The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Jackson. He begins by discussing his time in boot camp at Camp Pendelton. The majority of the interview is about his time fighting at Iwo Jima.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Kuse. Kuse joined the Army Air Forces in August of 1942. He served as a radio operator with the B-17 bombers in the 601st Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. They were assigned to Nuthampstead, England. Kuse flew 36 combat missions over occupied Europe from August through December of 1944. They traveled to Bastogne, Germany and Czechoslovakia. During his missions, he sustained one minor flak wound, and was an eyewitness to his bomber formation receiving an attack by the latest German secret weapon, the ME-262 jet fighter. Kuse shares vivid details of his flight training and combat missions. He was honorably discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Briscoe. Briscoe joined the Navy and received basic training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned as a motor machinist to an auxiliary minesweeper sent to the shores of France. A diver would first walk the bottom of the harbor, cutting loose all the mines, which were then towed out to sea and detonated with machine gun fire. The ship once had the dangerous task of drawing enemy fire to help locate a nearby German howitzer; they spent 45 minutes dodging mortars while pretending to sweep mines. The ship was later sent to Okinawa to bring soldiers to China; they encountered a great typhoon along the way. They also carried a small box to the northern part of Japan, its contents precious but unknown. Briscoe then returned home and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Heimsoth. Heimsoth joined the Navy in January of 1943. He participated in a choir group at the Great Lakes Naval Station. He completed amphibious training, and served as a Quartermaster aboard an USS LST-218. Heimsoth participated in the Gilbert Islands Campaign, the Marshall Islands operation, and the capture and occupation of Saipan. After the war, he served with the occupation forces in Japan. He returned to the US in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vincent Corbett. Corbett graduated from college in May 1941 and spent a year teaching high school before joining the Navy College Training Program at Columbia University. After amphibious training, he was assigned to USS LST-218 as a gunnery officer. He and his gunner’s mate prepared their ship for deployment by assembling and testing the three-inch gun while hiding behind a rampart. Transporting Seabees to Tarawa, the crew had to step over hundreds of bodies while unloading cargo. In the Marshalls, they delivered Army personnel and equipment. Corbett recounts humorous attempts of trying to converse with Russian servicewomen on Kwajalein. After surviving a typhoon and then a friendly fire incident, Corbett was sent back to the States to instruct cadets on the essentials of naval service, making him wildly unpopular. When the war ended a few months later, Corbett was soon discharged. He later authored The Marvelous Maverick, a book about USS LST-325, which ended up in Greece after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Stoeber. Stoeber joined the Navy in January of 1940 and completed a 6-year tour of duty. He completed machine gun school, learning how to fire a 50 caliber anti-aircraft gun. He served aboard the USS Whitney (AD-4), which was docked at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He describes his experiences through that fateful day of events. In May of 1942 they traveled to Tongatapu, tending to the destroyers in that area. Beginning in 1944 Stoeber served as Chief Carpenter???s Mate aboard the USS Pickens (APA-190), which participated in the invasions of Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the Philippines. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayne Scott. Scott was born in Iowa and was attending Creighton university when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the Navy V-12 Program and was commissioned in March, 1944. His first assignment was as assistant supply officer aboard USS LST-283. Scott was aboard during the invasion of Saipan. At one point, Scott was in a typhoon. At the end of the war, USS LST-283 picked up Japanese troops from Chichi Jima and delivered them back to Japan. Scott transferred to USS LST-700.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Woodruff. Woodruff joined the Navy in January 1943 and received basic training at Great Lakes. He was then trained on small amphibious landing craft at Little Creek. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS LST-218 as coxswain of an LCVP and was sent to Tarawa. Once the island was secured, he carried a load of construction equipment and personnel to shore, returning with a few casualties, as there was a doctor on the LST. Their next assignment was to bring Marines and amphibious tanks from Pearl Harbor to the Marshall and Mariana Islands. At Saipan, heavy surf capsized many tanks in the initial assault wave. Woodruff evacuated casualties to the LST, which by that time carried half a dozen doctors and two dozen corpsmen. Woodruff was later transferred to Italy, where he joined 27 LCVP crews supporting the 10th Mountain Division. He did not see combat in Europe and was discharged when the war ended. He did not see combat in Europe and was discharged when the war ended.

Interview with Paul Jackson, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his time in boot camp at Camp Pendleton and his combat experiences in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Concert presented at the UNT College of Music Winspear Performance Hall.

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