The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Arquette. Arquette joined the Navy in February of 1942. He completed flight training, and was assigned to a fighter squadron. Beginning November of 1942, he served as a pilot aboard USS Lexington (CV-16). He participated in raids on Wake Island and the Gilbert Islands. He later transferred to USS Randolph (CV-15), participating in the Okinawa invasion. He returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945. Arquette continued his service and retired in 1963.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ken Barden. Barden joined the Navy in 1942, and was called to active duty in July of 1943. He was assigned to the Navy V-12 program, graduating around March of 1944. He then completed Midshipman’s School in June, and was commissioned in the Naval Reserve. After finishing amphibious boat training in December, he was assigned to the USS Charles Carroll (APA-28). They participated in the Battle of Okinawa. He recalls Ernie Pyle riding in his landing craft to the beach at Okinawa. After the war ended, they became part of the Magic Carpet Fleet, making voyages from the west coast to the Philippines and the Far East, carrying occupation troops west-bound, and returning servicemen east-bound. Barden was discharged in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James S. Bargsley. Bargsley grew up in Texas and joined the Navy in 1942. Once he finished training, he was assigned to duty on the USS Fallard (DE-222) and then the USS Bassett (APD-73). From San Diego, they departed for Pearl Harbor, knowing they were preparing for the invasion of Japan. In June 1945 they departed for Eniwetok Atoll, then to Guam, then to the Ulithi Atoll. On July 2, 1945, the ship reported to Commander Philippine Sea Frontier for duty. On August 3, 1945, the ship went to rescue the survivors of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). The survivors were transferred to the fleet hospital the next day. Then they went to New Guinea, where they heard of the atomic bomb being dropped, and in September to Manila. From the Philippines the ship went to Okinawa and then to Wakayama, Japan with the LCT convoy. The Bassett detached from her duties in November and Bargsley was discharged in December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Barnett. Barnett was born in the San Joaquin Valley on 17 June 1920. Upon graduation from high school in 1937, he entered the United States Naval Academy. After graduating from the Academy in December 1941, he was assigned to the gunnery department aboard the USS Helena (CL-50) which was being repaired after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After being repaired the ship was sent to Espiritu Santos where it operated with a task force that included other cruisers and destroyers. Barnett was involved in a battle with a Japanese naval force in which a number of ships were sunk. After undergoing repairs in Sydney, Australia, the ship participated in the battle of Guadalcanal and was sunk in Kula Gulf in July 1943. He describes the sinking of the ship and how he exited the vessel. He was picked up by the USS Radford (DD-446) while other survivors made it to the island of Vella Lavella. He and other survivors were taken to Espiritu Santos where, after three weeks, they boarded a liberty ship and returned to the United States. He was then assigned to the USS …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Beeler. Beeler joined the Army in April of 1943. He was assigned to a Military Police battalion with the 45th Infantry Division. In December, he was transferred to Baltimore. He completed Officer Candidate School in the spring of 1944. In December, Beeler completed additional schooling as a marine repair officer. In June of 1945 he deployed to Hickman Field in Hawaii, serving as a shipment officer, in preparation for the invasion of Japan. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge around July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Bennett. Bennett grew up in Texas. She worked in Big Spring as a personnel secretary and married an officer in the Air Force.

Transcript of a presentation by Forrest Biard. Biard grew up in Texas and attended the Naval Academy, graduating in 1934. Biard learned Japanese in Japan from 1939 to 1941. The training was rigorous. He describes interactions with the local women. Biard also traveled in Japan. He describes how sentiment gradually changed in Japan after the Japanese Army invaded China. He also describes how more and more Germans started traveling to Japan. Biard relates that the U.S. was warned that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor by the Peruvian ambassador but ignored it. He also mentions meeting Richard Sorge. He also talks about being followed everywhere by two plainclothes police officers, who at one point even searched his bags. He arrived in Pearl Harbor shortly before it was bombed. Biard was immediately assigned to be a cryptologist to break Japanese code under Commander Joe Rochefort, without any instruction. He describes working on breaking JN-25. He also identifies the 3 code-breaking sites as Washington DC, Corregidor, and Pearl Harbor. He describes in detail how many warnings and mistakes happened prior to Pearl Harbor. He was also on the USS Yorktown and describes difficulties when trying to warn Admiral Fletcher about an attack. Next, …

Transcript of an oral interview with Herman Billnitzer. Mr Billnitzer was a Pharmacist Mate in the Navy and spent most of his time as a corpsman with the 1st Marine Division, landing on Guadalcanal in October 1942. He describes the conditions on Guadalcanal as well as the conditions of the sailors that were rescued from ships sunk in Iron Bottom Sound. Near the end of the year, the 1st Marine Division was relieved by the Army and went to Australia for about eight months. From there, they were shipped to New Guinea, Milne Bay, where they stayed for about three months. Then, they landed on New Britain. Billnitzer gives a gripping description of the front line fighting on New Britain including the counterattacks by the Japanese; very revealing of what went on there. After New Britain, he was shipped back to the base hospital at Cape Gloucester and then to Pavuvu (Russell Islands) before he came back to the States for rest and rehabilitation in 1944; after over 20 months in the South Pacific. Billnitzer was sent to the naval hospital at Corpus Christi and then to the west coast for training at San Bruno, California. He went to Sasebo, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Borchers. Borchers joined the Army in September 1944 and received training at Camp Hood and Fort Ord. His first combat duty was in the Luzon campaign, where he was stationed in the mountains north of Manila. There he was assigned to the 112th Cavalry Regiment. His platoon devised an alarm system out of barbed wire and tin cans to alert them to Japanese infiltration. They fired 15,000 rounds when a water buffalo stumbled into it. After the battle, Borchers was stricken with hepatitis and never was in action again. He arrived in Tokyo Bay on 1 September 1945 and camped at the Tateyama Air Base with a view of the surrender. He was part of the occupation forces and describes what he saw on his travels through Japan, including the rubble of Chiba. He joined the 649th Ordnance Ammunition Company, dumping ammunition, vehicles, and aircraft into the water near Shoshi. Borchers returned home and was discharged in November 1946 as a first sergeant, whereupon he joined the Naval Reserves and entered medical school. He resigned his commission in 1953.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arwin Bowden. 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, then joining the battle of Saipan. He 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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ray Bowden. Bowden joined the Navy in November 1938 and received basic training in San Diego. He went aboard the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and was made coxswain of a liberty boat. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, he ran to his battle station. By the time he arrived, the ship had already been torpedoed seven times and was beginning to roll. He was hit by a piece of shrapnel that killed the men next to him but left him with only a broken rib. After the attack, he searched for his brother, who was also aboard the Oklahoma. He was safe at a nearby Marine encampment. Bowden participated in one diving mission as part of the effort to clean up the harbor, assessing damage and closing water-tight doors. Late in the war, he was transferred to the USS Santee (ACV-29) as a chief boatswain’s mate. He encountered kamikazes near Okinawa. At the end of the war, Bowden had enough points to be discharged but chose to remain in the Navy until 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Braden from Dallas, Texas. He discusses his time in the Airforce during WW2. Mr. Braden start with his time training to be a navigator before his first mission in Tokyo, Japan. David Braen describes dropping messages over Japanese cities urging Japanese people to plead for their leaders to surrender and to evacuate before the U.S. burns the cities to the ground. After the Japanese government surrendered and the war was over, Mr. Braden was flown home and kissed the ground as soon as he landed.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marcia Howe Bratusek and Marcile Howe Harrison. Twins Bratusek and Harrison grew up in San Antonio, Texas and participated in the local committee called the National Defense Recreation and Service Committee of San Antonio (similar to the USO). Born in 1932, they were nine in 1941 and 13 in 1945. They took dance lessons and their mother made them costumes. Their costumes were bought in Mexico. They took classes from Bertha Almaguer. During the war, they performed dances for military men as frequently as three nights a week. They performed at different bases and mention Dodge Field near Fort Sam Houston. They also had three brothers in the military. They had their pictures in National Geographic magazine. They also visited the military hospitals.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Brown. Brown was studying at the University of Texas at El Paso whe nhe joined the Army Air Force in 1942. Brown discusses his flight training, which occurred throughout Texas. With training cmplete, Brown was sent to Hawaii where he continued training with the 45th Fighter Squadron, 7th Air Force. Soon his unit was shipped to Iwo Jima where they flew bomber escort for bombing missions over the home islands of Japan. Brown was shot down over Yokahama and bailed out over the Tokyo Bay, where he was resuced by the USS Pipefish (SS-388). Brown was taken to Hawaii to recover and was eventually shipped back to the US, where he was discharged in September, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eleanor Brown. From early 1942 through 1944, Brown served as a general mechanics helper at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, and had completed flight training. In April, she joined the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPs) in Sweetwater, Texas. Brown graduated, though WASP was disbanded in December of that same year. She returned to Kelly Field and continued to work as the first woman mechanic at the Air Force Base.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Buell. While attending college in Iowa, Buell took advantage of the Civilian Pilot Training program and earned a pilot's license in 1940. He volunteered for the Navy and went to flight school at Pensacola, Florida, where he earned his wings and a commission in November, 1941. He was assigned to go aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) as a member of Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5) and arrived in time for the Battle of the Coral Sea. His squadron suffered enough damage to be removed from the Yorktown prior to the Battle of Midway. Buell was assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and flew search and rescue missions from her during the Battle of Midway. After that battle, Buell was transferred to yet another carrier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6), prior to the invasion of Guadalcanal. While flying off the Enterprise, Buell and ten other pilots had to land on Guadalcanal at Henderson Field. They and their dive bombers then became members of the Cactus Air Force. Buell describes the living conditions on Guadalcanal as opposed to those aboard an aircraft carrier. His group finally got off Guadalcanal and returned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alfredo Buentello. Buentello joined the Army in September 1940 and received basic training at Fort Sam Houston. He received medical corpsman training for three years before landing on Normandy on 6 June 1944 with the 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, supporting the 38th Regiment. He recalls the devastation at Normandy and remembers saving the lives of two men, one of whom was a German soldier. Buentello spent 160 days on the frontlines. He remembers Brest as being particularly bad. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Buentello sustained a concussion and multiple head wounds, one of which was patched with a metal plate. He recovered at the 165th General Hospital and the 44th Evacuation Hospital. He saw men being sent from the hospital to the front lines without having fully recovered. At the end of April, Buentello rejoined his division in Pilsen. He celebrated V-E Day, complete with a parade. He had enough points to return home immediately and was discharged in June 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John H. (Jack) Camp. Camp grew up in New Orleans and joined the Navy in August, 1943. Upon completion of training, Camp was selected for Hospital Corpsman school. In ealry 1945, Camp was ordered to go to Guam and work the in Fleet Hospital 103. He recalls receiving patients from the battle at Okinawa. In May, Camp was transferred to the USS South Dakota (BB-57). He was aboard when the task force the South Dakota was attached to attacked the Japanese home islands. Camp shares excerpts from a diary he kept while aboard the ship. At teh surrender ceremony, Camp was among a group of medical personnel that went ashore to a prisoner of war camp to bring former POWs back to the USS Benevolence (AH-13) treatment. Camp visited several POW camps before leaving Tokyo Bay. He returned aboard ship to the US in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. G. (Bill) Campbell. Campbell grew up in Texas, attended Texas A&M, and married in 1939 before joining the Army in 1943. After training, he went to Australia, Dutch New Guinea, Palu, Leyte, and Mindanao. He describes riding in amphibious vehicles and interacting with the natives. He discusses various illnesses he had during the war and his interactions with his brother, an engineer. He also describes surveying work in some detail. After the war, Campbell eventually became a public school teacher.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Canion. Canion joined the Army Air Forces in June of 1942. He received a commission as a second lieutenant and completed pursuit pilot training at Foster Field in Victoria, Texas in May of 1943. He served with the 345th Fighter Squadron, flying P-39s and P-47s. Beginning in the fall of 1943, he flew combat missions during the North African Campaign and the Italian Campaign. He also supported the invasion of southern France, completing around 100 missions. Canion returned to the US in April of 1945, having earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was discharged in June.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ben Cater. Cater joined the Navy V-7 Program, graduating in June of 1942. He then completed Midshipman School in the February of 1943. Cater then flew to Kodiak, Alaska, and served aboard USS Long (DMS-12), providing escort and patrol for the occupations of Attu and Kiska, returning to Pearl Harbor in September. Cater recalls participating in the Marshall Islands Campaign. In February of 1944, they traveled to New Guinea, escorting convoys and sweeping mines prior to the Admiralty Islands Campaign. They additionally participated in the Battles of Hollandia and Guam, and the Mariana and Palau islands campaign. Cater then served aboard the USS Columbia (CL-56), participating in pre-invasion bombardments for the landings at Leyte Gulf. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frederick Chevalier. Chevalier grew up in Texas and was drafted into the Army Air Force in 1941. Once he finished training, he became an instructor. He was told he had a foot condition and offered to stay as an instructor. He turned down the offer. He boarded a tanker at San Francisco in 1944 and took it to New Guinea. From there, he went up to Biak and then Mindoro where he fly 15 missions with the Jolly Rogers. He did radar counter measures. His missions were mostly mid-level with some high enough to use oxygen. From Mindoro Chevalier moved to Luzon. He was part of the 5th Air Force, VBC, 5th Bomber Command. He describes how the teams would verify that they were jamming the signals of the Japaneses. Finally, he moved up to Okinawa. He boarded the Hobo Queen, a B-32, for the Tokyo mission.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Richard E. Cole. Cole was born 7 September 1915 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1940 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and received his commission in 1941. He was then assigned to the 17th Bomb Group. In 1942 he volunteered for a mission and tells of being assigned as co-pilot to Colonel James Doolittle. Cole mentions the specialized training the volunteers received, being aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8), the bombing mission over Tokyo, and the subsequent bail-out over China. He relates his experience of reuniting with his crew members and meeting Madam Chiang Kai-Shek and John Birch, the liaison officer between the United States Military and the Chinese forces. Cole then was assigned to the 11th Bomb Squadron and flew bombing missions over China. He also mentions flying transport planes over the Himalayas, joining the 1st Air Commando Group, and subsequent military assignments. Cole retired after 26 years of service.

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.