The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Karl Williams. Williams joined the Navy in April of 1942, as a 3rd Class Yeoman. He completed training at San Diego and provides details of his training experiences, uniforms and general life at camp. While waiting on a ship assignment, Williams was transferred to Tiburon, California, making submarine harbor nets by hand. From June to October of 1942 he volunteered to attend school for additional Yeoman training in Bloomington, Indiana. He was transferred to Miami to complete further training through the middle of 1943. He then served as 2nd Class Yeoman aboard a submarine chaser. They were sent to Panama in August of 1943. He did not have any contact with enemy submarines during his service. They traveled to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal, where they were stationed through August of 1944, serving as a patrol ship around the island. They were sent to the Mariana Islands where they remained until the war ended. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harrison Gunter. Gunter joined the Navy in June, 1942 as an aviation cadet. He trained in Georgia and Texas before receiving his commission. He then opted to transfer to the Marine Corps. He was retained as a flight instructor. In January, 1945, Gunter was sent to Guam and flew C-47s hauling personnel all over the Pacific. His squadron was VMR-952. When the war ended, his unit went to occupation duty in Japan. Gunter was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Smith. Smith was drafted into the Navy in August, 1943 and went to boot camp in New York. He then trained as a radio operator. He was sent to New Guinea and worked at a station at Hollandia where he received coded messages. Then he went to the Philippines for the invasion of Luzon where he worked aboard a communications vessel. When the war ended, Smith was back at Hollandia and was discharged in April, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dag Larsen. Larsen volunteered to join the US Army Air Forces in October, 1942 and trained in New Jersey. He qualified to become a navigator and trained in Alabama, where he earned a commission. He flew 47 combat missions in B-24s against oil fields in Borneo, the Japanese naval base at Truk, the Philippines and other targets. Larsen returned from the Pacific in August, 1945. He stayed in the service after the war and served as a navigator for the Strategic Air Command and flew on B-29s, B-36s and B-52s.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with William Batty. Batty was drafted into the Army Signal Corps in April, 1944 after he finished high school. After training, he joined the 58th Signal Repair Company in late 1944 and headed for England. His unit eventually moved to the continent and into Germany. Their job was to repair telephones, but they did not encounter too many. Batty shares several anecdotes of his time in Europe during and after the war. When the war ended in Europe, Batty recalls his unit packing its gear for transport to the Pacific. He was Marseilles when the Japanese surrendered. He returned instead to the US and was discharged in April, 1946. Batty went to college in Mississippi and then went to work for IBM.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and attended rocket school. He was then assigned to the West Coast as an instructor. There he flew a TBF but was still able to land on short runways, due to his precision carrier training. As a lieutenant, he treated his students as equals, sometimes flying them home to visit family. At his final station in Sand Point, the officer’s club was once visited by actor Robert Taylor, who introduced himself and sat down next to the prettiest girl in the room, Matthews’ wife. When the war ended, Matthews left the Navy, although he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the service.

Transcript of an oral interview with Edwin Seace. Seace enlisted in the Navy in June of 1942 and was assigned to the USS Independence (CVL-22). He was one of the plank owners (i.e. part of the first crew on a new ship) and mentions going through the Panama Canal as the first ship of that size to go through, scraping the sides of the flight deck overhang on the canal walls. From there, the ship docked in San Diego before heading out to Pearl Harbor then across the Pacific Ocean, making raids at Rabaul in September 1943, supporting the landings at Tarawa in November where it was torpedoed on November 20th. He talks about getting hit in the head by debris when one of the torpedos hit, watching burials at sea, going to Funafuti, then Pearl Harbor, then San Francisco for repairs, running aground on a sandbar leaving San Francisco due to the ship being overloaded, being in Halsey's fleet for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, supporting the landings on Luzon, the sinking of the Princeton, the sister ship of the Independence, and night combat runs made by the Independence's planes. He also mentions remembering the smell of Iwo Jima …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dag Larsen. Larsen volunteered to join the US Army Air Forces in October, 1942 and trained in New Jersey. He qualified to become a navigator and trained in Alabama, where he earned a commission. He flew 47 combat missions in B-24s against oil fields in Borneo, the Japanese naval base at Truk, the Philippines and other targets. Larsen returned from the Pacific in August, 1945. He stayed in the service after the war and served as a navigator for the Strategic Air Command and flew on B-29s, B-36s and B-52s.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with William Batty. Batty was drafted into the Army Signal Corps in April, 1944 after he finished high school. After training, he joined the 58th Signal Repair Company in late 1944 and headed for England. His unit eventually moved to the continent and into Germany. Their job was to repair telephones, but they did not encounter too many. Batty shares several anecdotes of his time in Europe during and after the war. When the war ended in Europe, Batty recalls his unit packing its gear for transport to the Pacific. He was Marseilles when the Japanese surrendered. He returned instead to the US and was discharged in April, 1946. Batty went to college in Mississippi and then went to work for IBM.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Smith. Smith was drafted into the Navy in August, 1943 and went to boot camp in New York. He then trained as a radio operator. He was sent to New Guinea and worked at a station at Hollandia where he received coded messages. Then he went to the Philippines for the invasion of Luzon where he worked aboard a communications vessel. When the war ended, Smith was back at Hollandia and was discharged in April, 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Edwin Seace. Seace enlisted in the Navy in June of 1942 and was assigned to the USS Independence (CVL-22). He was one of the plank owners (i.e. part of the first crew on a new ship) and mentions going through the Panama Canal as the first ship of that size to go through, scraping the sides of the flight deck overhang on the canal walls. From there, the ship docked in San Diego before heading out to Pearl Harbor then across the Pacific Ocean, making raids at Rabaul in September 1943, supporting the landings at Tarawa in November where it was torpedoed on November 20th. He talks about getting hit in the head by debris when one of the torpedos hit, watching burials at sea, going to Funafuti, then Pearl Harbor, then San Francisco for repairs, running aground on a sandbar leaving San Francisco due to the ship being overloaded, being in Halsey's fleet for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, supporting the landings on Luzon, the sinking of the Princeton, the sister ship of the Independence, and night combat runs made by the Independence's planes. He also mentions remembering the smell of Iwo Jima …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Karl Williams. Williams joined the Navy in April of 1942, as a 3rd Class Yeoman. He completed training at San Diego and provides details of his training experiences, uniforms and general life at camp. While waiting on a ship assignment, Williams was transferred to Tiburon, California, making submarine harbor nets by hand. From June to October of 1942 he volunteered to attend school for additional Yeoman training in Bloomington, Indiana. He was transferred to Miami to complete further training through the middle of 1943. He then served as 2nd Class Yeoman aboard a submarine chaser. They were sent to Panama in August of 1943. He did not have any contact with enemy submarines during his service. They traveled to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal, where they were stationed through August of 1944, serving as a patrol ship around the island. They were sent to the Mariana Islands where they remained until the war ended. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and attended rocket school. He was then assigned to the West Coast as an instructor. There he flew a TBF but was still able to land on short runways, due to his precision carrier training. As a lieutenant, he treated his students as equals, sometimes flying them home to visit family. At his final station in Sand Point, the officer’s club was once visited by actor Robert Taylor, who introduced himself and sat down next to the prettiest girl in the room, Matthews’ wife. When the war ended, Matthews left the Navy, although he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harrison Gunter. Gunter joined the Navy in June, 1942 as an aviation cadet. He trained in Georgia and Texas before receiving his commission. He then opted to transfer to the Marine Corps. He was retained as a flight instructor. In January, 1945, Gunter was sent to Guam and flew C-47s hauling personnel all over the Pacific. His squadron was VMR-952. When the war ended, his unit went to occupation duty in Japan. Gunter was discharged in 1946.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing their ten year anniversary, the mail service, seeing the movies "Bride by Mistake" and "The Old Barn Dance," and the plane being inspected.