy school at the University of Houston.

Transcript of an oral interview with Vincent Moreno. Moreno was drafted and, after training as a longshoreman, was stationed in Calcutta, India with the 289th Port Battalion. He sailed there aboard the USS Hermitage (AP-54) arriving in December, 1944. He volunteered for a combat assignment and was sent to Burma and trained as a scout. He was assigned to the 124th Cavalry Regiment in the 5332nd Brigade. Moreno describes fighting the Japanese in the jungles attempting to open the Burma Road. Also, Moreno mentions serving as an MP guarding warehouses in Kunming, China before shipping home.

Transcript of an oral interview with Kenneth J. Ruff. Ruff joined the Army Air Forces while attending college in Missouri in 1942. He describes all the places he trained as a pilot, from Texas to Wisconsin and Oklahoma. He eventually was selected to be a flight instructor. He ferried one aircraft to Australia and when he returned, he went to Reno, Nevada for more flight training. Upon completion, Ruff ferried an airplane to India via Brazil and Africa. Once he arrived in India, his job then consisted of flying material in C-46 transport planes over "the Hump" to China. He flew 72 missions from India to China over the Himilaya Mountains. Ruff shares several experiences of his while flying in China and India. After the war, while Ruff was in the Reserves, he was recalled to fly supplies to German citizens in the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949). Ruff spent 20 years in the Air Force after WWII.

Transcript of an oral interview with Harold Tatsch. Prior to enlisting in the Navy, Tatsch worked as a bellhop in the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas. In November, 1944, Tatsch joined the Navy. After completing training, Tatsch went aboard the USS Drexler (DD-741) where he served as an ammunition handler for a 40mm antiaircraft gun. Eventually, the Drexler made its way to Ulithi where it joined the armada headed for Okinawa. Tatsch also describes being on picket duty off Okinawa and being attacked by Japanese aircraft. On 28 May 1945, the Drexler was hit by two kamikazes and Tatsch describes the impacts and aftermath. He abandoned ship and spent about three hours in the water before being rescued. He was sent back to the US on a 40-day survivor leave. At the end of it, Tatsch re-enlisted, requesting more duty aboard destoryers. In the meantime, the war ended and he was shipped to Guam where he spent 18 months as a shore patrolman. When that was complete, Tatsch was discharged.

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Adanto D'Amore. D'Amore describes his education briefly at Ohio State University where he graduated from medical school. Shortly thereafter, he joined the US Army Air Corps, where he examined candidates for jump school. He eventually was assigned as flight surgeon to the 19th Bomb Group and sent with them to Clark Field in the Philippines in October, 1941. After the Japanese invaded, D'Amore and elements of the 19th Bomb Group moved to Mindanao. After the surrender, D'Amore went with fellow prisoners of war to the Davao Internment Camp. Eventually, he was relocated to Cabanatuan where he spent 12 months before leaving aboard a hell ship for Omori Prison Camp in Japan. Upon being liberated after the war, D'Amore was sent to Okinawa, Manila and finally San Francisco. D'Amore also discusses the condition of the returning POWs.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Donald Good. Good was born 30 July 1918 in Aurora, Indiana and graduated from high school in 1937. In 1941 he joined the US Army and received his basic training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He was then sent to Camp Polk, Louisiana for twelve weeks of maneuvers. He then went to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey to board RMS Queen Mary and landed in Scotland. Good recalls being in Liege, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge and describes the weather conditions they endured. He remembers his unit working with the 3rd Moroccan Division, assigned to the American 3rd Army, and describes their living habits and method of combat.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas B. Dabney. Dabney wanted to go to the Naval Academy, but was denied entry as a second alternate. Undaunted, he enlisted in the Navy, working toward receiving an appointment to the Academy from the ranks, which he achieved in May 1932, after serving aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). He graduated from the Academy in 1936 and served aboard surface ships: USS New York (BB-34), USS Chester (CA-27), USS Indianapolis (CA-35). During this period, Dabney befriended Joe Rochefort. In May, 1940, he was transferred to the USS Bernadou (DD-153) and began escorting supplies across the Atlantic to Iceland. Dabney was assigned to submarine school in September, 1941 and was graduated early after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He joined the Pacific Fleet in January 1942. At first, he was assigned to the USS Pompano (SS-181), but was in the hospital when it sailed. He instead boarded the USS Plunger (SS-179) and describes some of its war patrols while he was aboard. In May, 1944, Dabney was assigned to the USS Becuna (SS-319) before being called to command the USS Guitarro (SS-363) in December in Fremantle, Australia. After the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Fred L DiDomenico. DiDomenico joined the Marine Corps in September of 1942. In November, he deployed to Samoa. DiDomenico served as a machine gunner with the 3rd Marine Division, and participated in the battles of Bougainville and Guam. He returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kenneth Carpenter. Carpenter joined the Army in March of 1942. He joined the Fort Benjamin Harrison Band and completed a war bond sales tour around Indiana. Carpenter served as a warrant officer for four years. During this time, he directed Army Air Forces concerts, marching and dance bands from Pampa, Texas, to Calcutta, India, and Shanghai, China. He was the commander of the 685th Army Air Forces Band and was attached to the 14th Air Force. Carpenter returned to the US and was discharged in January of 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with John Hamilton. Hamilton was drafted into the Army in early 1943. After training, Hamilton was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division at Fort McCain, Mississippi. In the fall of 1944, Hamilton was shipped overseas with the 87th to England. From there, his unit went to the continent and was on the line in Belgium when the Battle of the Bulge began in December, 1944. Hamilton speaks of the conditions he faced during the battle.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Guatemozin Garcia. Garcia was born in Alice, Texas 26 October 1923. Upon graduating from high school in 1942, he joined the Army Air Forces. Four of his brothers were also in the military during World War II. After completing basic training at Shepherd Field, Texas he was sent to Fort Myers, Florida for four weeks of gunnery training. He was then sent to Santa Ana, California where he joined the 34th Bomb Group as a nose gunner in a B-24. Garcia’s group flew to England during April 1944. In seven months, he flew thirty-two missions. He flew two missions over Normandy during the invasion not knowing that one of his brothers was in the ground forces hitting the beach. Later, he learned his brother was severely wounded and was in the Liverpool Army Hospital. Garcia visited him there. He recalls a bombing mission when their plane was so heavily damaged by flak it was doubtful they could make it back to England. He tells of the measures taken to keep their plane airborne until making an emergency landing at an English air field. Returning to the United States …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milton Gebhard. Gebhard joined the Army Air Forces in January 1944. He was trained as an infantryman and served in Okinawa after the battle had ended. Gebhard worked as a guard for Japanese prisoners for seven months. He was discharged when he returned to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Willard Norris. Norris joined the Army in 1942 and was eventually sent to the 42nd Infantry Division as a replacement. He discusses the rations and living conditions on the front lines in Belgium. Norris describes getting body lice and how he was treated. He discusses liberating Nordhausen concentration camp and the condition of the prisoners he encountered. Norris describes an encounter with a unit of Hitler Youth on his last day of combat. He was then sent to the 71st Infantry Division as a part of the occupation of Germany. Norris became a warrant officer and served in Korea. He retired from the Army several years later.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Durwood Chester Kincheloe. Born in 1921, he chose to join the Army Air Force upon being drafted in 1943. After receiving air traffic controller training, he was transported to Kunming, China. He describes the trip on the USS Hermitage from Long Beach, California to Karachi, India by way of Australia; the train trip from Lahore, India to the province of Assam; and the flight to China on a B-24 bomber. He talks about his living conditions and Japanese air raids in China as well as his function as air traffic controller. He was discharged in December 1945. He shares anecdotes about the heat at Wichita Falls, Texas during his basic training; the rain and humidity in Assam; the insufficient number of oxygen masks on the B-24; and the Chinese method of runway repair and agricultural fertilization. He also describes life in the rural community of Burnet, Texas as well as his work as a planimeter operator with the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). The interview also includes information about his parents and siblings.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Waldrip. Born in Texas in 1923, he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in May 1942. After training, he was sent to England where he was assigned to the 490th Bomb Group. He served as a crewmember on a B-17 aircraft. Other members of the crew were Charles Smelser, Neil Johnson, Leonard Kail, and Jake Jackson. He talks about ?buzz bombs?, the living conditions, and flight suits. He describes the airplane weaponry as well as the logistics of bombing missions. He recounts a story of his plane going off course due to bad weather when returning from a bombing mission during the Battle of the Bulge. He was involved in missions to bomb strategic targets in Germany. He describes bombing missions to Berlin and Merseburg, Germany. He also describes a mission to bomb submarines at Brest, France during the Normandy Invasion. He shares anecdotes about flak; obtaining coal to heat his Quonset hut; cleaning his uniform with airplane fuel; and censoring mail. He returned to the United States in 1945 after flying 35 missions. He left military service when the war ended. In 1949 he joined the United …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert P. McCoy. McCoy was working in the aircraft industry in Los Angeles when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He was still a civilian on his way to Fairbanks, Alaska when the Japanese attacked Dutch Harbor. It took him a week to fly to Alaska as a result. After he returned, he went to work for the Lockheed Corporation and was employed building Norden bombsights. He spent some time installing the bombsights in aircraft in Ireland and England before joining the Marine Corps in July, 1944. In the Marines, he worked as an air traffic controller. McCoy was sent to China for six months after the war ended.