The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Admiral Noel Gayler. Gayler graduated from the Naval Academy in 1935. In 1940 he completed flight training. His first carrier assignment was aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3). He served as a fighter pilot flying an F4F-3 (Grumman Wildcat). He was transferred to the USS Lexington (CV-2), where in January of 1942 Gayler received the first of 3 Navy Crosses in aerial combat. He received his second Navy Cross escorting torpedo planes in an operation to destroy Japanese amphibious forces en route to conquer northern Australia. In May of 1942 he participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea, where he received his third Navy Cross. He then describes the sinking of the Lexington. He describes his experience as a test pilot and the various planes he flew. In 1944 Gayler returned to combat in the Pacific commanding Fighter Squadron 12. They traveled to Japan. He describes a number of experiences that followed, including serving as operations office under Vice Admiral McCain aboard the USS Randolph (CV-15), being aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) during the surrender, observing nuclear tests in Eniwetok, serving as deputy director of the Special Devices Center, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Irvin Long. Long joined the Navy in August of 1943. In early 1944 he served aboard the USS Tabberer (DE-418) as a signalman, using flashing lights, semaphore flags, and Morse Code. In September of 1944 they traveled to Pearl Harbor to practice shooting and work with sonar. They left Pearl Harbor and joined Admiral Halsey’s Third Fleet in October of 1944, conducting anti-submarine sweeps of the Philippine Sea. He describes his experience through a typhoon in December of 1944. They later traveled to Iwo Jima, shooting down enemy aircraft during the bombing of Iwo. From there they traveled around Okinawa and Japan, doing submarine patrols. After August 1945 they were assigned to escort big supply ships into the Korea Bay in the Yellow Sea. He was discharged in January of 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert J. Tweed. Born in 1921, he joined the Army in 1943. He was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division and sent to Marseilles, France as part of Task Force Linden. In December, 1944 he was an infantry squad leader in the 1st Battalion when he was deployed near Strasbourg, France. He provides an account of the combat action in which he participated, including a German tank assault, in the town of Hatten. He shares an anecdote about reporting on a reconnaissance mission to General Smith. After being sent back from the front lines, he became a machine gun platoon leader in a heavy weapons company. After training replacement troops, he was sent to the Siegfried Line and advanced to Nuremburg and Munich. When the war ended, he served at a displaced persons camp in Austria and was involved in Yugoslavian resettlement. He describes an instance in which he, though charged with the repatriation of Yugoslavians, allowed refugees in transit to leave a boxcar before reaching areas under Russian control. Later he was part of the Army occupation in Salzburg, Austria where he served as an MP at war crime trials. He was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Walton. Walton joined the Navy in December 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion in August 1943, he was then assigned to USS Neches (AO-47) as a seaman. At Okinawa he saw an ammunition ship explode after a kamikaze hit. On the way back to the States, the Neches hit a mine that blew a 15-by-22-foot hole in the side of the ship. After it was repaired, Walton returned to sea until the end of the war. The Neches was in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the armistice, and Walton was close enough to see the Japanese boarding USS Missouri (BB-63). He recalls being treated well by Japanese civilians after the surrender. Walton returned home and was discharged in January 1946. There he finally met for the first time the woman with whom he had been corresponding during the war, and they were soon married.

Transcript of an oral interview with James H. Goemmer. Goemmer begins by describing a three-month trip he took with his family in 1930 in which they traveled all over the US in a Chevrolet. After finishing high school in Yakima, Washington, Goemmer worked various odd jobs before joining the Navy in October, 1942 and going to Farragut, Idaho for basic training. Afterwards, he went to aviation radio school and aerial gunnery school. He qualified as an aircrew member at the naval air station in Daytona, Florida. Eventually, he became a member of a dive bomber unit, VB-3, and was assigned to the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in 1944. While attacking targets in the Philippines, his aircraft was damaged by anti-aircraft fire and was forced to land on the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), which proceeded to Ulithi. Two weeks later, he and his pilot were back aboard the Yorktown. Before the war ended, Goemmer was stationed to the seaplane base at Kanehoe Bay where he was in charge of repairing radio equipment. He was there when the war ended. He earned enough points by November and returned home, got discharged and became an insurance claims adjuster in Washington state.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Sigrist. Sigrist was born in Rochester, Missouri 7 September 1921 and entered the Navy V-7 program while in college. After graduating from Midshipman’s school he went to Raleigh, North Carolina to attend electrical engineering school. This was followed by three months of intensive training at the General Motors Institute of Technology specializing in marine Diesel engines. He then reported aboard USS LCI-677 at Norfolk, Virginia, as the Diesel electrical engineer and supply officer. The ship proceeded to San Diego where the crew made practice landings with the 4th Marines. They then were ordered to Pearl Harbor where they transported liberty parties from Pearl Harbor to and from Maui for six months. In 1944, USS LCI-677, along with twenty-one other LCIs transported the 204th General Hospital to Guam. They then went to Saipan, where they encountered a typhoon. They then proceeded to Ulithi where they were subjected to attacks by Japanese kamikazes. After the surrender of Japan, USS LCI-677 was sent to the island of Yap. Sigrist describes the natives and their way of life. In 1946, he returned to the United States and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Audrey Sigrist. Sigrist joined the Coast Guard in June 1944. She attended boot camp in Palm Beach, Florida and radio school in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sigrist describes her training and daily life as a SPAR. She was stationed in Port Angeles, Washington and discusses he duties as a radioman receiving calls for ship pilots. Sigrist describes celebrating the end of the war and her departure from the service in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Benjamin Severns. Severns enlisted in the Navy in February of 1943. Prior to entering the service, Severns worked for Allis-Chalmers in LaPorte, Indiana, a former agricultural equipment manufacturer now producing 90mm guns for the war effort. Severns provides some details of his work experience. In November of 1943 Severns became machinist mate in the engine room aboard the USS Enright (DE-216). They traveled to Ireland and he vividly describes the destroyer, including sleeping and eating quarters and day to day life aboard. They convoyed to Londonderry, North Africa and a host of British ports, providing escort support. He describes some of his experiences in Ireland. Severns details a merchant ship that hit the destroyer in April of 1944, and their travels back to New York for repairs. They traveled back to North Africa, where Severns describes some adventures he had in Oran. He was assigned to the USS Fred T. Berry (DD-858) in January of 1945. They traveled to Hawaii. Severns was involved in the occupation of Japan, patrolling the harbors and setting up control towers. He was then transferred to the USS Belet (APD-109). They traveled to the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gerald Campbell. Campbell joined the Army around 1943. He served as a replacement for the 77th Infantry Division, and worked aboard an Army personnel carrier. He participated in the amphibious assault on Guam, and the battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. He remained in a convalescent hospital in Saipan, after receiving injuries during the Okinawa campaign. After the war, Campbell returned to the US and was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Orel Douglass. Douglass finished high school in 1940 and immediately joined the Army Air Corps. He trained in San Antonio, then Colorado at the armament school. He was assigned as an armorer at a flight training school in Texas before being assigned tothe 49th Fighter Group and shipping to New Guinea in 1944. He stayed with the 49th for the remainder of the war and ended up in Japan during the occupation for a while. He shares several anecdotes about his time overseas, including an encounter he had with his brother.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Hall. Hall joined the marine Corps in mid-1943 and trained at San Diego. After basic training, Hall attended aviation radio school and gunnery school before being assigned to VMB-621 when they were still flying PBJ bombers. Hall eventually went to Emirau and then the Philippines. He also shares a few anecdotes about being in Australia on R and R. Hall elected to leave the service after the war and use the GI Bill to go to college.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Sussman. Sussman was at the University of Illinois when he was sent to Columbia for Midshipman's School. He finished in early 1943 and was shipped out to the Pacific where he eventually joined USS LCI(G)-461. Sussman was aboard for the invasion o fthe Mariana Islands and the invasion of Okinawa. He describes the mission of USS LCI(G)-461 and shares anecdotes of his experiences aboard. When he first came aboard, he was in charge of the galley. He eventually got off the 461 and became in charge of welfare and recreation in Honolulu.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lewis Brinson. Brinson was drafted into the Army Air Forces in 1942. He completed basic training in Texas and Nebraska as an airplane mechanic, working on B-17s and B-29s. Brinson was in the 6th Bomb Group, 40th Bomb Squadron. In December 1943 he went to Tinian and served as crew chief on a B-29. He flew over Iwo Jima for two weeks looking for downed aircraft. He gives some description of seeing the Enola Gay, and of flying over a destroyed Japanese landscape, and of flying over the USS Missouri (BB-63) on 2 September 1945. He was discharged in December 1945. He utilized his G.I. Bill to go to college and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Arthur Monaghan. Monaghan was born in Houston in 1922. After attending boot camp, he was assigned to Torpedo school in San Diego. He relates the various aspects of training he underwent and tells of being assigned to the Motor Torpedo Base 16. In 1943 his unit boarded a ship and he tells of the living conditions on board. He relates incidents that occurred while stationed on several island of the Philippines as well as one of the Russell Islands, including the introduction of the Mark 13 Torpedo. He also recalls one of his officers falling victim to monkey fever, which lead to his death. Monaghan was discharged soon after his return to the US in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Monroe. Monroe joined the Army Air Forces in April of 1942, as an Aviation Cadet. He received his wings and commission in the summer of 1943. He was then stationed in Carlsbad, New Mexico flying bombardiers in a T-11 trainer. Monroe completed 1,000 hours of flying cadets over a period of nine months. He was then assigned as the Assistant Director of Flying, which is where he served for the remainder of the war. In late 1945 Monroe was sent to Warner Robins, Georgia working as a Personnel Control Officer. In early 1946 he was then sent to Europe, serving with a full reconnaissance squadron, and continued his service into the late 1950s.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Alexander. Alexander joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and trained in Texas and Massachusetts as an airplane mechanic. He went overseas to England in December, 1944. He began flying combat missions on a B-17 as a flight engineer in February and was in a midair collision on his first mission. He bailed out and was rescued by Allied forces and returned to service to fly on 18 more combat missions. In April, he was shot down again, but captured by German soldiers and sent to Stalag VII A. Alexander was liberated after about a month of captivity. He returned to the US and was discharged in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Newsom. Newsom joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. He served with the 303rd Airdrome Squadron, 751st Bomb Squadron. They traveled to New Guinea, Leyte, Mindanao, Luzon and Manila. Newsome serviced B-25s, helped build airstrips and revetments for planes, as well as loading B-25s with bombs and ammunition prior to takeoff. Newsom shares his experience combatting Japanese soldiers on the islands, kamikaze attacks and bombing raids at night. He continued his service after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fern Ward. Ward was born in Wausa, Nebraska on 16 January 1923. She grew up during the Great Depression years. Soon after joining the Navy (WAVES) in 1944, she was sent to Hunter College, Bronx, New York for six weeks of basic training. She was then sent to Indiana University in Bloomington where she studied bookkeeping for six weeks. Upon graduating she was classified as a Storekeeper 3rd Class and sent to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California. She tells of the work she did and comments on the living conditions there. Ward concludes the interview by telling of her life following her discharge in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Lowry. Lowry was drafted into the Coast Guard in August of 1942. He served in the flag semaphore telegraphy system. Additionally, he guarded merchantmen at night. He was transferred to the Baltimore Harbor Coast Guard Office and worked in the Identification Office and as a teletype operator. He also participated in the Navy V-12 program. He completed Midshipman school and served aboard the USS PC-819. Their job was to sweep Dutch Harbor, Alaska for submarines using sonar. He provides detail of the PC-819, and life aboard the ship. His job aboard was Communications Officer, Engineering Officer and later, Executive Officer.

The National museum of the Pacific War presents an ortal interview with James Metcalf. Metcalf joined the Navy in December 1942 and attended aviation ordnance school in Oklahoma after basic training. Afterward, Metcalf was assigned as a gunner in Torpedo Squadron 13 (VT-13) and went aboard USS Franklin (CV-13) in January 1944. Metcalf flew raids on Guam, Peleliu, Okinawa, Formosa, and Iwo Jima while with VT-13. He was aboard the Franklin in March when it was attacked and severly damaged. He returned with the ship to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Julius Spelce. Spelce joined the Navy in May of 1944. On Manus Island, he was assigned to a floating dry dock, USS ABSD-2. Spelce served as Petty Officer Third Class with the deck force, conducting repair work and serving as a cook, where he remained through the end of the war. They provided service repairs to large and small ships. Spelce recalls their vessel being torpedoed in April of 1945. He received his discharge in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom joined the Navy around June of 1943. He served with the deck crew aboard USS Mississippi (BB-41). In November of 1943, they bombarded Makin Island, providing fire support. He talks of the mass casualties amongst the crew members during combat. Dahlstrom shares his experiences through the Battle of Surigao Strait in October of 1944, the Battle of Lingayen Gulf in January of 1945 and the kamikaze attacks during the Battle of Okinawa in mid-1945. He was aboard the Mississippi in the Tokyo Bay, during the signing of the surrender documents. They returned to the US and Dahlstrom received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Norris Jernigan. Jernigan enlisted in the Army Air Forces in June 1943. After basic training and being eliminated from flight training, Jernigan was assigned to the intelligence section of the 393rd Bomb Squadron in Nebraska before it was attached to the 509th Composite Group. He spent time in Wendover, Utah before going with the group to Tinian prior to the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. Though he was in the intelligence section of the bomb group that dropped the atomic bomb, Jernigan had no idea about the atomic bomb until after it was dropped. He mentined those in his group referred to it as the gimmick or the gadget until they understood what it was. When the war ended, Jernigan returned to the US and was discharged in March 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl Carlin. Carlin joined the Navy in June of 1943. He served as a Seaman aboard the USS LCI(R)-472. Carlin oversaw steering the ship, as well as the annunciator and compass on board. They transported troops to Hawaii, the Aleutians, Kwajalein, Eniwetok and New Guinea. They also traveled to Tinian conducting amphibious demolition work. Carlin did get involved in battle at Guam, after the invasion, when they were under air attack for forty hours. They aided the crew of the LCI(G)-468 after it sunk in June of 1944. They bombarded the beaches at Saipan, where he recounts the ocean being red from the casualties in the water. They continued their service into Leyte, Lingayen, Manila and Okinawa. Carlin returned to the US and was discharged in December of 1945.