The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Tuznik. Tuznik was born near Random, Poland on 24 June 1923. He attended school until 1937 at which time he began working on the farm. He tells of German soldiers occupying the country and of the demands they made on the Polish citizens. In 1942 soldiers of the German Army killed his mother, father and a friend and burned the house down because they were suspected of being members of the Polish underground. He was forced as a slave laborer to work in a munitions plant. He worked in Germany and in 1943 he was sent to Finland where he was forced to work fifteen hour days, seven days a week with meager food and clothing. He was then moved to Norway and was there when liberated by the Russian Army in 1945. Following the war, Tuznik got married and immigrated to the United States with his wife.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Nancy Tuznik. Tuznik was born in Aremark, Norway 30 October 1931. She tells of her life before the German occupation in 1940. The German Army occupied Norway and all farmers were required to furnish a certain percentage of what they raised to the Wehrmacht. She recalls that her father was involved with the underground resistance forces but has no knowledge of the extent of his involvement. She does remember various relatives fleeing the country. Soon after the end of the war, she met and married her husband. She immigrated to the United States in 1954 with him.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Kozak. Kozak provides some details of his family’s history as professional musicians, including his experience on the piano, marimba, harp and drums. Kozak served as the head of the department in the Shreveport Symphony, and served as a music teacher at a number of schools, including Juilliard School of Music in New York. He joined the Navy in 1943. He graduated from the Washington D.C. School of Music and was assigned as a Coxswain on a Higgins boat. He served as a marimba soloist in a band that played for Admiral Chester Nimitz throughout the war.

Transcript of an oral interview with Lewane D. Herring. He discusses working at Corpus Christi and Kingsville Naval Air Stations in south Texas before being assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La and the destroyer USS Barton during his naval career. He also discusses his time spent in the Air Force during the Korean War. Mr. Herring then read a letter about his brother's service during the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Anthony Giglio. Giglio joined the navy in September, 1942 and trained in Virginia. He was assigned to USS LST-454 just prior to commissioning and served as a gunner’s mate. He stayed aboard for 49 months and made 13 invasions. Giglio relates several experiences he had while aboard. He returned to the US after the war and was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Agin. Agin lied about his age so he could join the CCC in summer, 1941, when he was 15 years old. When he was discharged from the CCC in 1942, instead of returning to school, Agin joined the Army Air Forces at sixteen years old. He trained in aerial gunnery before heading overseas on a B-25 crew. He was assigned to the 71st Bomb Squadron, 38th Bomb Group at Morotai, Indonesia. He flew on 46 missions over the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea attacking shipping and airfields. Agin shares several combat stories. He mentions low level attacks and skip bombing. When the war ended, Agin was discharged but re-enlisted in April, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Larson. Larson joined the Army Air Forces in January, 1943 and became a pilot and was commissioned in April, 1944. He was first assigned as an instructor. He finally went overseas to India and was stationed in the Assam Valley where he participated in transporting material over the Himalaya Mountains to China beginning in January 1945. After a few trips over the Hump, Larson was stationed in China where he flew transport missions to various bases in China. Larson describes some of the flying conditions he experienced in the Himalaya Mountains as well as his experiences during the war in China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Melvin Pratt. Pratt joined the Navy in April of 1944. He served as Seaman 3rd Class with the gunnery gang aboard the minesweeper USS Strength (AM-309). In December, they arrived in Pearl Harbor, and began training in preparation for the Iwo Jima invasion. On 16 February 1945, they began sweeping off Iwo Jima to clear the way for the invasion fleet. In late March, they assisted in clearing the approaches to the beaches off Okinawa for the impending assault. After the war ended, they participated with occupation forces in Japan, sweeping mines around Sasebo. He received his discharge in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Owen. Owen was born in Lufkin Texas in 1926. He went to Texas A&M for a year after high school then joined the Navy after turning 18 in 1944 and trained at San Diego in June. In December, he was in the commissioning crew of USS Colusa (APA-74). Owen recalls hauling wounded from Iwo Jima back to Pearl Harbor aboard the Colusa before heading for Australia to repatriate American sailors whose ships had sunk. When the war ended, Owen returned to A&M, graduated and went to work.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ernest Latta. Latta worked in the CCC for a year and a half before joining the Army in October, 1940. He trained in Hawaii and was attached to Company I, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was at Schofield Barracks when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack, Latta guarded a beach on the western edge of Oahu for some time. He went to Guadalcanal in December, 1942. Latta earned a Silver Star in combat at Guadalcanal. He also invaded Vella Lavella. After that, he was present during the invasion of Luzon and participated in the battles at Balete Pass. Latta chose to be discharged when an opportunity came his way in July 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernard Link. Link joined the Marine Corps in 1943 after finishing high school. He trained in San Diego and then was shipped to Camp Tarawa on Hawaii. He boarded the USS Lubbock (APA-197) for a ride to Iwo Jima. On the third day of the battle, Link was wounded while attacking an enemy bunker. He was evacuated and placed aboard a hospital ship that soon sailed for Guam. From there, he went to a hospital at Pearl Harbor. Afterwards, he rejoined his outfit at Camp Tarawa. Link had a friend found guilty of desertion. He went with his unit to Kyushu for occupation duty in September, 1945. In May, 1946, Link was discharged.

Audio cassette from the NaDeane Walker Anderson collection. The oral history, by interviewer Cindy William, interviews NaDeane Walker Anderson, Women’s Army Corps (WAC) servicewoman during the second world war. NaDeane Walker Anderson was born in 1921 on a family farm near Canton, Texas. She was the second youngest child of nine to Charles H. Walker and Wincie Sides Walker. In 1942, NaDeane graduated from North Texas State Teacher’s College (NTSTC) in Denton, Texas.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Interview with Pete Duarte from El Paso, Texas.

This is a talk about the educational initiatives of the Bathou Educational Foundation.