The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Anthony F. Cooper. In January, 1941, Cooper was drafted into the Army. Cooper trained as an ammunition specialist. As such, he was trained to set up ammunition supply points in combat zones. After training, Cooper was assigned to the 54th Ordnance Ammunition Company. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Cooper was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From there, Cooper's unit went overseas t oEngland to prepare for the invasion of North Africa. Cooper describes being involved in the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia and having to retreat. At one point while Cooper was in Italy, he was captured by the Germans. He was liberated a few days later. Cooper also speaks about destroying ammunition after the war. After the war in Europe ended, Cooper returned to the US and was discharged. He re-enlisted in 1948 and saw service in the war in Korea. He also tested parachutes at Fort Bragg, Norh Carolina with the 101st Airborne Division. Also, Cooper met Elvis Presley while the Third Armored Division was stationed in Germany. While testing parachutes, Cooper also met General William Westmoreland.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Conrad Miessler. Miessler joined the Army Air Force in February, 1943 and discusses his pilot training in the T-6 Texan. He eventually graduated up to the P-38. Once Miessler was deployed to the Pacific, he flew missions from the Philippines to targets on Formosa (Taiwan). He was attached to the 433rd Fighter Squadron, 435th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force. When the war ended, he was shipped to Korea and flew a few months before going home and enrolling in Purdue University, where he used the G.I. Bill to earn an engineering degree in 1950.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur R. Weller. Weller begins with a brief biography and then an account of his father's actions as Commanding Officer aboard the USS Wasp (CV-18) that resulted in the award of the Navy Cross. Weller attended the University of California, Berkeley, and enrolled inthe Navy's V-12 program. His first assignment upon commissioning was at Fort Pierce, Florida teaching sailors to operate landing craft. At Fort Pierce, Weller volunteered for Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) training. In late 1944, Weller shipped out to Hawaii for more training and then boarded the USS Bates (APD-47) for a ride to Iwo Jima. He was assigned to UDT-12. Weller describes his duties and experiences at Iwo Jima. After the battle, Weller was transferred to the USS Iowa (BB-61). Aboard the Iowa, Weller served as a gunnery officer. He was aboard the Iowa in Tokyo Bay during the surrender ceremony and observed it through his gunsights. Weller also describes going ashore in Tokyo as a shore patrolman and as a tourist on liberty.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joan F. Weller. Weller begins with an account of her father's career in the Navy and her experiences growing up and moving from station to station all over the US. During her high school years , she spent time in San Diego and Honolulu. She was present on Oahu when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She proceeds to read a speech she delivered to high school mates of hers in San Diego shortly after she was evacuated back to the US mainland. In the speech she describes her impressions of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Weller then describes her activities as a college student during the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Schroeder. Schroeder joined the Army Air Forces and completed gunnery school and airplane mechanics school. Around 1943, Schroeder served with the 2nd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron as a detached service with the 13th and 7th Air Forces. They traveled over Johnston Island, Eniwetok, the Philippines and Truk Lagoon.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elton Porter. Porter joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Sonar School and Gunnery School, and volunteered for submarine service. Porter served as a Messman and Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Haddo (SS-255) around late 1944. He participated in their eighth and ninth war patrols, traveling through Pearl Harbor, the East China and Yellow seas. Porter received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James C. ""Bill"" Trowell. Trowell begins by telling about his father-in-law, Claude W. Lester. Lester was a torpedo man in the Navy during World War I and was recalled to active duty during World War II. He reads from Lester's diary about destroyer picket duty off Okinawa. Trowell then begins with his own experiences of growing up during the Great Depression on a farm in New Mexico. Trowell finished high school at 16 in 1942 and go a deferment due to his work in agriculture. In April, 1944, he joined the Marine Corps. He speaks a bit about training in San Diego. After training, Trowell qualified for Marine Aviation school and trained as a ground crew member examinig fuselages, wings, elevators, rudders and ailerons for damage, etc. The war ended before Trowell got overseas. When he did go overseas, he went to China for occupation duty with the First Marine Air Wing. He describes some trouble the Marines had with the Chinese communists. Trowell feels certain he would have gone to Iwo Jima had he not been able to get into a Marine aviation unit.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eberhardt Niemeyer. Niemeyer finished at the University of Texas in 1941 and was at Midshipman’s school at Northwestern when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. When he was commissioned in early 1942, he reported aboard the submarine R-18 and trained the fleet on sounding equipment in the Atlantic Ocean. In early 1944, he put the USS Sea Cat (SS-399) into commission and made four war patrols on her. Niemeyer relates several anecdotes about being aboard submarines during World War II. Niemeyer was discharged in December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Don Dahlke. Dahlke joined the Navy in January of 1942. He completed torpedo and machine gun schools. He served as Torpedoman aboard the USS Fletcher (DD-445), beginning May of 1942. They participated in the Guadalcanal operation, the Battle of Tassafaronga, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Lingayen Gulf Campaign. In February of 1945, they provided fire support during the occupation of Bataan and Corregidor. Dahlke returned to the US after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John J. Keenan. Keenan joined the Army in June 1941. He served as a bugler and runner and was quickly promoted due to circumstances and luck. Keenan became a master sergeant in less than 2 years. He served with the 7th Armored Division and landed in France in August 1944. Keenan describes some of the incidents he remembers as his unit advanced across Europe including meeting the Russians at the Elbe River. He was discharged in July 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alphior Silverio. Silverio went into the Army in 1942 and trained at Camp Atterbury. He was assigned to the 308th Combat Engineer Battalion attached to the 83rd Infantry Division and went overseas in April, 1944. In August, Silverio went to France with the 83rd. He recalls building bridges across France until he was wounded in early December and evacuated to England. By then he had earned a battlefield commission. He was able to rejoin his unit after recovery and was finally discharged in February 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Schneider. Schneider joined the Navy in January 1945. He describes his training at radio school including how he was taught Morse Code and typing. Schneider was assigned to PC-1244 and was based in Guam. He briefly discusses going through two typhoons with his tight-knit crew. Schneider was discharged from the Navy in July 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roger Anderson. Anderson joined the Army Air Forces in mid-1943. He served as a B-24 gunner. Anderson deployed in June of 1944 to Australia. He completed 42 missions, including over the Palau Islands, the Philippines and throughout the Pacific. He describes his work aboard a B-24. Anderson was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Brosius. Brosius joined the Army Air Forces after graduating from college and working as an agricultural supply manager. He washed out of cadet training when it was determined he was at risk for asthma. He was then sent to Harvard Business School and trained in statistical control, a new military discipline. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group in Australia and designed his own method of surveying operations. He also received permission to travel to Sydney to arrange for the publication of a yearbook depicting his unit’s wartime experiences. In 1943 Brosius was sent to Monterey to study military government in anticipation of the occupation of Japan. At the end of 1945 however, he seized an opportunity to return home and retired as a major. Despite being invited to join an elite group of military veteran statisticians known as the Whiz Kids, who would go on to run Ford Motor Company, Brosius chose instead a career in land development and construction.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Collins. Collins was a student at UCSB when he witnessed the bombardment of Ellwood. He was drafted soon after and sent to the University of Colorado. Upon course completion, he was assigned to USS LST-476 as a navigator and gunnery officer. His ship generally transported Marines from secured islands to rest points such as Ulithi. After landing troops on the beach at Okinawa, he pulled back to defend a heavy cruiser. Afterward, he shared a bunk with a Marine major suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Collins brought troops to Tokyo Bay and drove into Nagasaki, which was full of civilian casualties and stunned survivors at the time. He returned home and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Collins was sent to an aviation electronics school and later founded an electronics company that employed 350 people.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norbert Fritz. Fritz joined the Army in 1941 and was sent to radio school in San Antonio and the University of Texas. He received basic training in Amarillo and was reassigned to the Army Air Forces. He completed a radio operator course in Sioux Falls but could not get his Morse code up to speed; so, he was sent to Florida for top-secret radar training and arrived on New Guinea in the spring of 1944. There he serviced B-25 radio equipment, after removing radar equipment so the planes would be light enough for low altitude missions. He continued his work in the Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines, and Okinawa. He sailed through two typhoons on his way back to the States and was discharged in January 1946. Fritz opened a radio repair shop, became a broadcast engineer, and founded several radio stations.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Jacobs. Jacobs joined the Army Air Forces in March of 1943. He was classified as pilot and gunner. He received his wings in January of 1944. He served as a flight officer aboard B-24s. He flew to Townsville, Australia and Nadzab, New Guinea. He was assigned to the 22nd Bomb Group, 408th Squadron, serving as both pilot and co-pilot. They flew to Noemfoor, New Guinea. He flew 37 missions overall. Jacobs discusses overall life in the military including comradery with fellow crew members, food, housing and more. His crew was on the first mission to bomb the Philippines and he provides information on this mission.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harry Johnson. Johnson worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1941, in forest preservation in the areas of firefighting and fire prevention. He then joined the Marine Corps prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina, and provides much detail of boot camp. In April of 1942 he went to American Samoa. He describes their uniform and equipment issued to them prior to their trip. He traveled to Guadalcanal in August of 1943 and served as a rifleman. He provides detail of life on Guadalcanal. He also describes the various diseases he witnessed on American Samoa and Guadalcanal. He discusses life in the infantry and his work as a Marine during the war. He was discharged in May of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lamartine James. James enlisted in the Army in October of 1944. He went to Camp Wheeler in Georgia for infantry basic training. He went to Camp Stoneman in California where he was shipped out on the USS General John Pope (AP-110). They went to Manila, Philippines in March of 1945, and he describes his combat experiences there. James was assigned to the 161st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was in K Company in the 3rd Battalion. He provides detail on transporting Japanese prisoners. From there he went to the occupation in Koromo, Japan, and his job was to dismantle old Japanese Navy planes. Additionally, he transported Koreans from Japan back to Korea. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Merrick. Merrick joined the Air Force Reserves. By 1942 he had earned his pilot license and completed two civilian pilot training courses. He graduated as a flight officer from the glider pilot program in Lubbock, Texas in May of 1943. Merrick was assigned to the 437th Troop Carrier Group and the 84th Squadron. In January of 1944 he was shipped to England and provides details of his experiences there and additional training. In June of 1944 his outfit participated in D-Day. He also participated in Operation Market Garden in September of 1944. He served as a glider pilot during the war and provides detail of his experiences through these events. He returned to the U.S. in July of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lyle White. White joined the Navy in July of 1943. In Pearl Harbor he served as a carpenter, building new officers’ quarters. He talks about military life and provides some stories. He left for the South Pacific in March of 1944 aboard the USS General G. O. Squier (AP-130). He was part of the 123rd Construction Battalion. They went to Midway to empty bunkers of shells and build docks for submarines. He describes these experiences and the island. They also travelled to Samar, Philippines and built runways and Quonset huts. They built a causeway from Samar to Calaguan. White was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Sandini. Sandini was born in June 1925 into a Hungarian immigrant family and grew up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. Upon joining the Army Air Forces in 1943, he was accepted into the flight training program. Sandini was assigned to the 369th Bombardment Squadron, 30th Bomb Group, 40th Bomb Wing, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force. He tells a comprehensive tale of the experiences he encountered during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He flew twenty-four B-17 missions during World War II as well as numerous AC-47 gunship missions over Vietnam. He also tells of his involvement in the development of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program. He retired as a colonel in 1970.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ida Paxton. Paxton was raised in the Dust Bowl and educated in a one-room schoolhouse. When the war began, her mother sought permission of the ration board to acquire new shoes for the growing children in her family. Paxton left school in the ninth grade and worked at a drugstore soda fountain. At 17 she became engaged to a young soldier who was home on leave. She went with him to Oakland, where he was stationed, and got a job at the Emeryville Ordnance Depot. There she drove all sorts of Army vehicles, from DUKWs to half-tracks, taking them to their ports of embarkation. Soon after marrying, her husband deployed to the Pacific, corresponding in code so that Paxton could follow his wartime experiences. She also drove military vehicles in war bond rallies, V-J Day parades, and the celebration of General Wainwright's homecoming. Immediately after the surrender, her unit worked for 30 days straight, often until midnight, preparing vehicles for the occupation forces. Afterwards, she transported longshoremen from place to place, until her husband returned in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bill Barrow. Barrow joined the Navy in April of 1944. And, beginning in June, Barrow served aboard the USS Claxton (DD-571). Barrow was assigned to a 40-millimeter gun and served as a deckhand. They went to the Solomon Islands, escorting other ships and the old USS Mississippi (BB-41). He discusses life aboard the Claxton, and his initiation experiences crossing the equator. They participated in the Battle of Peleliu and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. Barrow was discharged in February of 1945.