Interview with Ed Carseth, a pilot during World War II. He discusses an early interest in aviation and earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot Training program. He spent a year as an instructor before joining the Air Transport Command. Through 1944 he delivered aircraft to Australia before being assigned to Myitkyina, Burma. He speaks of living conditions at Myitkyina. He flew materials over the Himalaya Mountains (the Hump) from Burma to Kunming, China. Carseth relates anectdotes about General Claire Chennault, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and a squadron mate who kept a baboon.

Interview with Jessie Clark regarding her experiences during World War II. She discusses having to adjust to a lifestyle of rationing for food products and shoes as well as blackouts and scrap metal drives. Her husband worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was often absent while she stayed home to raise their children in Houston. She discusses the scarcity of toys during Christmas and hosiery.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Tom Peays. Peays served as a pilot with the Air Transport Command in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. He joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program in Lubbock, Texas in 1940. He received his commercial pilot’s license and joined the Army Air Forces primary training program in 1941. He received his instructor’s rating and served as a flight instructor for aviation cadets in 1942. He went to the Air Transport Command in Dallas and took a civilian job flying military airplanes throughout the US. In 1943 Peays was commissioned as a flight officer. He flew B-24s, B-25s, C-54s, C-87s. He received his training in Homestead, Florida. In December of 1943 he was sent to Calcutta with a C-54 crew. He shares details of his travels, flying through various weather conditions, hauling high-octane aviation fuel. He traveled across the Himalayas and Burma where he encountered Japanese Zeros. He served in the China-Burma-India Theater as a pilot from 1944 through 1945, and was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lester Thompson. In later 1942, Thompson joined the Army Air Forces and was assigned to the 2256th Quartermaster Truck Company, 45th Air Depot Group. He was sent to England in 1943 and recalls a few encounters with German prisoners of war. He also shares several anecdotes about his life in the service in Europe. He landed at Normandy two days after the invasion. Initially, Thompson hauled in truck the makings of a field mess hall. Once it was destroyed, Thompson then began hauling gasoline, ammunition, aviation parts, POWs, etc. When the war ended, Thompson returned to the US before the end of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Roland Eberhardt. Eberhardt joined the Navy in 1937, and attended a watertender school in Philadelphia. He served as chief watertender aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36). Eberhardt was aboard the ship while it was docked in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He provides vivid details of his experiences through that fateful day, and the grounding of their ship. He was then assigned to the USS San Francisco (CA-38) for the remainder of the war. Later in December of 1941 they reinforced Wake Island. In August of 1942 they participated in the Battle of Savo Island, off Guadalcanal. They patrolled around the Aleutian Islands, Attu and Kiska, to keep the Japanese from reinforcing their bases. From there they went through the Marshall Islands in 1943 and the Mariana Islands in 1944. Eberhardt was then sent to Oil Burning School in Philadelphia, and then assigned to a base in Salamaua, Papua New Guinea. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Montague. Montague joined the Navy in August 1941 and went to boot camp at San Diego, California. He recalls being sent to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor and attending signal school. His first assignment was at the signal tower where incoming ships were assigned docking positions by the use of lights and signal flags. One of his frequent visitors was Admiral Chester Nimitz who would often take his daily walk in the area. His recollections of 7 December 1941 include returning from breakfast mess and seeing Japanese planes strafing. Montague describes the scene and tells of the actions he took. He went aboard the US Stingray (S-40) in 1943 and recollects the war missions they went on including mine laying, picking up downed flyers and a special mission to Luzon. He was transferred off the boat into the Shore Patrol and tells of his experiences. Montague returned to the United States in 1945 and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Wiesmann. Wiesmann joined the Navy in June of 1939. He served aboard the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Wiesmann recalls being ashore waiting for a church service to begin when the first Japanese planes attacked. Beginning August of 1942, he was transferred to the USS Boston (CA-69), and served on the deck force. He speaks of his shellback initiation, crossing the equator. Wiesmann also recalls their participation in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Voss. Voss joined the Navy in late 1938. He completed Radio Signaling School, and served aboard USS West Virginia (BB-48), USS California (BB-44) during the attack on Pearl Harbor and USS New Mexico (BB-40) during the invasion of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the bombardment of Guam, Saipan and Tinian and the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Voss additionally served aboard USS Menifee (APA-202) during the invasion of Okinawa. He was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Jones. Jones joined the Navy in January of 1941. He served in the Fire Control Division and Gunner’s Gang aboard the USS Tennessee (BB-43). The ship was moored near Battleship Row during the attack on 7 December 1941. He recalls going through the Harbor and retrieving servicemen out of the water. He was transferred to the USS Massachusetts (BB-59). They supported the invasion of North Africa in October of 1942 and struck Iwo Jima for the invasion in February of 1945. Jones was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Kimzey. Kimzey joined the Coast Guard in September of 1939. He provides details of his training in Alameda, California, and service aboard a 75-foot patrol boat. He served as a gunnery pointer and gun captain. In 1940 he was assigned to the USCGC Taney (WHEC-37), where he remained for one year, patrolling at sea and completing search and rescue operations. They traveled to Hollandia, Johnston, Palmyra, Wake, Canton Island and others. Kimzey was then transferred to the buoy tender, USCGC Kukui (WAGL-225), serving as the ship’s cook, commissary chief and more. They maintained and replaced navigational buoys in the Hawaiian archipelago. They were at Sand Island on 7 December 1941, and Kimzey provides vivid details of what he witnessed and how he participated through that fateful day. He returned to the US in 1944 and was promoted to Chief Commissary Man. He was discharged in 1945 and joined the Coast Guard Reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Gray. Gray joined the Navy in September of 1939. Gray trained as an aviation mechanic. He worked with Squadron VP-14, using multi-engine seaplanes to relocate older seaplanes from water to land. Gray was one of 6 family members serving in the war, and stationed at Hawaii, during the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. From spring through August of 1942, he worked as a plane captain aboard a PBY Catalina Patrol Bomber in Hawaii. From August through July of 1943, Gray served with Patrol Aircraft Service Unit 1-1 and was assigned to Guadalcanal to support the first Black Cat squadron, VP-12. In the summer of 1943 through the end of the war, he was assigned to a B-24 unit, overseeing advanced trouble-shooting and engine changes. He retired in 1959.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with M J Cotter. Cotter joined the Navy in March of 1941. After boot camp, he provided upkeep and maintenance of the 16-inch gun turret aboard the USS Maryland (BB-46). They traveled to Hawaii around July of 1941. The Maryland was present on Battleship Row during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Cotter was aboard the ship and describes his experiences through this fateful day, including their 50-caliber gunner taking down a Japanese plane. After repairs to their ship, they participated in the battles of Midway, Tarawa, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Cotter was discharged in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Herndon. Herndon joined the Navy in January of 1940. In April he was assigned aboard USS San Francisco (CA-38). He maintained the decks of the ship and worked as a mess cook. They were in Pearl Harbor Navy Yard awaiting an overhaul of their engineering plant when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. In late 1943 Herndon was assigned to a beach landing party aboard the USS Oxford (APA-189). He served in visual communications, and assisted troops from ship to shore. They landed parties in the Philippine Islands and Okinawa. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Oliver. Oliver quit school at the age of sixteen and joined the Army in September 1939. He was sent to Hawaii, where he joined the 19th Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He attended cooks school in Honolulu for sixteen weeks then he drove trucks. He describes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and tells of clearing the beach area of vegetation and installing rolls of barbed wire in anticipation of a landing by Japanese forces. In June 1942 he was sent to Oklahoma where he spent two years working in Battalion Headquarters during the formation of a new Army infantry division. He was then sent to Fort Benning, Georgia where he was a non-jumper instructor at the parachute school. He was discharged in July 1945. Oliver concludes the interview by telling of his duties after being recalled into the Army during the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Overfelt. Overfelt joined the Navy in August of 1938. From January of 1939 through June of 1942, he served on the deck force, and as a mess cook, aboard the USS Conyngham (DD-371). The ship was moored at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Overfelt was aboard the ship when the Japanese attacked. They completed numerous plane-guarding and submarine patrol missions. In February of 1943 they provided bombardment support through the Guadalcanal operation, and screening reinforcements through the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October of 1944. Overfelt was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Phillip Corsello. Corsello joined the Army Air Corps in May of 1941. He completed aircraft and engine mechanic school, and was stationed in Hawaii when the attack occurred on 7 December 1941. After the attack, Corsello worked guard duty at night and worked on B-17s during the day. He returned to the US in June of 1942 for flight training, but washed out.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Hornok. Hornok joined the Navy around 1940. He served as a Machinist’s Mate aboard USS St. Louis (CL-49). The ship was moored to the pier in Southeast Loch at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He notes how his ship was in 11 major battles, including the Marshall and Gilbert islands, Guadalcanal and Wake Island. They escorted ships back and forth from the US to Pearl Harbor. Hornok was later transferred to a submarine base in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, before he was transferred to the USS Massachusetts (BB-59). He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Somers. Somers joined the Navy in March of 1941. He served aboard the USS Castor (AKS-1). They transported troops from Johnston Island to Wake Island in October. They were docked in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Through February of 1942, they carried cargo from the US to aid in the buildup of Pearl Harbor, then aided in the opening operations in New Caledonia, New Hebrides, the Fiji Islands and New Zealand. In mid-1943 through 1945, Somers served aboard USS Gatling (DD-671). Somers recalls their support during the invasions of the Marshall Islands and Okinawa. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.M. Barclay. Barcaly was born in Broadus, Texas 12 September 1923. Upon joining the Navy in 1941 he went to San Diego for boot camp. He then was assigned to the USS Utah (BB-31) as a helmsman. The ship was at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and Barclay recalls observing Japanese planes attacking the fleet and a bomb hitting the Utah. He abandoned ship and tells of Japanese planes strafing men in the water. He assisted in recovering bodies of sailors from the USS Arizona (BB-39). Later in the evening, among a group of sailors resting on an oil tanker, Barclay’s group was subjected to friendly fire, resulting in casualties. For several weeks before the attack, Barclay recalls seeing a foreign submarine on the surface near the ship on a daily basis. He would report the sighting to the captain but no action was taken. In early 1942 he was transferred to the USS Honolulu (CL-48). He recounts several battles and recalls the Honolulu having forty feet of her bow blown off by a torpedo. After a short period of shore duty Barclay was transferred to the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Evelyn Meehan. Meehan and her husband, who served in the Navy, were stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. At the time of the attack, her husband was at sea aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6). They remained in Hawaii after the attack, and Meehan continued working in the Office of Censorship in Honolulu. She speaks on general civilian life during World War II.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Davis. Davis entered the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was sent to Wheeler Field, Hawaii and spent a short time with the 19th Pursuit Squadron. He was transferred to the 58th Bomb Squadron. He recalls he was a crew chief on an A-20 (Havoc) bomber when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Field on 7 December 1941. Davis describes the actions he took on that day, which included two days of intense labor repairing aircraft to a flyable condition. He was assigned to flight training, but washed out. Davis was soon assigned to gunnery school at Las Vegas, Nevada. After completion, he went aboard RMS Queen Elizabeth. Upon arrival at Turleigh, England he was assigned to the 306th Bomb Group, 367th Bomb Squadron as a flight engineer and gunner on a B-17. He describes many of the 24 combat missions he flew and tells of several incidents involving members of the crew. After the surrender of Germany, he returned to the United States. He tells of reenlisting and of some of his experiences he had until his retirement in 1965.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wilbur Wright. Wright was born in Craig, Missouri 29 December 1919. He joined the Navy in 1938 and went to San Diego for boot camp. After training he went to Hawaii and was assigned to the USS Oglala (CM-4/ARG-1). On 6 December 1941 the ship’s crew unloaded a cargo of mines at Pearl Harbor. Wright was on board when the Japanese attacked. He witnessed the attack and recalls not firing the ship’s guns as they were unable to get ammunition. He mentions a torpedo went under the Oglala and hit the USS Helena (CL-50). The concussion from the explosion damaged Oglala’s hull so badly, she began to take on water. The crew abandoned ship as it capsized. Wright saw the face of a Japanese pilot as he strafed the ships and docks. He recalls a Japanese midget submarine getting into the harbor and watching the USS Monaghan (DD-354) ram it and drop depth charges, which caused the submarine to surface. He saw Marines in a motor launch board the submarine and take off two crewmen. The Japanese crewmen were handcuffed with hoods over their heads as they went …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Werner. Werner joined the Army in January of 1940. He served as a gun mechanic with the 64th Coast Artillery Antiaircraft. Additionally, he worked as an assistant mail censor. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the 7 December 1941 attack. Werner provides vivid details of his experiences on the night before and during that fateful day. In early 1943 he joined the Army Air Forces, and was sent to radio school with specialty training in direction finding. From there he traveled to New Guinea to set up a direction finding station near a military landing strip. He continued on to Hollandia, Australia and the Philippines. He was discharged around January of 1946.

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