The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Kurner. Kurner joined the Army Air Forces in September of 1942. He served as a B-24 copilot with the 15th Air Force, 47th Bomb Wing, 98th Bomb Group. He deployed in December of 1943 to Casablanca. In January of 1944, they transferred to the 47th Bomb Wing headquarters in Manduria, Italy. Kurner participated in the Italian Campaign, flying 41 bombing missions over Italy, Germany, Romania and Hungary.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Matlock. Matlock joined the Army Air Forces on 8 December 1941. He received his wings in 1943, and served as a pilot with the 434th Troop Carrier Group, 71st Squadron. From 1944 through 1945, they flew combat paratroopers on airborne assaults on Normandy, southern France, the Netherlands and Germany. They additionally flew resupply missions in the relief of Bastogne and evacuated the wounded. Matlock returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert W. Conner. Conner was born in Pennsylvania on 8 September 1914. He attended Duke University prior to joining the 93rd Construction Battalion in 1941. Initial training began in Williamsburg, Virginia, after which the unit moved to California where they were trained in the use of arms. The unit was then transported to Green Island where they built two airstrips and support buildings. He tells of his admiration for the New Zealand people who were also stationed on the island. Following the surrender of Japan Conner’s unit returned to the United States and he discusses the joyous reception upon their arrival in Portland, Oregon.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Juliussen. Juliussen joined the Navy Seabees in March of 1943. He completed boot camp, gunnery school and additional Seabees training at Port Hueneme in California. Juliussen served with the 33rd Naval Construction Battalion. They traveled by freighter to the Russell Islands and had a Shellback initiation when they crossed the equator. They helped load an LST, and invaded the Green Islands, where they were attacked by Japanese Zeros. Their job was to build airstrips on the island, where Juliussen worked in the heavy equipment shop and in the crane and shovel repair group. From there they traveled to Hollandia, the Solomon Islands and Tacloban in the Philippines. They completed 4 airstrips and 1 Navy base. He provides vivid details of his work, the camaraderie with fellow servicemen and attacks made by the Japanese. He was discharged shortly after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Art Rankin. Rankin was born in 1924 and joined the Navy after he graduated high school, around 1942. He completed boot camp at Camp Perry in Ohio. In the fall of 1943 he traveled to Noumea, New Caledonia and Russell Islands, off Guadalcanal. Rankin continued on to Green Islands where he was assigned to sanitation details and mess cook duty. He traveled on to Leyte Gulf, Samar and Guiuan in the Philippines. His unit built an airstrip and a sawmill. Rankin had numerous encounters with the Japanese, and saw active combat in the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea and the Philippines. He shares many anecdotes of his time in the service and interaction with natives on the various islands he visited. He was discharged in late 1945 as a carpenter’s mate, third class.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Collins. Collins was born in Driftwood, Pennsylvania on 24 September 1920. In 1943 he joined the United States Navy and was sent to Camp Peary for eight weeks of boot training. He then went to Camp Parks, California where he was assigned to Company A, 93rd Construction Battalion. In October 1943 the unit boarded the USAT Perida, arriving at Noumea, New Caledonia on 1 November 1943. Just as the ship anchored in the harbor, Collins witnessed an ammunition ship explode at the docks. The accident resulted in many deaths. The battalion went to Banika Island where they built a hospital. They then went to Green Island Atoll where they built two air strips and a hospital. In January 1945, the battalion boarded the USS Cape Johnson (AP-172) and sailed to Samar, Philippines. He describes being under attack by Japanese aircraft. While on Samar, Collins’ unit constructed airstrips and warehouses. During October 1945, Collins returned to the United States and was assigned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He had developed a serious ear infection while overseas and was sent to a naval hospital. After receiving treatment for two …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mike C. Dillingham. Dillingham was born in Commerce, Texas 18 February 1912. Upon graduating from Texas A&M University in 1935, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Coast Artillery reserves. Called for active duty 19 April 1941 he reported to the 69th Coast Artillery (anti-aircraft) at Camp Hulen, Texas where he was assigned to Search Light Battery A. In November 1941 the battery went to Midland, Texas to practice using aircraft sound detection and search light equipment. Radar was not available and aircraft detection was made with large horn acoustic receiving devices. On 9 December 1941 the unit moved to San Diego to defend the aircraft production plant. In 1942, Dillingham was sent to Camp Davis, North Carolina to search light school. Upon completing the training he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas to help establish the 233rd Search Light Battalion (anti- aircraft). In 1943 the battalion was provided with a radar (SCR268) receiving set and went to Fiji in September. In 1944, Dillingham was sent to New Caledonia as executive officer of the 518th Gun Battalion. The battalion arrived at Lingayen Gulf two days after the initial …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edgar Damour. Damour joined the Navy in September of 1939. His first assignment was aboard USS Chester (CA-27) traveling with the British in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. He volunteered for submarine service. Damour served as Radioman aboard USS S-35. From early 1942 through late 1943, they completed war patrols in the defense of the Aleutian Islands. Damour was then assigned to USS Pargo (SS-264). Their base was located at Pearl Harbor, and they completed war patrols to the Philippines and the Sea of Japan. He was discharged in October of 1945, though re-entered and served until his retirement in 1959.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with L C Eaton. Eaton joined the Navy in 1937 and received basic training in Norfolk, Virginia. He was sent to San Diego, California, for hospital corps training. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Savannah (CL-42) and transferred to the USS Boise (CL-47) to complete his first enlistment. He re-enlisted in the Navy to avoid the Army draft and was assigned to the USS Republic (AP-33). On 6 December 1941 the Republic moved from Pearl Harbor to the Aloha Dock in Honolulu. The Republic left immediately after the attack and wandered aimlessly until receiving orders in Fiji to unload in Australia. He was assigned to the Normandy invasion on the USS Burnett County (USS LST-512), which sank en route. Eaton was reassigned to the USS Emmons (DMS-22) and sent to Ulithi Atoll. He gives a detailed account of a five-plane kamikaze attack at Ie Shima in which he was severely wounded. He eventually had both legs amputated as a result of his injuries. Before being fitted with prosthetics at Mare Island, he describes the challenge of navigating public places in a wheelchair. He was discharged as a …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edwin Bullian. Bullian joined the Army Air Corps in October of 1940. He served as a B-26 flight engineer and gunner with the 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. He completed 45 missions over North Africa, the islands of Sardinia and Sicily and the Italian mainland. Bullian continued his service after the war ended, retiring as a Master Sergeant in 1960.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arnold Spielberg. Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 6 February 1917. His mother and father migrated from the Ukraine. He joined the United States Army and based on his experience as a “Ham” radio operator and knowledge of Morse code, he was assigned to the 442nd Signal Corps. Soon afterwards, he was assigned to the United States Army Air Forces and went aboard the SS Santa Paul in May 1942 bound for Karachi, India. After a short stint in supply, Spielberg was transferred to the 490th Bombardment Group where he set up a communications center at Ondal, India. The unit then moved to Bishnapur, India where he became the communications chief. During this time he was instrumental in setting up a rhombic directional antenna to improve communication with New Delhi. He describes instances where he went directly to the manufacturer for parts that were badly needed. Following his tour in India, Spielberg was assigned to research and development at Wright Field where he stayed until he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mose Davie. Davie was born in Clarksville, Tennessee on 12 July 1918. He graduated from high school in 1938 and attended Tennessee State University majoring in engineering. In 1941 he was drafted into the United States Army under the Selective Training and Service Act. Following basic training he was assigned to the 382nd Engineer Construction Battalion. He tells of the segregated unit boarding the USS Hermitage (AP-54) bound for Bombay, India. Once in India, the battalion was assigned the job of building the Ledo Road. Working in jungles, swamps and over mountains and rivers, malaria was prevalent and many of the men died. He relates how food and supplies were brought in by C-46 and C-47 transport planes that flew over The Hump and of being subjected to periodic Japanese air raids over the construction camps. Upon completion of the Ledo Road, the battalion returned to India. Davie also attended USO shows that featured Joe E. Brown and Hank Greenberg. Following the surrender of Japan, Davie returned to the United States and received his discharge in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy Burley. Burley was born in Halletsville, Texas 29 October 1923. Following his graduation from high school in San Antonio, he attended Prairie View A & M College. While in college, he served for three years in the Enlisted Reserve Corps. In May 1943 he was called to active duty and went to Camp Maxey at Paris, Texas. Selected to continue his college education, he was sent to Howard University in Washington DC. After completing one semester he was ordered to report to the 1318th Engineer General Service Regiment as a surveyor. After working on the construction of an air strip in North Carolina, he volunteered to attend Officers Candidates School. After ninety days of training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He then went to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he joined the 372nd Infantry Regiment as a rifle platoon leader in Company C. After the unit had set sail for Hawaii a message was received that the 372nd was deactivated. Upon arrival in Hawaii, he was assigned to the Transportation Corps and sent to the Philippines where he reported to a trucking battalion. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Teague. Teague was drafted into the Navy during his freshman year of college. Upon completion of aviation radio school, he was assigned to a torpedo bomber crew with Carrier Air Group Five (CVG-5). In late 1944, he boarded the USS Franklin (CV-13) and headed toward southern Japan to eliminate kamikaze bases. Teague’s particular task was to jam radar-controlled guns, which were rumored to have been acquired from Nazi Germany. After finding the right frequency, he watched the gun’s aim drift away. During one mission, while in the middle of a dive, his plane was hit in the wing. His aircraft moved to the front of the landing order, allowing them to return safely. After some overnight repairs, the plane was back in action. When the Franklin was hit by two 500-pound bombs, Teague was blown overboard. He was one of a dozen survivors of the hundreds of men in his air group, many of whom were close friends. Teague was sent to Lake Tahoe for R&R and was interviewed extensively by mental health specialists. As the war wound to a close, he passed up the opportunity to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Lee. Lee joined the Navy in 1944 and received basic training in New York. He joined the Seabees and received further training at Camp Endicott. At Port Hueneme he completed combat training. His first assignment was on Guam, where he enjoyed snorkeling in his free time. His main duty was at the warehouse as a forklift driver, or finger lift driver, as he calls it. His unit endured two typhoons, securing their Quonset huts to bulldozers. On V-J Day, Lee was awakened by sirens in the middle of the night, signaling the start of a great celebration. His trip back to the States was colder than he was dressed for, and food supplies were scarce. Lee developed pneumonia and was hospitalized in New York. Upon recovery he was discharged and attended college on the GI Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Wellman. Wellman quit high school in January 1943 (but had enough credits to graduate in June), joined the Marine Corps and went to boot camp in San Diego. After boot camp, he went to Camp Lejune, North Carolina for communications school (to teach him how to run a portable radar unit). After this school, they sent him to San Francisco where he boarded the USS Saratoga and went overseas in January 1944. After stopping in Kauai, Hawaii they were shipped to Midway and assigned to the 16th Anti-Aircraft Battalion. After Midway, they went back to Kauai. His unit was supposed to go to Iwo Jima, but their equipment was on ships (three) that blew up in Pearl Harbor so they missed that one. The next thing they did was go to Tinian. From Tinian, they boarded LSTs bound for Okinawa. They had a rough trip to Okinawa, encountering a typhoon along the way. At Okinawa, his unit was in the 3rd Amphibious Corps, 1st Marine Division. They went in with the first wave (as usual) on Easter morning, going inland four miles the first day and setting …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leonard Lott. Initially exempted from the draft as a farmer, Lott was eventually drafted into the Army in October 1944. After basic training at Camp Fannin, he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division in Manila. During the invasion at Lingayen Gulf, his unit suffered battle casualties and was plagued by dysentery. Armed with a rifle, Lott waited in foxholes for enemy advancement, at times manning a Thompson submachine gun and targeting snipers. Occasionally working alongside Filipino soldiers, Lott found them to be good fighters. While fighting in the mountains, Lott’s rations were airdropped and intercepted by the enemy. He soon contracted malaria and dengue fever, spending the remainder of the war in a hospital. He then served as a platoon sergeant in the Korean occupation, where his clothing and housing was inadequate for the cold weather. Lot was discharged into the reserves and retired as a warrant officer after 27 years of service.

Transcript of an oral interview with Marcus R. Neuhaus. Born in 1917, he was drafted into the Army in March 1942. He describes being processed into the military in Arkansas and then transported by train to Victorville, California. He was assigned to bombardier training school where he issued bombsights along with a stabilizer and a 45-caliber gun to trainees. He describes the secret nature of the equipment. After two and a half years, he was sent to Deming, New Mexico and, later, to San Antonio Texas where he was involved with airplane part supplies. He describes being transported to Washington aboard a steam train as well as conditions aboard a World War I vintage ship en route to Okinawa. He mentions the method of disposal of Japanese corpses on Okinawa. He also talks about his visit to the suicide cliffs. He describes the outdoor movie theater and the use of tracer bullets on Okinawa to celebrate the end of the war. He was discharged in January 1946. The interview also includes information about his parents and his wife.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles E Daugherty. Daugherty joined the Navy in 1939. He received basic training at Great Lakes and was aboard the USS California (BB-44) during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He remained at his battle station as a phone talker, nearly suffocating as the ship’s ventilation system malfunctioned. When the order was given to abandon ship, Daugherty was carried up two flights of stairs. Then a ferry came by and Daugherty stepped aboard, hiding in a sand pile for the remainder of the attack. The next day, he returned to the ship and found 12 casualties at his battle station. Daugherty spent the remainder of the war aboard YO-170, refueling ships in the Pacific Northwest. He recalls a celebration in downtown Seattle on V-J Day. After discharge, he worked for 30 years cleaning ships, aircraft, and motor transports at various docks.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James G Rabalais. Rabalais joined the Army in 1943 and volunteered for parachute school. He joined the 188th Parachute Regiment in the Philippines, training on bazookas and flamethrowers while there. He was assigned to patrol jungle areas and never encountered any enemies. In preparation for the invasion of Japan, he made test jumps out of modified B-24 bomb bays; normally, he would jump from C-46 Commandos and C-54 Skymasters. After the surrender, he was instructed to scale a mountain in Japan with the goal of contacting people on the other side, but the snow was too deep. Rabalais returned home and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Cook. Cook joined the Navy. He completed submarine chaser training in Miami, Florida with the Donald Duck Navy. Cook served aboard the USS Phantom (AM-273). They escorted a cargo ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He provides some details of life aboard the minesweeper. He was later transferred to USS YMS-267 in Hawaii. He shares some of his stories living in Hawaii. They traveled to Kobe, Japan and swept mines for six months. Cook was later transferred to an LST troop transport, and they traveled to Mare Island in California to decommission the ship. His discharge date is not noted, though he was discharged shortly after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Maclin. Maclin was a pre-med student when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Two of his childhood friends perished aboard USS Arizona (BB-39). Maclin was moved to sign up for the Navy, and joined the V-12 program. In June 1944, he contracted the mumps and was quarantined at Balboa Naval Hospital. Upon recovery, he was assigned to USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), later renamed the Anzio, as a hospital corpsman, assisting in surgeries such as appendectomies. While sailing through Typhoon Cobra, Maclin was impressed by a religious shipmate's ability to remain calm. He later joined the man's Bible group, which met in a storeroom aboard ship. Maclin would later become a missionary, spending 20 years in Africa after surviving kamikazes at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harvey Staley. Staley joined the Navy in mid-1944. He served as a Storekeeper and traveled to New Guinea and Leyte. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa, and experienced a kamikaze plane attacking his ship. Staley had two older brothers also serving in the Navy. He shares a number of anecdotal stories of his time on liberty in Hawaii and the Philippines, where he visited Intramuros, the Walled City, in Manila. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Donald Shedd. Shedd joined the Marine Corps with his two brothers in February 1942. He joined the 1st Division, 5th Marines after basic training. Shedd was sent to Guadalcanal where he witnessed shore bombardment by Japanese ships. He was then sent to Cape Glouster, New Britain where he saw combat on several patrols. Next Shedd’s unit was sent to Peleliu where he landed with the second wave. He was wounded on the tenth day of the battle and was evacuated to a hospital ship and eventually sent back to the United States. He spent the remainder of the war as a guard at a naval ammunition depot in Massachusetts. He was discharged on 15 September 1945.