The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with A J Dunn. Dunn joined the Navy in 1940 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Oglala (CM-4) at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of 7 December 1941, he was returning from liberty when the attack began. Unable to find his ship, he jumped aboard the USS Mugford (DD-389) just as it was getting underway. After seven days of patrols, he returned to the harbor and was transferred to the USS New Orleans (CA-32). While on convoy duty to Brisbane, the ship received a warm welcome from Australian citizens. But one evening, the ship was nearly subject to friendly fire when a cruiser from New Zealand mistook the New Orleans for a Japanese ship. Dunn was transferred to the USS Indiana (BB-58) with Task Force 58, bombarding islands in the Gilberts and Marshalls. As a gunner’s mate, his duties included testing small arms ammunition in a surveillance oven to see whether it had expired. He was transferred to the USS Botetourt (APA-136), operating out of the Philippines until the end of the war. He sailed past the USS Missouri (BB-63) …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jimmie Allman. Allman was born in Churubusco, Indiana on 2 January 1927. Upon being drafted in May 1943, he had basic training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He was then sent to Fort Riley, Kansas where he was trained in the use of infantry weapons. In November 1945 he went to Fort Dix, New Jersey where he boarded a troop ship bound for Casablanca, Morocco. Upon his arrival he was assigned as a company clerk. After serving as such for a period of time, he was sent to Algiers, Algeria. There, he was made Sergeant of the Guard. After a short period of time, he was then sent to Bremerhaven, Germany where he remained until returning to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edmond Drake. Drake joined the Navy in April of 1943. Beginning early 1944, he served as Electrician’s Mate aboard USS President Adams (APA-19). They transported troops and supplies during the Battle of Guam, the invasion Luzon and the Battle of Iwo Jima. He returned to the US in April of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Daniel Andrews. Andrews joined the United States Navy in 1941 where he became a SeaBee. Andrews was sent to Saipan to help build airfields and seaplane bases. He left Saipan in July of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lou Spellman. Spellman was in college when he enrolled in the Navy’s V-12 program. The Navy sent him to Southwestern University before being assigned to Notre Dame Midshipman School. Then he went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for fire control/gunnery school. From there he went to Newport, Rhode Island where he helped commission the USS Amsterdam (CL-101). After a shakedown cruise, they went through the Panama Canal to Hawaii and then on to the Philippines where they joined the Third Fleet. They were in Task Force 38.4 and started work off Okinawa. The Amsterdam went with four or five other cruisers and bombarded a factory on Hokkaido. Spellman was in the gunnery department of the ship, number two secondary battery. The Amsterdam went into Sagami-wan in late August and stayed there while the USS Missouri (BB-63) and several other ships went into Tokyo Bay. The Amsterdam entered Tokyo Bay on 5 September. Spellman recalls a typhoon that happened while they were inside Tokyo Bay. He stressed throughout the interview how good his training was in the Navy. Spellman also tells the story of going into Yokosuka Naval Base with …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Blythe. Blythe joined the Navy in September 1942. He was assigned to the USS Sandpiper (AVP-9) and describes some of the missions performed as a part of convoy escort along the northeastern US. Blythe then joined the commissioning crew of the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). He describes the commissioning and the journey through the Panama Canal. Blythe talks of life aboard ship, his duties as a machinist mate, and how the crew interacted with the aviators. He discusses a kamikaze attack and the damage control efforts that followed including a story about Lieutenant Patrick Fleming, the ship’s leading ace, helping to pass ammunition in a damaged area. Blythe describes visiting Yokahama after the surrender and the condition and demeanor of the Japanese people he encountered. He tells of several stories that occurred on the way back to the US and his eventual discharge in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Hayes. Hayes joined the Navy in March 1943 and received basic training in Illinois and received further training with Navy commandos in San Francisco. Upon completion, he was assigned to CUB 7 as a rifleman and sent to Bougainville but instead diverted to Australia due to a storm. He was assigned to Gamadodo, a supply depot in New Guinea, where he refueled ships. During his year-long stay there, he was bombed daily until a P-38 base was installed nearby. His next assignment was in the Philippines. Hayes was then transferred to USS Waller (DD-466) where he was assigned to the engine room until the end of the war. He was onboard when the Waller destroyed a surfaced Japanese submarine, and provides graphic details of the fate of the crew. While patrolling the Yangtze River, the Waller hit a mine and was repaired in Shanghai. He recounts the poverty and destitution he witnessed in China. After the ship was repaired, Hayes returned home and was discharged in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leroy Reininger. Reininger was born in Seguin, Texas 29 November 1924 into a family of thirteen children. After dropping out of high school to work on the family farm, he was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He went to San Diego for four weeks of boot training before being sent to Seattle where he was assigned to Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 7. The unit went to several bases for training prior to going aboard the USS Lunga Point (CVE-94) in October 1944. After taking part in the invasion of Luzon, the ship went to the Admiralty Islands to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Reininger saw the USS Bismarck Sea (CV-95) sinking after being attacked by a kamikaze, and remarks that the Lunga Point was also stuck by a kamikaze during the invasion of Iwo Jima. After returning to Guam for ammunition and supplies the ship participated in the invasion of Okinawa. Following the Japanese surrender the ship went to Japan on a number of occasions to pick up Allied prisoners of war, returning them to Okinawa or to the United States. The Lunga Point returned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Homrighausen. Homrighausen joined the Army in November 1943 and received basic training at Camp Gordon. Upon completion, he was assigned to Cherbourg where he was a half-track driver in the 10th Armored Infantry Division. He arrived in September 1944 and went through France, liberating Trier along the way. By mid-December he was in the Ardennes with snow up to his hips. His unit functioned as a mobile reserve for foot troops, watching for flares and deploying wherever help was needed. On 10 March 1944, in Ettal, he was sniped by a Russian prisoner of war who was following the orders of an SS officer. His neck injury was treated at three different hospitals before Homrighausen arrived at the general hospital in Cherbourg. He returned to his outfit on V-E Day, his truck driver shooting a pistol into the air in celebration as he drove. Homrighausen saw the devastation of German cities, and his unit liberated Dachau and Birkenau. He was assigned to a mountain post in Austria, to be on the lookout for fugitives. His unit enjoyed hunting and relaxing by the cool streams during their duty …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Curry. Curry joined the Navy one year after graduating from high school. Upon completion of basic, he was assigned to the USS Mississippi (BB-41), where he was trained as a gunner’s mate, serving as a rammer man and then setting fuses. Along with three other men, he maintained their five-inch gun and cleaned it daily. He was standing watch when a kamikaze hit the ship, catching Curry by surprise. The impact blew him backwards, and he cut his head on his helmet when he hit the deck. Although he was not seriously harmed, he witnessed gruesome injuries at sick bay. He recalls going into the Battle of Surigao Strait with only 12 rounds of ammunition, which were successfully fired into an enemy battleship. And he also remembers bombarding Shuri Castle at Okinawa. Curry returned home after the war and pulled shore duty in New Orleans until his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Boyd R. Murphy. Murphy joined the Army in August, 1942, in Indiana. He eventually attended Officer Candidate School and received a commission in April, 1943. Murphy eventually qualified for flight training and went to Pine Bluff, Arkansas and then Lubbock, Texas. When he earned his wings, he then learned to fly B-24 bombers. Murphy shipped out in early 1945 and reported to Clark Field in the Philippines. He flew one combat mission before the war ended and then was sent to Japan during the occupation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Wozniak. Wozniak joined the Navy in January 1943 after having already been in the Army (1937-1940). The Navy trained him as an electrician specializing in repairing motion picture projectors. He shipped out aboard the USS Guilford (APA-112). He also served as the chaplain’s assistant. Wozniak was discharged in January 1946. After the war, he joined the Army Reserves and served another 30 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Hudkins. Hudkins was drafted into the Army Air Forces in late 1943. He trained as an aerial gunner and was assigned to a crew in the 508th Bomb Squadron, 351 Bomb Group before shipping out to England. From there, he flew several combat missions over Europe I nB-17 bombers. When the war ended, Hudkins returned home and elected to stay in the Reserves.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Elmer Hill. Hill was born in August 1906, one of 12 boys in his family. In his mid-30s he was working as a school principal, when he was drafted by the Navy. He served in a gunnery crew aboard the USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) for two years before returning home. At the time of this interview, Hill was 107 years old.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman Stoner. Stoner joined the Navy in July 1945 and received basic training in San Diego. After the war, Stoner was assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35) as a carpenter as part of Operation Magic Carpet. There were only three carpenters aboard ship, and Stoner was on call for damage control 24 hours a day. He did odd jobs such as plugging a hole in the admiral’s barge, replacing boards on deck, building crates for officers’ belongings, and attaching ammunition to barges so that it wouldn’t be lost in a storm. He made six round trips to Hawaii, transporting troops back to the States. Stoner helped prepare the ship for decommissioning before he was discharged in August 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvin W Hall. Hall graduated from the Naval Academy in June of 1942. He was commissioned as ensign and assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35). Hall participated in convoy duty and the North African invasion. He then served aboard the USS Quincy (CA-71) as senior officer of turret 2, participating in the battles of Normandy and Cherbourg, and the invasion of Southern France. Hall then returned to the US to complete flight training and photographic school. He was later stationed as a B-24 pilot on Guam and Hawaii. Hall continued his service after the war ended, retiring from the Navy as a commander in 1962.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lewis Morgan. Morgan joined the Navy toward the end of 1942 and received basic training in Maryland. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35), where he served as a rangefinder operator. At Normandy he went ashore with Army Rangers, and at Cherbourg he was standing one deck above where the Texas was hit. At Iwo Jima, he saw the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, and at Okinawa he manned his battle station for 52 days straight. After the war, he made two round trips to Hawaii as part of Operation Magic Carpet before being discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with R.L. Hawkins. Hawkins was born in Springfield, Illinois on 31 May 1924. Upon joining the Navy in February 1943, he attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, in Illinois. After twelve weeks he entered fire control school, also at Great Lakes. From there, he attended advanced fire control school in Washington, DC. Hawkins was then sent to Providence, Rhode Island for gunnery training. In early 1944, he went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and was assigned to the USS Diphda (AKA-59) as a senior fire control man. Hawkins describes the mechanisms used in controlling the guns including gyros, fitting systems, motors of the control system and vacuum tubes. In January 1945 the ship participated in the Lingayen Gulf invasion and he describes landing LCVPs and relates the experience of bringing them back on board. Following the ship’s participation in the invasion of Okinawa, during which they came under kamikaze attack, the ship returned to the United States. While they were in the US Japan surrendered.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Keifer Marshall. Marshall was born in Temple, Texas in 1926. After attending the University of Texas for one year, he joined the Marine Corps in 1944. After completing basic training in San Diego, he spent six weeks at Camp Pendleton receiving advanced training. He then embarked on the USS Rochambeau (AP-63) with 6,000 other troops in late October 1944. He describes some of his experiences during the transit. He remembers arriving in Guam in December in relief of the 3rd Marine Division. He landed at Iwo Jima a few days after the initial landing in February 1945, as a member of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment. Marshall describes the intense fighting over the following three weeks as his company proceeded north up the island. They took heavy casualties and got cut off for 36 hours before being rescued by tanks called in by the one remaining officer in the company. He recalls seeing the iconic flag flying at the top of Mount Suribachi and recalls how it boosted the unit’s morale during the battle. His unit remained on the island for three more weeks cleaning up …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Schramm. Schramm joined the Navy in November of 1942. From early 1943 through mid-1945, he served as a leading Petty Officer aboard the USS Texas (BB-35) conducting watch in the crow’s nest and playing in the band. Schramm shares his experiences through the Normandy Invasion, the Battle of Cherbourg, Operation Dragoon, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. Schramm returned home after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Fischman. Fischman was born in 1925 in Alexandria, Virginia. Dropping out of high school, he joined the Navy in 1942 and was sent to Newport, Rhode Island for boot camp. He was assigned to USS Texas (BB-35). He recalls the ship being involved in convoy duties prior to the invasion of North Africa. He also tells of being involved in Operation OVERLORD and his duties as a powder handler as well as being assigned to the captain’s gig. He describes evacuating the wounded from Point du Hoc at Normandy and the Texas being damaged by German shore batteries. He also recalls participation in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was discharged soon after the ship returned to the US in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jackson. Jackson was born in 1924. At age 16, he joined the US Navy and underwent boot training at the Naval Training Center in Chicago. Upon graduation, he was assigned to USS Texas (BB-35) as a member of Gun Fire Control. Later, he was transferred to an LST.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Fencik. Fencik was born in Port Vue, Pennsylvania in 1925. After dropping out of high school in 1942, he joined the Navy. Upon completing boot training, he was sent to St. Albans Naval Hospital, Long Island, to train as a Navy Corpsman. In 1943, he went aboard USS Texas (BB-35). He recalls the Texas participating in the Normandy invasion and of the ship being damaged by a German shore battery. Fenick also recalls participating in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Silvestri. Silvestri joined the Navy in October of 1942. From 1943 through mid-1945, he served as Second Class Cook aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). Stoneley shares his experiences through the Normandy Invasion, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. He returned home after the war, and received his discharge in early 1946.