The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Slaten. Slaten joined the Navy at the age of 16 in August 1942. He traveled to New Caledonia as a replacement and joined the crew of the USS Neches (AO-47) in the deck department. Slaten describes standing lookout in the crow’s nest in the Aleutian Islands and the ship running aground in Cold Harbor. He also goes into detail on refueling operations including an incident where a carrier broke away due to a submarine threat. Slaten discusses the Neches hitting a mine off of the coast of California. He also talks about events he witnessed such as the flag raising on Mount Suribachi and kamikazes off of Okinawa. Slaten was also in Tokyo Bay at the time of the surrender. He left the service soon after he returned to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Taylor. Taylor was a young boy in Canada during World War II. He describes the effort on the homefront, including growing Victory gardens and rationing gasoline. Beginning in 1943 he received training in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Air Cadets, and the Army Cadets. He helped with the manufacturing of Fairmile D-motor torpedo boats. In 1946 he joined an antitank unit in the Irish Regiment of Canada and received training at Petawawa. He then left the Irish Regiment and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, 400th Squadron. Taylor was discharged in 1949 and became a master plumber.

Transcript of an oral interview with William E. Steigerwald. He begins by describing the conditions he grew up in during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He joined the Marine Corps and went to boot camp at Parris Island. He trained on radar and shipped out to New Caledonia for more training, this time with Marine Raider battalions. He contracted malaria on Guadalcanal and was assigned to the 3rd Defense Battalion, and antiaircraft artillery unit. Eventually, he was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 11th Marines, an artiller yunit in the 1st Marine Division. He discusses landing in the third wave on Okinawa. He participated in the battle at Kunishi Ridge and describes killing a Japanese soldier. When Japan surrendered, Steigerwald went with the First marine Division to China to facilitate the Japanese surrender there. He stayed in the Marine Corps and became a Drill INstrucotr before going to the Korean War. He finishes by telling anecdotes about his career in the Marines. He retired in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Slaten. Slaten joined the Navy at the age of 16 in August 1942. He traveled to New Caledonia as a replacement and joined the crew of the USS Neches (AO-47) in the deck department. Slaten describes standing lookout in the crow’s nest in the Aleutian Islands and the ship running aground in Cold Harbor. He also goes into detail on refueling operations including an incident where a carrier broke away due to a submarine threat. Slaten discusses the Neches hitting a mine off of the coast of California. He also talks about events he witnessed such as the flag raising on Mount Suribachi and kamikazes off of Okinawa. Slaten was also in Tokyo Bay at the time of the surrender. He left the service soon after he returned to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Taylor. Taylor was a young boy in Canada during World War II. He describes the effort on the homefront, including growing Victory gardens and rationing gasoline. Beginning in 1943 he received training in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Air Cadets, and the Army Cadets. He helped with the manufacturing of Fairmile D-motor torpedo boats. In 1946 he joined an antitank unit in the Irish Regiment of Canada and received training at Petawawa. He then left the Irish Regiment and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, 400th Squadron. Taylor was discharged in 1949 and became a master plumber.

Transcript of an oral interview with William E. Steigerwald. He begins by describing the conditions he grew up in during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He joined the Marine Corps and went to boot camp at Parris Island. He trained on radar and shipped out to New Caledonia for more training, this time with Marine Raider battalions. He contracted malaria on Guadalcanal and was assigned to the 3rd Defense Battalion, and antiaircraft artillery unit. Eventually, he was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 11th Marines, an artiller yunit in the 1st Marine Division. He discusses landing in the third wave on Okinawa. He participated in the battle at Kunishi Ridge and describes killing a Japanese soldier. When Japan surrendered, Steigerwald went with the First marine Division to China to facilitate the Japanese surrender there. He stayed in the Marine Corps and became a Drill INstrucotr before going to the Korean War. He finishes by telling anecdotes about his career in the Marines. He retired in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with with William R. Sanchez. Born in Texas in 1918, Sanchez joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1938. He was drafted into the Army in 1940 and elected to serve in the Philippines. He was assigned to the 59th Regiment, Coast Artillery, Battery D and later Battery H at Fort Mills (Corregidor). He was then assigned to Army Intelligence in the Harbor Defense Headquarters. He recounts how the Army Intelligence at Corregidor provided advance notification of the Japanese force on its way to attack Pearl Harbor. He describes participating in the battle for Corregidor, being taken prisoner in the Malinta Tunnel, and his role in disposing of an American flag after the surrender to the Japanese. He discusses the treatment and living conditions he experienced as a prisoner of war. He was held captive at Bilibid Prison and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. He was transported aboard the Totorri Maru, a hell ship, to Formosa. He was then relocated to Camp Omori near Tokyo, Japan where he befriended Gregory “Pappy” Boyington and Louis Zamperini; was beaten by “the Wiley Bird” (Mutsuhiro Watanabe); and encountered Premier Tojo. He discusses his …