The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Abel Ortega. Ortega was drafted into the Army in March, 1941 and was in the Philippines by November. Ortega was with a tank battalion on Luzon and recalls the retreat to and subsequent surrender on Bataan. Ortega also recalls how his Christian faith served him, and others around him, during captivity. He describes his experiences on the Bataan Death March. Ortega remained in the Philippines for over two years before being shipped to Japan to perform more slave labor. After the war, Ortega was repatriated and describes his return home to his parents.

Interview with Pete Duarte from El Paso, Texas.

Interview with Lorena Andrade, civil rights and labor activist from El Paso, Texas. Ms. Andrade was born in Los Angeles, California and attended the University of Minnesota, where she became involved with Chicano activism. In El Paso, she has been an advocate for labor and founded the organization La Mujer Obrera, The Working Woman, to support women affected by NAFTA.

Interview with Ruth Ann Johnston, a former trimmer from El Paso, Texas. Johnston describes her background and journey to becoming involved in the Dallas fashion industry, education at Texas Tech and the University of North Texas, work as a trimmer in the display department in several stores, including Neiman Marcus, the "NM Way," the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the fashion industry, her shoe collection, and the importance of developing relationships in the industry.

Interview with James E. Rugg, to get his reminiscences and impression during his stay on the USS Breese, at Pearl Harbor, especially during the Pearl Harbor attack. Rugg was born in Longview, Texas in 1918, and went into the Navy in 1935.

Interview with Leon Sell, to get his reminiscences and impression during his stay on the Schofield Barracks, at Pearl Harbor, especially during the Pearl Harbor attack. Sell was born in Wallis, Texas in 1920, and went into the Army.

Interview with Sidney F. Krohn, to get his reminiscences and impression during his stay on the USS Pennsylvania, at Pearl Harbor, especially during the Pearl Harbor attack. Krohn was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi in 1922, and went into the Navy 1939.

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 …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al D’Agostino. D’Agostino joined the Merchant Marine in 1945 and received training in Brooklyn. Upon completion, he was assigned to the SS Monterey where he worked as a butcher. His first trip to the Pacific was transporting European troops, who were unhappy about the looming invasion of Japan. The war ended while the Monterey was in transit, and the soldiers returning home were a much happier bunch. Even more joyful was the reunion of families when the Monterey picked up war brides and their babies from all over the Pacific and brought them back to the States. He transferred to a Liberty ship that brought German war criminals back to the States from South America, although he believes that the majority of the passengers were actually concentration camp survivors. D’Agostino was discharged but was drafted again during the Korean War and served as a radio relay operator atop a mountain in dangerous and harsh winter conditions. When he was discharged a second time, he applied his kitchen experience and attended Cornell’s hotel school. D’Agostino became the director of food service for Trans World Airlines. Before retiring, he moved …