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Oral History Interview with Robert D. Haines, May 15, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Robert D. Haines, May 15, 2002

Interview with Robert D. Haines, an American prisoner of war during World War II. He discusses the attack on Clark Field in the Philippines on December 8, 1941, as well as his experiences on the Bataan Death March. He also tells of his time spent as a prisoner of war under the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell, Cabanatuan and Bilibid prison in Manila. He encountered his brother, who was a civilian internee, at Bilibid. From there, he rode on a hell ship for 39 days to a POW camp in Formosa (Taiwan). When the Americans began bombing Formosa, Haines was moved via another hell ship to Tokyo, Japan. Not long after, he was liberated and returned to San Francisco, then Denver.
Date: May 15, 2002
Creator: Graham, Eddie & Haines, Robert D.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, January 15, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, January 15, 2004

Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, a pilot during World War II. He describes growing up on a farm in Georgia, going to college at Berry, and working for Sears, Roebuck, and the Royal Typewriter Company before joining the U. S. Navy. He tells an anecdote about joining the navy so he could go to New York to see the World's Fair, since he had heard the Atlanta Reserve would be making a trip to the Fair. He began flight training in Florida in December 1940, finished the next September, then drove cross-country to San Francisco after the Pearl Harbor attack. He eventually joined the USS Enterprise in April 1942 and saw the B-25 bombers in the Doolittle Raid take off. He was part of Bombing Squadron Six and trained under Commander Best to learn how to do scouting flights, navigation, and dive bombing. He then describes his participation in the Battle of Midway, the hours before take-off, his first view of the Japanese fleet, and his bombing mission. He was later assigned to the USS Hornet and had to fly off to a little island so that planes from the USS Wasp could land on the Hornet after their ship …
Date: January 15, 2004
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Hopkins, Lewis R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001

Interview with Albert Bouley, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Marines just after Pearl Harbor; his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division; the battle of Guadalcanal; malaria and dysentery; the battle of Cape Gloucester; the use of Pavuvu as a base; the battle of Peleliu; his return to the United States; guard duty at the Brooklyn Naval Yard and his service as an instructor in a heavy weapons school before the end of the war. He joined the Air Force 2 1/2 years later to be able to fly and work on planes, then retire to become a teacher in California, and finally settled in Texas.
Date: June 27, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bouley, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001

Interview with Carl Peltier, a U. S Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then joined the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons and mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Pentagon during the Korean War.
Date: March 4, 2001
Creator: Nichols, Chuck & Peltier, Carl
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Cleatus A. LeBow, May 2, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with Cleatus A. LeBow, May 2, 2006

Interview with Cleatus A. LeBow, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. LeBow joined the navy in 1943 and went from Lubbock, Texas to San Diego for recruit training. He shipped out to Pearl Harbor aboard an LST from San Francisco. At Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to a work detail aboard the USS Oklahoma, which had just been righted. Shortly thereafter, he boarded the USS Indianapolis to serve as a range finder operator on one of the gun turrets. Upon leaving Hawaii, the Indianapolis went to Tarawa and then the Marshall Islands. LeBow witnessed Japanese civilian suicides on Saipan. He also witnessed the flag-raising on Iwo Jima from his range finder position aboard the ship. LeBow describes being hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa. He also discusses delivering atomic bomb components to Tinian and being torpedoed on the way to the Philippines. He describes abandoning the ship and spending five days in the water, including his faith in God, hallucinations, rescue, and his recovery.
Date: May 2, 2006
Creator: Misenhimer, Richard & Lebow, Cleatus A.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002

Interview with Jerell E. Crow. He entered the Coast Guard in 1940 and trained in Florida and New York City. He served aboard a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) when those ships were first introduced. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Neville Island Shipyard operated by the Dravo Corporation as part of a crew that brought an LST down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. From there, the crew practiced operations at Biloxi, Mississippi. Eventually, Crow travelled to San Diego aboard the LST through the Panama Canal. From there, he went to Guadalcanal and unloaded tanks. Eventually, his ship was hit at Saipan and he was wounded. He also served aboard an LST during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Afterwards, Crow's LST was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. He visited Hiroshima while on occupation duty after the atomic bomb was dropped. Eventually, his LST made its way back to San Francisco where he was discharged.
Date: August 24, 2002
Creator: Rabalais, Larry & Crow, Jerell E.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, March 9, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, March 9, 2000

Interview with Arwin Bowden, a marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his training in San Diego and New Zealand before the Battle of Tarawa. He describes being wounded in the battle, the casualties he saw, and being shipped back to Pearl Harbor for treatment before joining the battle of Saipan. He describes ancedotes about Japanese killing themselves rather than surrendering, eating food from a garden watered from rainwater running down from outhouses, the wages he made, and the time he had leave.
Date: March 9, 2000
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bowden, Arwin J.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James William Harrison, January 27, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with James William Harrison, January 27, 2005

Interview with James William "Bill" Harrison, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He explains how he joined the navy in San Diego without going to boot camp. He worked on an oil tanker that shipped out to Pearl Harbor a month after the attack there and transported fuel out of San Diego to various ships at sea. He was then transfered to Admiral Nimitz's public relations department. There he and two others wrote stories about the action in the Pacific theater, particularly about the Battle of Midway. They also contributed to a radio show and worked with the national press corps. He then worked at the Naval Air Station in Seattle before traveling to Hilo, Hawaii to meet with soldiers who had returned from Tarawa. In Texas, he attended officer training school and college at Southwestern University. After the war ended, he studied at the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma for law school. He recalls an incident in which his office released a story about a cat that had kittens on board a cruiser; they reported this good news from the Pacific prior to the Battle of Midway. He also met Admirals Nimitz …
Date: January 27, 2005
Creator: Parish, Brainerd & Harrison, James William
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Phinney, July 15, 2010 transcript

Oral History Interview with James Phinney, July 15, 2010

Interview with James (Jim) Phinney, an aircraft electrician for the U. S. Navy during Wold War II. He discusses joining the Navy, going through boot camp and becoming an aircraft electrician. He was assigned to the USS Lexington but abandoned ship after it was hit by a torpedo. He was rescued and was then sent to San Diego to be reassigned to the USS Enterprise. He mentions being at Guadalcanal and later aboard a sub-chaser. The crew crossed the Equator and consequently participated in an initiation ceremony, during which time Admiral Halsey was nearly shot by one of the ship's pilots who forgot to lock his gun. He also recalls some of the food he ate while at sea.
Date: July 15, 2010
Creator: Cox, Floyd; Phinney, James & O'Konski, Susan
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Fouts, December 6, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Fouts, December 6, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Fouts. Fouts joined the Navy in 1939 and trained in San Diego. Upon completion of basic training, Fouts joined the USS Argonne (AG-31). Later, he was stationed at the submarine base at Pearl Harbor when the war started. He recalls witnessing the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. He managed to get guns operational on the USS Widgeon (AM-22) before it got underway during the attack. Between the attacks, Fouts went alongside the USS Arizona (BB-39) and measured the holes in the hull. He continued serving as a diver at Noumea and Samoa in 1942-1943. He volunteered for submarine duty and was made five war patrols aboard the USS Pogy (SS- 266). Fouts tells several submarine stories. After the war, Fouts remained in the Navy for thirty years.
Date: December 6, 2001
Creator: Fouts, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. J. Dunn, July 13, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with A. J. Dunn, July 13, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with A J Dunn. Dunn joined the Navy in 1940 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Oglala (CM-4) at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of 7 December 1941, he was returning from liberty when the attack began. Unable to find his ship, he jumped aboard the USS Mugford (DD-389) just as it was getting underway. After seven days of patrols, he returned to the harbor and was transferred to the USS New Orleans (CA-32). While on convoy duty to Brisbane, the ship received a warm welcome from Australian citizens. But one evening, the ship was nearly subject to friendly fire when a cruiser from New Zealand mistook the New Orleans for a Japanese ship. Dunn was transferred to the USS Indiana (BB-58) with Task Force 58, bombarding islands in the Gilberts and Marshalls. As a gunner’s mate, his duties included testing small arms ammunition in a surveillance oven to see whether it had expired. He was transferred to the USS Botetourt (APA-136), operating out of the Philippines until the end of the war. He sailed past the USS Missouri (BB-63) …
Date: July 13, 2011
Creator: Dunn, A. J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.
Date: November 12, 2009
Creator: Hildebrandt, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.
Date: November 12, 2009
Creator: Hildebrandt, Alan
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jeffers. Jeffers joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in Illinois. He received diesel engine maintenance and repair training at submarine school in Connecticut. Upon completion, he was assigned to the engine room aboard the USS Threadfin (SS-410) as a fireman, first class. He participated in the tracking operation that led to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. He was transferred to the USS Menhaden (SS-377) and was the first to welcome Admiral Nimitz during a change of command ceremony. Jeffers was discharged in 1946 and went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering as well as a law degree.
Date: December 28, 2011
Creator: Jeffers, Albert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jeffers. Jeffers joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in Illinois. He received diesel engine maintenance and repair training at submarine school in Connecticut. Upon completion, he was assigned to the engine room aboard the USS Threadfin (SS-410) as a fireman, first class. He participated in the tracking operation that led to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. He was transferred to the USS Menhaden (SS-377) and was the first to welcome Admiral Nimitz during a change of command ceremony. Jeffers was discharged in 1946 and went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering as well as a law degree.
Date: December 28, 2011
Creator: Jeffers, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Finley, April 11, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Finley, April 11, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Finley. Finley joined the Marine Corps around December of 1943. He provides vivid details of his boot camp experiences. He served with Headquarters Company, 4th Marines, as a radar mechanic on Corsairs, repairing radio and radar gear. Beginning in September of 1944 they traveled to Guam, Kwajalein, Pearl Harbor and Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Finley shares a number of anecdotal stories, including working with POWs. He was discharged in the fall of 1946.
Date: April 11, 2006
Creator: Finley, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Finley, April 11, 2006 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Albert Finley, April 11, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Finley. Finley joined the Marine Corps around December of 1943. He provides vivid details of his boot camp experiences. He served with Headquarters Company, 4th Marines, as a radar mechanic on Corsairs, repairing radio and radar gear. Beginning in September of 1944 they traveled to Guam, Kwajalein, Pearl Harbor and Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Finley shares a number of anecdotal stories, including working with POWs. He was discharged in the fall of 1946.
Date: April 11, 2006
Creator: Finley, Albert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Quackenbush, October 10, 1999 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Quackenbush, October 10, 1999

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Al Quackenbush. Quackenbush joined the Navy in 1931. He served as a First Class Ships Cook on the USS Tangier (AV-8). He is a plank owner of the Tangier and provides details of starting up the crew when it was first commissioned. His battle station was the .50 caliber gun on the forward mount. He discusses the training on the ship and activities prior to and on 7 December 1941. On the day of the attack, Quackenbush helped pull sailors out of the water, including a Japanese aviator.
Date: October 10, 1999
Creator: Quackenbush, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Tanaguchi, March 18, 1995 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Tanaguchi, March 18, 1995

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Tanaguchi. Tanaguchi was a Japanese-American internee at the Gila River Camp in Arizona during World War II. At 19 years old, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tanaguchi became a part of the internment program of the War Relocation Authority. He provides detail of life growing up in Stockton, California before December 7, 1941 and after, and experiences of bigotry and racism among his peers. He provides detail of his father being in the Justice Department internment group. He served as the dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, and at Rice University in Houston. He designed an addition to the Nimitz Museum.
Date: March 18, 1995
Creator: Tanaguchi, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The experience upset him to the point that he remembered the date of each letter for the rest of his life. He was transferred to Carrier Air Group 10 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and helped to set up squadrons in Alameda from January 1943 to September 1944. At Okinawa, a kamikaze hit caused the deaths of eight men on the Intrepid. When the ship returned to Alameda for repairs, Kiracofe was so shaken up that he was ordered to a US Naval hospital for treatment and received a medical discharge in July 1945.
Date: March 6, 2006
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The experience upset him to the point that he remembered the date of each letter for the rest of his life. He was transferred to Carrier Air Group 10 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and helped to set up squadrons in Alameda from January 1943 to September 1944. At Okinawa, a kamikaze hit caused the deaths of eight men on the Intrepid. When the ship returned to Alameda for repairs, Kiracofe was so shaken up that he was ordered to a US Naval hospital for treatment and received a medical discharge in July 1945.
Date: March 6, 2006
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Hiegel, September 18, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Al Hiegel, September 18, 2005

Transcript of an oral interview with Al Heigel. When Heigel finished high school in June, 1944, he joined the Navy at Little Rock, Arkansas and went for boot training at San Diego. He was assigned as a radar operator and reported aboard the USS Independence (CVL-22) at Pearl Harbor. Heigel describes the light carrier and its construction and features. He also speaks of the time the Independence was hit by a torpedo off Tarawa in 1943. Heigel then describes events off Okinawa: watching the USS Franklin (CV-13) being bombed off Okinawa; locating and shooting down kamikazes; describing battle stations; aircraft water landings; being in a typhoon, etc. After the war ended, the Independence served as a troop transport taking GIs back home to the US. He describes bunks in the hangar deck and arriving in Portland, Oregon. As the Independence was being prepared for the Bikini Atoll atomic tests, Heigel got off becuase he had the requisite amount of points allowing him to be discharged. He then entered the lumber business, married and raised family.
Date: September 18, 2005
Creator: Heigel, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. K. Sheffield, May 20, 2016 (open access)

Oral History Interview with A. K. Sheffield, May 20, 2016

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A K Sheffield. Sheffield joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Armed Guard School in San Diego. He served with the Navy Armed Guard aboard a transport ship, and traveled to the Philippine Islands. In May of 1944, Sheffield was aboard the SS Henry Bergh when it ran aground on the Farallon Islands, and shares details of those events. He traveled through the Pacific Islands, to Japan and throughout the Atlantic. Sheffield does not speak of participating in any battles or combat. He returned home aboard USS Iowa (BB-61) after the war ended in late 1945.
Date: May 20, 2016
Creator: Sheffield, A. K.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. K. Sheffield, May 20, 2016 transcript

Oral History Interview with A. K. Sheffield, May 20, 2016

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A K Sheffield. Sheffield joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Armed Guard School in San Diego. He served with the Navy Armed Guard aboard a transport ship, and traveled to the Philippine Islands. In May of 1944, Sheffield was aboard the SS Henry Bergh when it ran aground on the Farallon Islands, and shares details of those events. He traveled through the Pacific Islands, to Japan and throughout the Atlantic. Sheffield does not speak of participating in any battles or combat. He returned home aboard USS Iowa (BB-61) after the war ended in late 1945.
Date: May 20, 2016
Creator: Sheffield, A. K.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History