The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Sampson. Sampson joined the Army in October of 1943. In May of 1944 he traveled to Hawaii and served as a clerk typist in the Headquarters Company Pacific Ocean Area, stationed at Fort Shafter and Fort Ruger in Honolulu. His job included typing orders for emergency leaves and transfers. He provides some details of his work and life in general in Hawaii. He remained in Hawaii until February of 1946 and was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Thomas Stevenson. Stevenson joined the Navy around 1942. He completed Naval Communications training. Beginning mid-1944, he served aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). He shares his experiences through the Battle of Samar, and the sinking of the Roberts in October. Stevenson was then assigned on staff to the Command Transport Division 107, working with converted destroyer escorts. He traveled to Midway, Guam, Okinawa and the Philippines. After the war ended, he assisted with transported troops for occupation forces in Japan. Stevenson returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

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 Comet. Comet, the son of a coal miner, left school in the eighth grade and entered the workforce after his father suffered a debilitating injury. When Comet initially volunteered for the Navy, he was refused because his family depended on him. In 1943, he successfully enlisted and was sent to gunnery school. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) as the pointer on a gun crew. Traveling through a typhoon en route to the Philippines, Comet scrambled to secure a loose gun on the deck. While on patrol duty, the ship engaged enemy vessels, and Comet fired upon their spotter planes. When the ship took multiple hits and was sunk at the Battle off Samar, Comet rescued an officer and abandoned ship. He played dead in the water, still under fire. Comet was rescued two days later and reassigned to the Puget Sound ammunition depot until his discharge in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Harden. Harden left school at 16 years old and joined the Navy in 1944. After basic training in Norfolk, he was assigned to USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). Aboard ship, he was assigned to the first deck division. His battle station was at a five-inch gun, retrieving spent shells. He survived a typhoon en route to the Philippines, only to enter into combat at the Battle off Samar. Harden abandoned ship and climbed aboard a raft after throwing away his leaking lifebelt. Three enemy ships passed Harden before he was finally rescued. Harden finished the war in Seattle, painting ships and stacking ammunition until his discharge in late 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ernest Huffman. Huffman joined the Navy in January 1944 and received basic training in Bainbridge and gunnery training in Norfolk. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) as a pointer on a five-inch gun mount. He was then transferred to the bridge as a talker, relaying information from the CIC to the gunnery officer. While on the midnight watch, he was among the first to become aware of the Japanese fleet’s presence in the Surigao Strait. The Samuel B. Roberts put out a smoke screen and waited to fire until they were within striking distance of the enemy fleet. As the Battle off Samar began, the skipper dodged shells until the enemy zeroed in. The Samuel B. Roberts took several hits, while the nearby USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was dramatically aflame. The crew abandoned ship and watched the Samuel B. Roberts sink. Huffman was rescued 52 hours later and returned home safely. He was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Wilson. Wilson joined the Navy and served as a gunner’s mate aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) beginning in April 1944. He traveled through a perilous typhoon on his journey to the Philippines, with the ship rolling 65 degrees amidst 50-foot waves. On 25 October 1944 the Japanese Navy caught his ship by surprise. He recalls continuously firing all guns, using all forms of ammunition until there was nothing left to fire. The guns were so hot that Wilson’s best friend, Paul Carr, was killed when a shell exploded in the barrel. The USS Carr (FFG-52) was named after him. Wilson abandoned ship and floated in the water for several days before being rescued. He was sent aboard USS Comfort (AH-6) and treated for blast injuries. He received further medical care at the Army hospital in Hollandia. Wilson returned home and was sent to Bangor, Washington, to help establish a base there. He was discharged 14 months later and earned his engineering degree on the GI Bill.

Transcript of an oral interview with Albert W. Boam. Born in 1923, he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He attended gunnery school at Buckingham Army Air Base in Naples, Florida. He describes his navigation training at Selman Field in Monroe, Louisiana. He was assigned to the 846th Squadron, 489th Bomb Group, 95th Combat Wing, 8th Air Force. He describes the flying the Southern Route to England as well as the navigation methods used. In 1944, he flew thirty-one missions as the navigator on a B-24 bomber. He talks about missions over France and Germany with targets such as shipyards and submarine pens. He describes his thirty-first mission in which his plane was led off course by a Pathfinder and damaged by antiaircraft artillery. He bailed out and was captured near German-controlled Hagenau in the Alsace region. He talks about his interrogation. He describes life and conditions in Stalag Luft III. In early 1945, the POW camp was evacuated by the Germans because the Russians were advancing from the east. He describes the forced march and traveling in a boxcar to a POW camp (Stalag VIII D) in Nuremburg as well as conditions at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Comet. Comet, the son of a coal miner, left school in the eighth grade and entered the workforce after his father suffered a debilitating injury. When Comet initially volunteered for the Navy, he was refused because his family depended on him. In 1943, he successfully enlisted and was sent to gunnery school. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) as the pointer on a gun crew. Traveling through a typhoon en route to the Philippines, Comet scrambled to secure a loose gun on the deck. While on patrol duty, the ship engaged enemy vessels, and Comet fired upon their spotter planes. When the ship took multiple hits and was sunk at the Battle off Samar, Comet rescued an officer and abandoned ship. He played dead in the water, still under fire. Comet was rescued two days later and reassigned to the Puget Sound ammunition depot until his discharge in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Harden. Harden left school at 16 years old and joined the Navy in 1944. After basic training in Norfolk, he was assigned to USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). Aboard ship, he was assigned to the first deck division. His battle station was at a five-inch gun, retrieving spent shells. He survived a typhoon en route to the Philippines, only to enter into combat at the Battle off Samar. Harden abandoned ship and climbed aboard a raft after throwing away his leaking lifebelt. Three enemy ships passed Harden before he was finally rescued. Harden finished the war in Seattle, painting ships and stacking ammunition until his discharge in late 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ernest Huffman. Huffman joined the Navy in January 1944 and received basic training in Bainbridge and gunnery training in Norfolk. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) as a pointer on a five-inch gun mount. He was then transferred to the bridge as a talker, relaying information from the CIC to the gunnery officer. While on the midnight watch, he was among the first to become aware of the Japanese fleet’s presence in the Surigao Strait. The Samuel B. Roberts put out a smoke screen and waited to fire until they were within striking distance of the enemy fleet. As the Battle off Samar began, the skipper dodged shells until the enemy zeroed in. The Samuel B. Roberts took several hits, while the nearby USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was dramatically aflame. The crew abandoned ship and watched the Samuel B. Roberts sink. Huffman was rescued 52 hours later and returned home safely. He was discharged in May 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Albert W. Boam. Born in 1923, he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He attended gunnery school at Buckingham Army Air Base in Naples, Florida. He describes his navigation training at Selman Field in Monroe, Louisiana. He was assigned to the 846th Squadron, 489th Bomb Group, 95th Combat Wing, 8th Air Force. He describes the flying the Southern Route to England as well as the navigation methods used. In 1944, he flew thirty-one missions as the navigator on a B-24 bomber. He talks about missions over France and Germany with targets such as shipyards and submarine pens. He describes his thirty-first mission in which his plane was led off course by a Pathfinder and damaged by antiaircraft artillery. He bailed out and was captured near German-controlled Hagenau in the Alsace region. He talks about his interrogation. He describes life and conditions in Stalag Luft III. In early 1945, the POW camp was evacuated by the Germans because the Russians were advancing from the east. He describes the forced march and traveling in a boxcar to a POW camp (Stalag VIII D) in Nuremburg as well as conditions at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Thomas Stevenson. Stevenson joined the Navy around 1942. He completed Naval Communications training. Beginning mid-1944, he served aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). He shares his experiences through the Battle of Samar, and the sinking of the Roberts in October. Stevenson was then assigned on staff to the Command Transport Division 107, working with converted destroyer escorts. He traveled to Midway, Guam, Okinawa and the Philippines. After the war ended, he assisted with transported troops for occupation forces in Japan. Stevenson returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Sampson. Sampson joined the Army in October of 1943. In May of 1944 he traveled to Hawaii and served as a clerk typist in the Headquarters Company Pacific Ocean Area, stationed at Fort Shafter and Fort Ruger in Honolulu. His job included typing orders for emergency leaves and transfers. He provides some details of his work and life in general in Hawaii. He remained in Hawaii until February of 1946 and was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Wilson. Wilson joined the Navy and served as a gunner’s mate aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) beginning in April 1944. He traveled through a perilous typhoon on his journey to the Philippines, with the ship rolling 65 degrees amidst 50-foot waves. On 25 October 1944 the Japanese Navy caught his ship by surprise. He recalls continuously firing all guns, using all forms of ammunition until there was nothing left to fire. The guns were so hot that Wilson’s best friend, Paul Carr, was killed when a shell exploded in the barrel. The USS Carr (FFG-52) was named after him. Wilson abandoned ship and floated in the water for several days before being rescued. He was sent aboard USS Comfort (AH-6) and treated for blast injuries. He received further medical care at the Army hospital in Hollandia. Wilson returned home and was sent to Bangor, Washington, to help establish a base there. He was discharged 14 months later and earned his engineering degree on the GI Bill.

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.