Interview with James F. Sansom, an officer in the U. S. Army during World War II. Sansom joined the Army in 1940 and began training on anti-aircraft guns in Florida. He was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1942. He was assigned to the 843rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Air Warning Battalion, which made its way to India via the Panama Canal and Australia. Shortly after reaching Calcutta, the unit moved to Myitkyina, Burma. After the war, Sansom was assigned to Sagumo Prison outside Tokyo where Japanese war criminals were being held while on trial for war crimes. He describes some of the routines and residents in the prison. Sansom taught Hideki Tojo how to play card games like gin rummy. Sansom also describes the process of executing convicted prisoners as he carried out some sentences. In all, he executed nine convicted war criminals.

Interview with Alan W. "Buck" Saunders, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, becoming an airplane mechanic, and going to flight school for pilot training. He was stationed in India and flew supplies into China over the Himalayas (known by pilots as "the Hump"). In China, he traded items such as jewelry or opium for information on Japanese troop placements in Burma. He also discusses his meetings with native Burmese and talks about later experiences he had after the war and during the Vietnam War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Malcolm Young. Young joined the Army in March 1941 and received basic training at Fort Sill. He received rifle training at Fort Ord. Upon completion, he was assigned to field artillery in the 7th Infantry Division, where he served as an artillery gunnery corporal. He deployed to the Aleutians. Despite being on combat duty, the highest number of casualties there came from frostbite. At Kwajalein, Young suggested to his sergeant that the best way to fight the Japanese snipers was to clear the trees, an idea which was adopted by higher officials. His unit landed in the Marshalls on an island a few miles away and fired day and night until the trees were cleared. In the Philippines, he landed on the east side of Leyte and finished in the west, at Ormoc. He began to show signs of jaundice at that time. Okinawa was the first time that Young recalls being matched in strength by the Japanese artillery, which were much weaker than his unit in previous campaigns. He had specific orders to leave caves untouched, as Japanese civilians were known to hide there. As he was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene (Curt) Dillon. Dillon was born 19 October 1924 in Wayne Township, Tennessee. He graduated from high school in 1942 and joined the US Navy. Following boot camp at the Great Lakes Training Station he was assigned to study meteorology. Upon completion of his training he was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20) prior to the ships commissioning in August 1944. He volunteered to fly on weather reconnaissance planes to collect weather information prior to air strikes being launched. He describes kamikaze attacks during the invasion of Okinawa and of participating in the weather forecasting procedure prior to the launching of planes involved in the attack and sinking of HIJMS Yamato.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Kardaseski. As a teenager, Kardaseski worked as a machinist with Globe Valve Company in support of the military. He joined the Navy in the spring of 1944, just before his 18th birthday. Upon completion, of gunnery school, he was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20) as a second loader on a 40mm gun. With his background in machining, he volunteered for and was accepted to the main engine room crew, where he took down readings from pumps and gears. His battle station was in the electrical repair shop. In Ulithi, Kardaseski survived kamikaze strikes against adjacent ships. Later, he was almost washed away by a typhoon but clung tightly to a rail. After the war, he worked at a repair shop in Naples for one year. After discharge, he later rejoined the service, overseeing the mess crew of an Air Force troop ship in the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Hardin. Hardin joined the Navy’s underwater demolition team after attending Officers Candidate School at Columbia University. He received water training and depth training at Pearl Harbor. He cleared underwater obstacles in Guam, Saipan, and Okinawa in preparation for invasions, often under enemy fire. At Guam, he noticed a native girl in need of serious medical attention. He called in a medic, who arrived by plane and treated the girl. When Hardin returned during a second trip to Guam, he met the girl at the newly erected aid station and learned that she named her infant daughter after him: Bill. In Saipan he recalls seeing the atomic bomb being loaded, although he didn’t know what it was at the time. At Okinawa he and his team tied together several tons of explosives and towed them six miles out to sea before detonating them. Although he was miles away at the time of detonation, he could still feel its impact in the water. He returned home and elected to join the Reserves after the war ended. He was the only of five brothers in his family to survive the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Kenneth Ryan. Ryan joined the Marine Corps in May of 1943. By February of 1944, he completed Radio Operator School, Radio Material School and High Speed Code School. Ryan served as a radio technician with the 3rd Joint Assault Signal Company (JASCO), 3rd Marine Division. He participated in the Battle of Guam and the Battle of Iwo Jima. Ryan returned to the US in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Leith. Leith joined the Army and learned Chinese at the University of Chicago. Upon completion, in May 1945 he was assigned to the OSS in Kunming, China. He parachuted near to the Mukden prisoner-of-war camp in Manchuria where General Wainwright was being held. A group of Japanese soldiers unaware of the surrender held Leith and his group hostage, despite a Nisei’s attempt to reason with them. Leith’s group was brought to the Kempeitai, who released them after learning of the surrender. They arrived at the POW camp in Hsian, now known as Shenyang, and found that even General Wainwright didn’t know the war was over. Wainwright, like the other POWs, was severely malnourished. He confided in Leith that he was sure Americans would find him cowardly for surrendering to the Japanese. Soviet forces then arrived at the camp and made arrangements for the POWs to be evacuated. After the POWs returned to the States, Leith remained in China to spy on Soviets, who grew annoyed with him and threatened to send him to Siberia. He then left for Beijing to study communist China. In 1945 Leith returned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J D Hunt. Hunt joined the Marine Corps in early 1943. He served as a Machinist with the Motor Transport in the Seventh Field Depot. They helped form Camp Linda Vista in California. In 1944, Hunt went in on the third wave during the Battle of Saipan. While on the island for 9 months, he drove a deuce-and-a-half truck and set up a machine shop. Hunt also participated in the Battle of Okinawa where he continued his machinist work. He traveled to China after the war ended, to serve on guard duty, overseeing Japanese prisoners and helping feed the Chinese citizens. Hunt returned to the US and received his discharge in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clarence Petersen. Petersen joined the Marines in June of 1942. He completed radio school and served as a radio operator in D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He provides details of training. Beginning February of 1943, he traveled to New Zealand, completing maneuvers. They traveled to Guadalcanal in May of that same year and Bougainville in November. Petersen provides some detail of the Japanese and living in the jungle of Bougainville. He landed on Guam in July of 1944, by way of amphibious tractor. He was in the 13th wave and describes carrying his radio and an 85-pound roll of combat wire onto the island. He was discharged in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gerald Shepherd. Shepherd joined the Australian Navy in July of 1944. He completed training at Flinders Naval Depot. Beginning in May of 1945, he served aboard the HMAS Bataan (I91). He was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. He did not participate in any combat missions. After the war ended, they completed tours of duty in Japanese waters during the occupation. Shepherd continued his service after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James F. Sansom. Sansom joined the Army in 1940 and began training on anti-aircraft guns in Florida. He was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissiond a second lieutenant in 1942. He was assigned to the 843rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Air Warning Battalion, which made its way to India via the Panama Canal and Australia. Shortly after reaching Calcutta, the unit moved to Myitkyina, Burma. After the war, Sansom was assigned to Sagumo Prison outside Tokyo where japanese war criminals were being held while on trial for war crimes. He describes some of the routines and residents in the prison. Sansom taught Hideki Tojo how to play card games like gin rummy. Sansom also describes the process of executing convicted prisoners as he carried out some sentences. In all, he executed nine convicted war criminals.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alan W. ""Buck"" Saunders. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, becoming an airplane mechanic, then going to flight school to be a pilot. He was stationed in India and discusses flying supplies into China over the Himalayas, ""the Hump"", trading items like jewelry or opium for information on Japanese troop placements in Burma, and meetings he had with native Burmese. He also talks about later experiences he had after the war and during the Vietnam War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dean Stephens. Stephens was born in Red Oak, Oklahoma. After finishing two years of college he attempted to join the Coast Guard but was rejected. He went to work at Emerson Electric, a defense plant that made gun turrets for bombers. He was drafted 15 January 1943 and went to Wichita Falls, Texas for basic training. After basic, he was sent to weather observer school at Chanute Field, Illinois. After ten months of training he went to Perrin Field in Sherman, Texas. On 15 July 1943 he went aboard the USS Hermitage (AP-54) bound for Bombay. After arriving at Karachi, he volunteered to go to Burma. He was then sent to Pushkar, India where he helped build a weather station. After five months he flew to Mangkuan, China in an L-5 aircraft. After a three day trek by foot, he arrived at a camp where he joined a team of nine others comprising the Signal Air Warning group. Their job was to pass weather conditions every six hours to a collection point that drew area weather maps. Stephens recalls leeches being a constant problem and being accidentally burned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene (Curt) Dillon. Dillon was born 19 October 1924 in Wayne Township, Tennessee. He graduated from high school in 1942 and joined the US Navy. Following boot camp at the Great Lakes Training Station he was assigned to study meteorology. Upon completion of his training he was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20) prior to the ships commissioning in August 1944. He volunteered to fly on weather reconnaissance planes to collect weather information prior to air strikes being launched. He describes kamikaze attacks during the invasion of Okinawa and of participating in the weather forecasting procedure prior to the launching of planes involved in the attack and sinking of HIJMS Yamato.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Kardaseski. As a teenager, Kardaseski worked as a machinist with Globe Valve Company in support of the military. He joined the Navy in the spring of 1944, just before his 18th birthday. Upon completion, of gunnery school, he was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20) as a second loader on a 40mm gun. With his background in machining, he volunteered for and was accepted to the main engine room crew, where he took down readings from pumps and gears. His battle station was in the electrical repair shop. In Ulithi, Kardaseski survived kamikaze strikes against adjacent ships. Later, he was almost washed away by a typhoon but clung tightly to a rail. After the war, he worked at a repair shop in Naples for one year. After discharge, he later rejoined the service, overseeing the mess crew of an Air Force troop ship in the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Hardin. Hardin joined the Navy’s underwater demolition team after attending Officers Candidate School at Columbia University. He received water training and depth training at Pearl Harbor. He cleared underwater obstacles in Guam, Saipan, and Okinawa in preparation for invasions, often under enemy fire. At Guam, he noticed a native girl in need of serious medical attention. He called in a medic, who arrived by plane and treated the girl. When Hardin returned during a second trip to Guam, he met the girl at the newly erected aid station and learned that she named her infant daughter after him: Bill. In Saipan he recalls seeing the atomic bomb being loaded, although he didn’t know what it was at the time. At Okinawa he and his team tied together several tons of explosives and towed them six miles out to sea before detonating them. Although he was miles away at the time of detonation, he could still feel its impact in the water. He returned home and elected to join the Reserves after the war ended. He was the only of five brothers in his family to survive the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Kenneth Ryan. Ryan joined the Marine Corps in May of 1943. By February of 1944, he completed Radio Operator School, Radio Material School and High Speed Code School. Ryan served as a radio technician with the 3rd Joint Assault Signal Company (JASCO), 3rd Marine Division. He participated in the Battle of Guam and the Battle of Iwo Jima. Ryan returned to the US in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Leith. Leith joined the Army and learned Chinese at the University of Chicago. Upon completion, in May 1945 he was assigned to the OSS in Kunming, China. He parachuted near to the Mukden prisoner-of-war camp in Manchuria where General Wainwright was being held. A group of Japanese soldiers unaware of the surrender held Leith and his group hostage, despite a Nisei’s attempt to reason with them. Leith’s group was brought to the Kempeitai, who released them after learning of the surrender. They arrived at the POW camp in Hsian, now known as Shenyang, and found that even General Wainwright didn’t know the war was over. Wainwright, like the other POWs, was severely malnourished. He confided in Leith that he was sure Americans would find him cowardly for surrendering to the Japanese. Soviet forces then arrived at the camp and made arrangements for the POWs to be evacuated. After the POWs returned to the States, Leith remained in China to spy on Soviets, who grew annoyed with him and threatened to send him to Siberia. He then left for Beijing to study communist China. In 1945 Leith returned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Martin Allday. Allday was drafted into the Army in August, 1944. On 1 May 1945, he landed on Okinawa as a replacement in the 96th Infantry Division. Allday describes his experiences in combat at Okinawa. Allday was wounded on 11 May and returned to duty the day the island was declared secure. When the war ended, Allday was transferred to the 81st Infantry Division and went to the Philippines. Allday returned to the US in September, 1946 and enrolled in college.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ben Blaz. Blaz was born on Guam in 1928 and recalls aspects of his education on the island prior to World War II. He then recounts the arrival of the Japanese forces in December, 1941 and how they treated the Chamorro people. His family fled Agana to some property in the hills outside of town and raised crops during the war years. Blaz was recruited to help build and maintain airfields for the Japanese. He describes his life on GUma during WWII and then recalls the return of the Americans and being liberated. In 1947, Blaz went to Notre Dame University and then joined the Marine Corps in 1951, retiring in 1980.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Braden. Braden was called to active duty in the Army Air Forces from his university’s ROTC program in February 1943 and went to Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas. He trained to be a navigator. In January 1945, he flew to Saipan and joined the 870th Bomb Squadron, 497th Bomb Group. He flew combat missions against the home islands of Japan and comments on the initial poor results. He also describes an incident in which they had to ditch their plane in the ocean. He also mentions the low altitude incendiary attacks on Tokyo. Braden returned to the US and was discharged in September, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ann Jonushaitis. Jonushaitis was born in Germany in November of 1934. Her family was from Lithuania and she describes their fleeing to Germany as the Russians filtrated in. Jonushaitis describes their hard life during wartime, living in barracks and having very little to eat. She describes her family’s trip to America and beginning anew in Chicago. She also describes living on a farm in Indiana with her husband and family. She expresses her deep appreciation for the Americans helping her and her family make a life-changing transition.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J D Hunt. Hunt joined the Marine Corps in early 1943. He served as a Machinist with the Motor Transport in the Seventh Field Depot. They helped form Camp Linda Vista in California. In 1944, Hunt went in on the third wave during the Battle of Saipan. While on the island for 9 months, he drove a deuce-and-a-half truck and set up a machine shop. Hunt also participated in the Battle of Okinawa where he continued his machinist work. He traveled to China after the war ended, to serve on guard duty, overseeing Japanese prisoners and helping feed the Chinese citizens. Hunt returned to the US and received his discharge in January of 1946.