The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Hensel. Hensel was drafted into the Navy in June 1943. He trained as an aerial gunner and was eventually assigned to a crew aboard an Avenger. In early 1945, he went aboard USS Franklin (CV-13). In March, when the Franklin was attacked, Hensel was blown overboard and eventually made it onto a raft before being rescued by USS Hickox (DD-673). He went to a hospital at Ulithi to recover from burns before heading back to the US. He was undergoing more training when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Gallagher. Gallagher joined the Navy after quitting high school and trained in aviation ordnance. In May, 1944 he was assigned to USS Franklin (CV-13) where he would arm dive bombers. Gallagher describes an injury he sustained while loading bombs as well as various enemy attacks on the Franklin, including a kamikaze. He was aboard when the Japanese bombed the Franklin in March, 1945. Gallagher recalls the attack and was ordered to transfer to USS Santa Fe (CL-60). From there, Gallagher spent six months at Hawaii before going back to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Houston Lowe. Lowe finished high school and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked in Texas and California before joing the Army Air Corps. He had basic training in the Philippines prior to the Japanese invasion. Lowe was captured on Corregidor and made a prisoner of war. He soon went to Cabanatuan. Lowe recalls several instances of his POW experience in the Philippines. He rode a hell ship to Japan, the Noto Maru, and was close to Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped. When the war ended, Lowe returned to San Francisco.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dorothy Martens. Martens graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1944. She entered the Army Nurse Corps in December. She completed basic training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. From there she moved to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for orientation, where she taught the other nurses about the workings of a B-29. She was in the 309th General Hospital Unit. In May of 1945 their unit traveled to Washington State and boarded the USAT Matsonia heading to Tinian and the Marianas. They were assigned to set up a general hospital to receive patients from battlefields in the Pacific. She provides some detail of the types of wounds she helped with and her living conditions on Tinian. She left Tinian in October of 1945 and went to Fukuoka, Japan. Her unit set up a hospital there to help U.S. enlisted men, and she provides details of the city and her surroundings. She left Japan and was separated from the service in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Fred Heyer. Heyer joined the Navy in March 1945. He went to Great Lakes in Chicago for boot camp. He provides detail of his boot camp experience. From there he went to the U.S. Navy Receiving Station in Seattle where he received and dispatched Army personnel. He then served aboard the USS Clamour (AM-160) beginning October 1945. They were working to put the ship out of commission. His work aboard the ship was clerical, office work, and bringing the crews’ personnel records up-to-date and other duties to de-commission the ship. He was discharged in July 1946. He later re-enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve program December 1946, and was recalled to active duty in January 1947. He was assigned as a station keeper at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee. He worked in a school for veterans assisting with automotive repair, clerical work and helping veterans organize their service activities. He was released from active duty in August 1948, and released from the Naval Reserve in July 1950.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stuart MacDonald. MacDonald joined the Marine Corps and was called to active duty right after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After basic training, he was assigned to the headquarters battery in the 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He went to Guadalcanal with the First MARDIV and served in the fire direction center before catching malaria. After recovering, MacDonald was assigned to the Third MARDIV as a forward observer at Bougainville and later at Guam. MacDonald was rotated back to the US in January, 1945. He was discharged in February, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John E Montgomery. Montgomery joined the Army in February 1943. He studied navigation and mathematics at Clarion State Teachers College, Pennsylvania, then graduated from flying school in Douglas, Georgia in May of 1944. He transferred to Sarasota, Florida in September and completed P-51 gunnery school. In early 1945, Montgomery was deployed to Hawaii to join the 20th Air Force. Beginning in April, he traveled to Iwo Jima, Guam, Tokyo and Saipan, completing 10 bombing missions over Japan and Chichi-Jima. He describes living on Iwo Jima and Saipan. He remained in Saipan from December through April of 1946, then returned home and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Louis Wolfort. Wolfort was drafted into the Army in January of 1941. He completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky in July of 1942. He was then sent to Camp Funston, Kansas to start the 9th Armored Division. He was a light tank instructor at Camp Funston, then went back to Fort Knox, and provides detail of the equipment he used in training. From there he was sent to the West Coast and shipped out as a replacement officer. He served overseas as a company commander at Headquarters, Southern Islands Area Command under General Robert L. Eichelberger, and provides some detail of that experience. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Louis Janosek. Janosek joined the Army Air Forces in March of 1943. He completed training in radio navigation and served as an Air Transport Command C-46 Flight Officer. They traveled to Liberia, West Africa, Ascension Island and China, Tunisia, Egypt, Bagdad, transporting supplies, food and equipment. He shares his experience flying over the Hump, the Himalaya Mountains. He received his discharge in 1946. In 1947, he renewed his service with the Air Force, retiring in 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Judson Martin. Martin joined the Army in February of 1943. He completed language school as part of the Army Specialized Training Program. He trained as a German interpreter, and served with the 104th Infantry Division, 413th Infantry Regiment. Around September of 1944, they deployed to France and participated in combat through Belgium, Germany and the Siegfried Line. Martin returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Barret (Bud) Payne. Payne joined the Marine Corps in June of 1943. He completed boot camp in San Diego. He completed Radio Gunnery School, and served as a Private First-Class Radio Gunner aboard a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. For a short time, he was assigned to Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 141 (VMSB-141) at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. They were transferred to Hawaii, and later to Majuro in the Marshall Islands. In early 1945, Payne completed 7 missions from Majuro, including over the Mili and Watje atolls. He was stationed in Majuro when the war ended. He worked in occupied China from October through April of 1946, returned home and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Craig. Craig was born in Freeport, Pennsylvania in 1918. Following graduation from high school he was employed by Allegheny Steel Corporation. He was drafted into the United States Army Air Forces in May 1942 and completed basic training at Miami Beach, Florida. He was then sent to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama as a clerk in an Army Airways Communications System (AACS) unit. He describes the unusual living accommodations during that period. He recalls being transferred to Casablanca, North Africa to the 4th AACS Wing in 1944. He returned to the United States during 1945 and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William James McConnaughy. McConnaughy was born 8 February 1920, and joined the Army Air Corps around 1940. He was working on guard duty at Randolph Field in Texas when the war started. By late 1942, he was serving as Supply Sergeant with the 817th Bombardier Training Squadron at Big Spring Army Air Field in West Texas. In 1945, after the war ended, McConnaughy was transferred to Portland, Oregon, and then served as a Room Orderly on a B-29 base at Okinawa. In late 1945, early 1946, he returned to the US and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Jennings. Jennings joined the Navy in September 1942 as an aviation cadet. In March 1944, he earned his wings and a commission in the Marine Corps. He volunteered for a night fighter unit so he could go overseas. He first went to Peleliu before going to Okinawa and joining VMF(N)-542 in July. Jennings went home in March, 1946 and was recalled for the Korean War. He was stationed in Japan briefly before returning to the US to train pilots.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Colin Furr. Furr was born in Hunt, Texas in 1925. He tells of living conditions and schooling during his early years. Upon graduating from high school in 1942, he joined the Army and received basic training at Camp Kohler, California. He trained as a truck driver and was sent to Hollandia and assigned to the 52nd Signal Battalion, Company C. He was later assigned as a truck driver working with a unit constructing rhombic radio stations. He also had duty with the 93rd Infantry Division. He also recalls performing guard duty Army General Headquarters on Hollandia and personally checking the IDs of General McArthur and Admiral Nimitz. He remembers being stationed on Mindanao and Palawan and he describes being infected with malaria and yellow jaundice.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Mehling. Mehling joined the Army Air Forces in December, 1942 and trained in Miami Beach before going to radio communication school. Mehling was assigned to the 440th Troop Carrier Squadron and trained with airborne units in North Carolina in 1943. He served as a radio operator aboard C-47s. He went overseas in March 1944. He made the trip over Normandy on D-Day and made several flights in the following day delivering troops and supplies. He also made the drop over Belgium during Operation MARKET GARDEN. On one mission late I n1944, he had to bail out of his disabled aircraft and was captured by the Germans and spent time at Stalag 7A. After being liberated, he was discharged in August, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J C Brownwell. Brownwell joined the Navy in January of 1943. He served aboard the USS Tennessee (BB-43) beginning in the spring of 1943, and he provides description of the ship and life on board. He worked as an Electrician’s Mate. Some of the places they traveled include Tarawa, Kwajalein, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Peleliu and Saipan. He provides information on their firing engagements at Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Peleliu. He provides some detail of going ashore at Saipan and what he witnessed. He talks about their interaction with destroyers, and a kamikaze plane that hit their ship. He also discusses witnessing the flag raising at Mount Suribachi.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with Sidney Lanier. Lanier recalls growing up and working during the Depression. He entered the Navy in March, 1943 and trained in San Diego. With training complete, Lanier reported to PC-1230 at New Orleans. They travelled to New Caledonia and stayed on station there for about a year before heading to Peleliu. At Peleliu, Lanier was assigned to the USS ATR-33 but travelled considerably before reaching his new ship in New Caledonia. He was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin V. ""Bud"" Niewehuis. Niewenhuis left the family farm in South Dakota and went looking for work in California in December, 1941. He was drafted into the Army in June, 1942. He trained with an anti-aircraft artillery unit before shipping to New Guinea. Niewenhuis participated in the invasion of Morotai and describes defending a captured airfield with the 389th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. From Morotai, his unit went to Luzon to prepare for the invasion of Japan that never occurred. He returned home in late 1945 and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles E. Loeschorn. In 1942, Loeschorn volunteered for the Marine Corps before he finished high school. He discusses training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Upon completion of training, Loeschorn was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, First Marine Division and shipped to New Zealand. In August, he was part of the initial landing force at Guadalcanal and recalls completing the construction of what became Henderson Field. He also recalls going on patrols and skirmishing with the Japanese. He mentions he became ill with malaria. He recalls the mud and wetness at Cape Gloucester and resting and recuperating at Pavuvu prior to going to Peleliu. Toward the end of his time fighting on Guadalcanal, Loeschorn had been moved to the Headquarters company. In HQ company, he served as a telephone linesman. he continued as that during the battle at Peleliu. he describes coming ashore on Peleliu. He recalls meeting Chesty Puller on Peleliu. At the end of September, 1944, Loeschorn was sent back to the US and was at Camp Lejeune when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hubert Richter. Richter joined the Army in February of 1943. He served with the 6th Infantry Division. Richter worked in the meteorology section as a forward observer for the artillery, identifying targets with the front-line infantry. He participated in the New Guinea and Luzon campaigns.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dell Sheftall. Sheftall joined the Army in May 1943 and received basic training at Camp Maxey. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 103rd Infantry Division and sent to France. There he was part of a night combat team, capturing German officers for interrogation. He narrowly escaped the Battle of the Bulge, replaced by a unit that was annihilated by the enemy soon after Sheftall left. While at a rest camp in the Bavarian Alps, he discovered and liberated a makeshift camp made up of prisoners from Dachau. The war ended while Sheftall was stationed in Le Havre awaiting deployment to the Pacific; he returned home shortly thereafter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ernest W. Sears. When Sears graduated from high school in 1942 he received a farm deferment and did not enter the Navy unitl 1944. He trained as a radioman for beach landings. He was home on leave when his unit shipped out, so he was assigned to the USS Lexington (CV-16) and joined her at Bremerton, Washington in March, 1945. He served in the radio control room aboard the Lexington for the duration of the war and speaks about being on duty during the signing of the peace accords, and dropping food and supplies to the Allied POWs in Japan. Welson Sears (Ernest's son) fills in some details during the interview. When he was dischaerged from the Navy, Sears enrolled at Texas Tech University and went to school using the G.I. Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martin Gonzales. Gonzales worked in an aircraft engine plant until he was drafted into the Army in 1943. He joined the 1st Cavalry Division in Australia and took part in the landings at the Admiralty Islands. Gonzales describes becoming a BAR man after the gunner was critically wounded. His unit was then sent to the Philippines and fought on Leyte and Luzon. Gonzales describes the living conditions and details fighting in Manila. He was in Tokyo Bay when the surrender ceremony took place and participated in the occupation for about a month. Gonzales returned to the US and was discharged soon afterwards. He joined a monastery a few years later and discusses his faith in detail.