Interview with James "Herb" Macia of San Antonio, Texas, who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces during World War Two. In the interview, Mr. Macia recalls memories about growing up as well as his days as a mining engineer, the Doolittle Raid, North Africa, Normandy, and D-Day.

Interview with Melvin Harmon, a paratrooper during World War II. He discusses his paratrooper training and his time on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and other battles in the Solomon Islands. He also contracted malaria.

Interview with Willie Higgs, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He joined the Marines in 1944 and trained at Camp Pendleton before being assigned to the 4th Marine Division. Higgs discusses arriving at Iwo Jima, making a grenade attack on a cave there, and subsequently breaking his leg. He then spent time aboard the hospital ship, USS Solace (AH-5). Upon returning home, Higgs finished his degree at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, where he majored in music.

Interview with Boyd K. Miller, a draftsman and pilot during World War II. He discusses being drafted out of college and working as an artist and draftsman. Since he studied art in college, he worked on diagrams and charts. He then transferred to the Air Corps to become a pilot and trained in Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Georgia, Florida and Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Ellis. Ellis was born on 8 March 1918 in Big Spring, Texas and enlisted in the Army in 1936. He went to Officer Candidate School, where he was trained in intelligence. His first duty station was in Hawaii, where he was assigned to the Navy’s Central Pacific Command by mistake. Next he was sent to Okinawa as a platoon leader in the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On Okinawa, Ellis was wounded and evacuated to a hospital ship and ultimately a field hospital in Saipan. His wounds left him unfit to return to combat and to be returned to the US due to the shell fragments embedded in his chest. Ellis walked away from the hospital and managed to get on a flight back to Okinawa and returned to his unit. The war ended shortly after he was given command of the regiment’s Intelligence and Reconnaissance (IR) platoon. The regiment then embarked on ships to Korea. During the transit, he was summoned to the flag bridge on the ship and assigned an intelligence gathering mission by Major General Archibald Arnold, 7th Infantry Division’s Commanding Officer. Ellis …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Philip Cochran. Cochran joined the Army Air Corps in 1936 as an aviation cadet. He flew fighters off the British aircraft carrier HMS Archer (D78) against targets in North Africa. Later in the war, he was transferred to Burma to help plan the air portion of the invasion with the First Air Commando Task Force. He was back in Europe making similar plans when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Ellis. Ellis was born on 8 March 1918 in Big Spring, Texas and enlisted in the Army in 1936. He went to Officer Candidate School, where he was trained in intelligence. His first duty station was in Hawaii, where he was assigned to the Navy’s Central Pacific Command by mistake. Next he was sent to Okinawa as a platoon leader in the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On Okinawa, Ellis was wounded and evacuated to a hospital ship and ultimately a field hospital in Saipan. His wounds left him unfit to return to combat and to be returned to the US due to the shell fragments embedded in his chest. Ellis walked away from the hospital and managed to get on a flight back to Okinawa and returned to his unit. The war ended shortly after he was given command of the regiment’s Intelligence and Reconnaissance (IR) platoon. The regiment then embarked on ships to Korea. During the transit, he was summoned to the flag bridge on the ship and assigned an intelligence gathering mission by Major General Archibald Arnold, 7th Infantry Division’s Commanding Officer. Ellis …

Interview with Joyce E. Sarvey discussing her work with Western Union in San Antonio, Texas during World War II.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Hobbs. Hobbs joined the Army in the spring of 1943. He served with the 35th Infantry Division, and deployed to England in May of 1944. His job was to drive a machine gun Jeep. Hobbs participated in the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Saint-Lô and the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to the US and was discharged in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arnold Shidler. Shidler joined the Army in 1944. He served with the 80th Infantry Division, 318th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion. In July of 1944, they deployed to England. They were in active duty through France, and into Germany, participating in the Battle of the Bulge. After receiving frostbite on his feet, he was sent back to England in early 1945. Shidler was later stationed in La Havre, France until the end of the war. Shidler returned to the US and was discharged in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Piester. Born in 1922, he joined the Army Air Force in 1942. He recounts being selected for Project #9 and transported to India. He was assigned to a fighter group to perform mechanics on P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts in India. The group?s mission was to destroy Japanese supply lines and air fields in Burma. He discusses the use and difficulties of Waco CG-4A gliders in the invasion of Burma. He also discusses the effect of the monsoon season on the mission and the movement of the air bases. When the war ended he returned to the United States on a troopship and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Young. Young was commissioned as a reserve officer with the Army Corps of Engineers. He was of Chinese descent and spoke Cantonese and Mandarin. Young was sent to China and served as an aide-de-camp for General Stilwell from February 1942 through the end of 1945. He discusses the difficulties of the relationship between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-Shek as well as the overall strategic situation. Young also describes how Chinese officers would often defer to Chiang. He also got to know Madame Sun Yat-Sen and describes their interactions. Young tells how he walked out of Burma with Stilwell during a retreat.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Hilton. Hilton joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He completed Photo School and served as a photographer aboard a B-29, taking photos for reconnaissance in the China Burma India Theater. He served with the 40th Bombardment Group. They completed the majority of their missions over China, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, including detailed mapping over Okinawa in preparation for the invasion. His group also completed several missions in the Mariana Islands. Hilton participated in bombing, mapping and photo reconnaissance missions from April of 1944 through July of 1945. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Peter Tringham. Tringham was born in London, England in 1920. He graduated from high school in 1936, and completed an engineering degree in college by 1939. He joined England’s Territorial Army, similar to the US National Guard, in February of 1939. He volunteered as a driver in the Royal Engineers, and later traveled to France to join the British Expeditionary Force. Tringham served as a British Army captain through the China Burma India Theater campaign. He was discharged in April of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hazel Tringham. Tringham joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service towards the beginning of World War II in England. She worked as a radar operator on gun sites in London. Tringham served from June of 1942 through June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Pederson. Pederson joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. In 1943, he completed Cadet School in Meteorology, and Tropical Meteorology School. He was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for one year, practicing simulated bombings of Berlin. Beginning in December of 1944, he served in the China Burma India Theater. He was assigned to an Air Force station in Chabua, India. He worked as a load master, loading planes bound for China with proper weights and balances. Pederson continued his service after the war ended, and remained in the reserves until 1968.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Peter Lutken. Lutken received his commission in the Army via the ROTC program when he graduated from Mississippi State College in 1941. He was attached to the 703rd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. He went overseas aboard the SS Santa Paula (1932) headed for India, but stopped in South Africa briefly before arriving in Karachi. Before long, they went to Assam and set up their anti-aircraft guns around the airfield.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Lutken. Lutken was a legal secretary in the Civil Service. She worked in Jackson, Mississippi in a U.S. Attorney’s office. Lutken describes the local environment and situations she observed. She briefly mentions alien registration for civilians from enemy nations and an interview with a German POW. Lutken also volunteered at the American Red Cross. She left her position a few years after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bryce Brown. Brown joined the Army around 1942. He trained with the Medical Corps and served as a Medical Clerk. Brown was stationed in China, in the field of malaria control. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ivan Haselby. Haselby joined the Army in July of 1944. He completed Officer Candidate School and served as a first lieutenant in the First Cavalry Division, Eighth Cavalry Regiment. He worked at Camp Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas through May of 1945. Beginning in July, he was deployed to Japan and served with the occupation forces. He was stationed in the Chiba Prefecture, occupying and investigating schools. Haselby returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Cecil Carlisle. Carlisle served in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, and graduated in January of 1943 as a Corporal. He went on to complete Officer Candidate School and became a second lieutenant. He joined the Army, the Coast Artillery, working with automatic weapons including .50-caliber machine guns and 40mm antiaircraft cannons. He was first assigned to Camp Hahn in Riverside, California where he served as a platoon commander, conducting antiaircraft gunnery and field training. From there he was transferred to complete pilot training through the Army Air Forces and received his wings in the fall of 1944. He did not go overseas, as flights were halted to England as the war was scaling down. He then flew as copilot for Navigation Training School, back and forth from Texas to Florida. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vestine Schroeder. Schroeder joined the Marines in October of 1942. After boot camp he was assigned to guard duty on North Island in California. He received additional training in the supply room, and was transferred to the Marine base in El Centro, California with Air Group 35. Schroeder worked on the instruments aboard the planes at the base. He did not go overseas, and remained in California for the duration of the war. He was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Tim Dearman. Dearman joined the Navy around 1942. He served as Third Class Fireman aboard USS Holland (AS-3), and traveled to Pearl Harbor. Beginning in 1944, he was transferred to USS Pilotfish (SS-386), working in the engine room. They completed patrol missions to Midway and Guam, and Dearman was promoted to Third Class Machinist Mate.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Melvin Harmon. He discusses becoming a paratrooper, his time on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and other battles in the Solomon Islands and getting malaria.