The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Chester Gacek. Gacek joined the Navy in 1943. He was trained as a radioman and was assigned to the USS El Dorado (AGC-11). Gacek was aboard during the invasion of Okinawa and mentions how he recorded messages received in Morse Code. He was in Manila when the Japanese surrendered and describes transporting Japanese officers onboard the USS Okala (ARST-2) to war crimes trails.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Wilhelm. Wilhelm joined the Navy in April of 1944. He served as a Gunner’s Mate aboard USS El Dorado (AGC-11) from August of 1944 through August 1945. They served as a communications ship through the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Wilhelm was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Harold Ryan. Ryan joined the Army in September of 1944. He served with the 96th Infantry Division. He worked with and trained fellow servicemen on the M1 rifle. Ryan participated in the Battle of Okinawa. He was discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arnold Spielberg. Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 6 February 1917. His mother and father migrated from the Ukraine. He joined the United States Army and based on his experience as a “Ham” radio operator and knowledge of Morse code, he was assigned to the 442nd Signal Corps. Soon afterwards, he was assigned to the United States Army Air Forces and went aboard the SS Santa Paul in May 1942 bound for Karachi, India. After a short stint in supply, Spielberg was transferred to the 490th Bombardment Group where he set up a communications center at Ondal, India. The unit then moved to Bishnapur, India where he became the communications chief. During this time he was instrumental in setting up a rhombic directional antenna to improve communication with New Delhi. He describes instances where he went directly to the manufacturer for parts that were badly needed. Following his tour in India, Spielberg was assigned to research and development at Wright Field where he stayed until he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mose Davie. Davie was born in Clarksville, Tennessee on 12 July 1918. He graduated from high school in 1938 and attended Tennessee State University majoring in engineering. In 1941 he was drafted into the United States Army under the Selective Training and Service Act. Following basic training he was assigned to the 382nd Engineer Construction Battalion. He tells of the segregated unit boarding the USS Hermitage (AP-54) bound for Bombay, India. Once in India, the battalion was assigned the job of building the Ledo Road. Working in jungles, swamps and over mountains and rivers, malaria was prevalent and many of the men died. He relates how food and supplies were brought in by C-46 and C-47 transport planes that flew over The Hump and of being subjected to periodic Japanese air raids over the construction camps. Upon completion of the Ledo Road, the battalion returned to India. Davie also attended USO shows that featured Joe E. Brown and Hank Greenberg. Following the surrender of Japan, Davie returned to the United States and received his discharge in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Lee ""Tex"" Hill. He discusses his time with the Flying Tigers and with Air Force Fighter Groups flying missions in China, particularly the Salween Gorge bombing to keep the Japanese from crossing into China there.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Mnichowicz. Mnichowicz was born in Chicago, Illinois on 10 November 1927. He joined the US Navy in 1944 and attended boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. Following boot camp he was assigned to the engine room of the USS Pochard (AM-375). He tells of the ship being involved in the laying of smokescreens and minesweeping operations prior to the invasion of Okinawa and of the shooting down of Japanese aircraft during the operation. He also tells of the ship sweeping mines in both Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay prior to the surrender of Japan and of being one of the first Americans to set foot on Japan following the surrender. Mnichowicz was discharged in 1946, but reenlisted shortly thereafter and retired from the Navy in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Salvatore Rascati. Rascati was born in New Haven, Connecticut on 12 May 1925. Entering the Navy in 1943 he attended boot camp at Sampson, New York. He then attended electrical school for four months followed by several months of training at the motion picture technical school in Brooklyn, New York. He was then assigned to the USS El Dorado (AGC-11). In 1944 the ship went to Guam at which time Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner came on board with his staff. Rascati tells of the ship participating in the invasion of Iwo Jima and taking many of the Marine casualties on board. He also tells of the ship participating in the invasion of Okinawa and General Simon Bucker and Ernie Pyle being on board. Following the Okinawa operation the ship went to Manila. While there they heard about the atomic bomb attack. The ship returned to the United States soon after the Japanese surrender.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. James E.T. Hopkins. Hopkins was born in Howard County, Maryland on 19 January 1915. Following high school, he attended The Johns Hopkins University graduating from the Medical School in 1941. He volunteered to go overseas with the Johns Hopkins Hospital Unit and was transported to Fiji aboard the SS President Coolidge (1931). On Fiji, they built the barracks out of reeds and bamboo and the hospital was a prefabricated building. In 1943 he volunteered to go to Guadalcanal and was assigned to the148th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion as a battle surgeon. On July 18 he was assigned to the 37th Infantry Division whose assignment was to capture Munda air field. He recalls the combat conditions encountered by the battalion and of the heroic actions of Private Roger Young, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He comments on the number of cases of war neurosis (shell shock) that were treated. Heeding a call by President Roosevelt for volunteers for a dangerous mission, James was sent to Bombay, India where he joined the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). It was commanded by Frank D. Merrill and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Wesley Furste. Furste was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 19 April 1915. Having attended Harvard Medical School, Dr. Furste joined the US Army Medical Corps in August 1942 and was sent to the Field Medical Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he was sent to Kunming, China and assigned as a surgeon in the United States Army 22nd Field Hospital. He tells of training various Chinese people in medical procedures and of treating combat casualties of the Salween River battle and the battle for Tengchong. He describes the various preventative measures taken to combat malaria. Following the surrender of Japan, Furste returned to the United States and continued his medical internship and training going into private practice in 1951. He is of the opinion that his wartime experiences prepared him for being noted as a world authority on gas gangrene and tetanus.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Witts. Witts was born in Texas 13 December 1920. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas until 1941. Leaving college during his senior year, he joined the FBI as a special agent in training and before completing the training he resigned and joined the US Army Air Corps in October 1941. After training at various installations he became a navigator in 1944. Witts received combat training in PBY5A aircraft at Kessler Field, Mississippi. He tells of picking up an aircraft at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia and flying to New Guinea where the plane and crew were assigned to the 13th Air Force. He describes the various types of missions flown and strong relationships the crew members formed. He tells of the living conditions encountered and the various types of landing strips from which they had to operate. Following the surrender of Japan he returned to the United States on a troop ship, received his discharge and reentered the University of Texas from which he graduated with a law degree.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Julius Casarez. Casarez was born in Austin, Texas on 9 May 1920. Upon joining the Army in December 1941, he had basic training in El Paso, Texas. Assigned to a machine gun anti-aircraft unit, he tells of sailing in convoy to Karachi, India. During July 1942, the unit moved to New Delhi. After six months they flew to Kunming, China. He describes traveling on the Burma Road to the Mekong River where they engaged in combat with the Japanese. In February 1945, Casarez returned to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Koch. Koch was born 31 October 1920 in Rochester, Indiana. He graduated from high school in 1939 and began working at various farms for one dollar per day. Upon being drafted into the US Army Air Forces in 1942, he was sent to Buckley Field, Colorado for six weeks of training in the operations and maintenance of machine guns. This was followed by gunnery training at Las Vegas Army Airfield in Nevada. Upon completion of the training he reported to Davis Monthan Air Base in Tucson, Arizona where he was assigned as a tail gunner on a B-24. After spending some time at several air fields, he was sent to Wendover Field, Utah. Here he was assigned to the crew of a new B-24 of the 489th Bomb Group, 847th Bomb Squadron. They flew to Holton, England. Soon after his arrival, he was assigned to the crew of another B-24 bearing the name Pregnant Peggy. He describes various mission flown, commenting on one where they returned to England on two engines with wounded crewmen on board. On 9 November 1944, he was transferred to the 9th Air …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Hunter. Hunter completed Civilian Pilot Training in college, acquired his pilot???s license and enlisted in the Army Air Forces in September of 1942. Hunter graduated from pilot training in July of 1943 and was commissioned. He joined the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group flying a P-38. He provides some details of his trainings and the various planes he flew, including the P-38. In October of 1943 they traveled to North Africa, Italy and France, escorting bombers and going on strafing missions. They completed 35 combat missions. He later joined up with a service squadron, hauling freight, testing aircraft after repairs and transporting passengers. He was discharged in June of 1945. He received the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John E. Miller. Miller was born in Pulaski, Indiana 18 January 1918. He worked in his father’s general store until he was drafted into the Army. He was sent to Camp Forest, Tennessee for basic training after which he was assigned to the 80th Signal Company in the 80th Infantry Division. After completing a radio course in November 1942 he was sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas where he worked in the message center as a messenger. The division then went to Camp Laguna, Arizona and did advanced training until June 1944 when they moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey and boarded HMS Queen Mary on 6 July. Soon after arriving in England, Miller went to France, landing at Utah Beach. As a designated messenger he had a personal jeep and an armed guard. Miller drove over 40,000 miles while in Europe. He tells of being present at a conference attended by generals Eisenhower, Patton and Montgomery and comments on the unforgettable experience of seeing stacks of hundreds of corpses in one of the concentration camps. He was discharged on 7 November 1945 after returning to the United States …

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 Bernice Shafer. Shafer was born in Ackley, Iowa 26 December 1926. She began nurse training at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Des Moines in 1941. Upon graduating in 1944, she entered the US Army Nurse Corps and began basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado. When she completed basic, she was assigned to Leonard General Hospital, Topeka, Kansas. After a period of time, she was shipped to Camp Pendleton, California in preparation for an overseas assignment. Shafer was assigned to the 311th Hospital Unit and boarded the USS Monterey (CVL-26), bound for Manila. She tells of the primitive conditions encountered in setting up the hospital. Designated as an operating room nurse, she describes working up to forty hours straight and the various types of battle casualties that were treated. She recalls that patients were transported to the hospital by ambulance, jeep and helicopter. In February 1946, Shafer returned to the United States aboard the USS West Point (AP-23), arriving at New York City after passage through the Panama Canal.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.R. Closs. Closs was born in Edge, Texas 9 March 1926. In 1944 he was drafted and entered the US Marine Corps boot camp at San Diego. After boot training he was selected to attend Marine Corps Sea School at San Diego. Upon completion of Sea School, he was assigned to the USS Yorktown (CV-10) as an orderly to the executive officer for a period of time and then he was assigned to a 20 millimeter gun. He tells of the Yorktown participating in the invasion of Okinawa and the ship being hit by a Japanese bomb. He also recalls seeing a kamikaze hit the USS Missouri (BB-63) during the invasion. Soon after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Marines on board the various ships were brought together on a transport ship, where for several days, they practiced beach landings. Between the Japanese surrender and the signing of the peace accords, the contingent of Marines landed at Yokosuka, Japan. Closs describes the bomb damage he observed and the physical condition of and attitude shown by the Japanese people.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Tucker. Born in Amherst County, Virginia in May 1925, Tucker was a freshman at the Virginia Military Institute when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Graduating with a civil engineering degree, he entered the Navy in November 1944. When he completed boot camp he was sent to Midshipman’s school. Upon graduating in May 1945, he was commissioned. During a rail trip with a group he was escorting from Providence, Rhode Island to Camp Shoemaker, California word was received that Japan had surrendered. He remained in California for a month and then received orders to report to the 94th Naval Construction Battalion stationed on Guam. He remained on Guam until August 1946 when he returned to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Crafford. Crafford was born in Bridgeport, Nebraska in 1919 and graduated from high school in 1937. He was employed at a Consolidated Aircraft plant making B-24 bombers until 1942 at which time he joined the US Army Air Forces. Upon completing his pilot training he was sent to Pueblo, Colorado for crew selection and training. In December 1943 the crew was sent to Herrington, Kansas to pick up a new B-24 which they ultimately named Salty Sal featuring the picture of a (Alberto) Vargas girl as the nose art. Flying from Hawaii they joined the 7th Air Force, 30th Bomb Group at O’Hara Airfield on the island of Abemama. Crafford flew thirteen bombing missions over the heavily fortified island of Truk. Returning to the United States during November 1944, he was attending engineering school at Chanute Field, Illinois when Japan surrendered. He was discharged shortly thereafter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Brushwein. Brushwein graduated from North Dakota State University ion 1939 and accepted his commission in the Army through the ROTC. When he was with the Third Infantry Division, he was a battalion adjutant working for Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower. In 1940, he went to Hawaii and joined the 25th Infantry Division. He describes his experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor. After more training in Hawaii, he embarked for Guadalcanal in January 1943. Brushwein provides many details of the activities of the 25th ID on Guadalcanal. Brushwein even drank beer at the officer’s club on Tulagi with John F. Kennedy.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Cook. Cook joined the Marine Corps in September 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. In January 1942, he was assigned to the USS Helena (CL-50) as an orderly to the captain. His battle station was below deck, hoisting powder cases for six-inch guns. He describes in detail the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which he believes could have been fought more effectively had the fleet taken advantage of readings from state-of-the-art radar equipment aboard the Helena. In March 1943, Cook was transferred to the States and began flight training. He joined the Black Sheep aboard the USS Rendova (CVE-114) in San Diego before being discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norma Cook. Cook was born in England in 1932. During the war, she and her family lived in a village outside of Liverpool. Because they were located near an antiaircraft battery, they endured a period of constant bombardment. During air raids they hid in their living room under a steel frame provided to civilians for protection. On the mornings following bombardments, the streets were lined with children whose homes had been destroyed. Her family took in as many as they could, but rationing made difficult every aspect of their lives. They wanted for food, clothing, and coal. The Cook family was still living under rations at the time they left England, in 1952, and immigrated to Canada.