Transcript of an oral interview with Olian Perry. Perry went to boot camp in San Diego. They were supposed to have ten week's of training but only had seven before they were shipped overseas on the Mastonia, landing in New Zealand. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 18th Marines, 1st Battalion, Company "C" as a dynamite man. After some training on New Zealand, they went to Guadalcanal on a troop ship. Once onshore, they started digging their foxholes but couldn't get any sleep because of washing machine charlie coming over. Perry talks about the land crabs crawling into their foxholes after the Japanese would bomb or shell the island. After Guadalcanal, he went back to New Zealand and then to Tarawa. Perry went into Tarawa on a Higgins boat and describes it as "just murder"; he went over the side of the boat and into waist deep water. Perry states "men were dropping around you side by side". After Tarawa, they went to Parker Ranch in Hawaii for R&R. From there they went to Saipan and Tinian. Perry describes seeing a man and woman come out, throw their kids over the cliff, and then jump in right after …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ida Paxton. Paxton was raised in the Dust Bowl and educated in a one-room schoolhouse. When the war began, her mother sought permission of the ration board to acquire new shoes for the growing children in her family. Paxton left school in the ninth grade and worked at a drugstore soda fountain. At 17 she became engaged to a young soldier who was home on leave. She went with him to Oakland, where he was stationed, and got a job at the Emeryville Ordnance Depot. There she drove all sorts of Army vehicles, from DUKWs to half-tracks, taking them to their ports of embarkation. Soon after marrying, her husband deployed to the Pacific, corresponding in code so that Paxton could follow his wartime experiences. She also drove military vehicles in war bond rallies, V-J Day parades, and the celebration of General Wainwright's homecoming. Immediately after the surrender, her unit worked for 30 days straight, often until midnight, preparing vehicles for the occupation forces. Afterwards, she transported longshoremen from place to place, until her husband returned in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William A. "Bill" Campbell. Born in 1925, he joined the Army in 1934. He describes basic training and living conditions at Miami Beach, Florida. After basic training, he attended aerial gunnery school at Fort Meyers, Florida and was then sent to Boise, Idaho where he became a tail gunner of a B-24 crew. He was then transferred to the 466th Bomb Group of the 784th Bomb Squadron where they flew bombing missions over Germany. He provides an account of his combat mission over Germany when he was hit by anti-aircraft flak. He shares an anecdote of when he won the Distinguished Flying Cross for extinguishing a fire on the plane following a direct hit to the bomb bay. He also describes the attacks by German fighters, his twenty-seven missions and the places he bombed as part of the 8th Air Force. He shares an anecdote of a gas mission his B-24 flew to Patton???s army in France and watching the V-2 buzzbombs hitting Norwich. He left Liverpool for Boston in 1945 aboard the USS Wakefield (AP-21) where he awaited surgery from his flak wound in Atlantic City, New …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Merle Volding. Volding was born 19 December 1923. He joined the US Army Signal Corps around late 1941. He completed extensive training as a radar technician at the School of Engineering at the University of Iowa. He then completed further engineering and cryptography training through the Army’s Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Around late 1944 through the end of the war, he worked in the SOPAC message center on New Caledonia. He shares details of life on the island. He returned to the US and received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museumn of the Pacific War presents an interview with Claribel Hannemann. Hannemann was born in Frederickaburg Texas in 1928. She discusses growing up during the Depression and being a teenager during the war and how the war affected her family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Brown. Brown was drafted into the Marines in March of 1944 and served in the 2nd Marine Division. He traveled to Eniwetok and Okinawa. In Okinawa his job was to help service the planes. They also traveled to the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Daryl Haerther. Haerther joined the Army in 1944 and was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division a few days after the beginning of the invasion of Okinawa. He was assigned to A Company, 383rd Infantry Regiment. While there, Haerther qualified as a medic and shares several anecdotes from his combat experiences. Eventaully, Haerther was wounded and evacuated to Guam. He was still in the hospital when the war ended and Haerther elected to be discharged in December 1945. Haerther indicates he continues to struggle later in life as a result of some of his combat experiences.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Russell Santora. Santora was born in Bronx, New York on 4 October 1927. Upon joining the US Merchant Marine in July 1944, he attended boot camp at the US Maritime Training Station. When the training was completed he was sent to Oakland, California. There, he joined the Marine Fireman, Oilers and Water Tenders Union and received his Permit Book and was assigned to a merchant ship. He tells of his duties aboard the various ships to which he was assigned and recalls various trips he made to Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Carey. Carey joined the Navy in September 1944 and received basic training at Great Lakes and electrician’s mate training in Gulfport. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Stanton (DE-247) as an electrician striker, running the ship’s generators under supervision. Four hours after he arrived at Pearl Harbor to begin his overseas duties, the Japanese surrendered. Hickam Air Force Base erupted in celebration, the men howling and throwing their hats in the air. Carey remained there working in a service shop on the submarine base until he was sent to Guam to do the same. En route to Guam, he maintained the ship’s search lights, which he describes as welding irons with mirrors behind them. Suspended from a rope, he would swing over the water and over the lights, attempting to reach and clean the electrical contacts below. After repairing various small motors at the submarine base on Guam, Carey returned home and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Kahn. Kahn joined the Navy in December of 1942. Beginning July of 1943, he served as Third Class Signalman aboard USS LST-118. From April through July of 1944, Kahn participated in the Hollandia and Mariana operations. He was transferred to USS LST-605. From October of 1944 through July of 1945, he participated in the Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa operations. Kahn returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leon Lombard. Lombard was born 20 July 1925. He joined the Navy in December of 1941 and was called to active duty on 20 July 1942. He trained and served as an aviation metalsmith. In early 1943, he was assigned to the Assembly and Repair Unit at a Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Beginning in mid-1943, Lombard was transferred to USS Chandeleur (AV-10), a seaplane tender, where he served for 20 months, tendering PBMs. They traveled to Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, the Marshall Islands and Saipan. In early 1945, he was transferred to USS Onslow (AVP-48). They set up a floating seaplane base at Kerama Retto near Okinawa. He recalls vivid memories of the ongoing battles around him. He later served in the occupation of Japan. Lombard returned to the US and received his discharge in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl B Barnawell. Barnawell joined the Navy around 1942. He graduated from Hospital Corps School. Beginning April of 1944, Barnawell served as an operating room technician aboard USS Herald of the Morning (AP-173). They traveled to the Marianas, transporting supplies, debarking troops and evacuating the wounded. Barnawell additionally served with occupation forces in the Far East.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Maroney. Maroney joined the Marine Corps in early 1943. He served as a 20mm gunner aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) through the end of the war. Maroney participated in 12 Naval engagements aboard the Enterprise, including the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaigns, the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Sanders. Sanders joined the Army Air Forces in October 1942 and earned his wings in April 1944. After learning to fly B-24s, he arrived in England with his crew as part of the 458th Bomb Group. From there he made raids over Germany, twice making emergency landings in Belgium after being shot up. He transitioned into being a lead crew pilot, heading up a tight formation of 36 bombers. Sanders had flown 18 missions by the time the war ended. He and his crew flew home, stopping for fuel and wine in the Azores. He was also transporting 20 soldiers who were so eager to land that they crowded the front of the plane, shifting the load and causing an extremely rough and dangerous landing. That was the last time Sanders ever piloted an aircraft.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Opheim. Opheim joined the Army Air Forces in August, 1942. He qualified for pilot training. He went overseas to England in November, 1944. He recalls ferrying troops and supplies to the continent during the Battle of the Bulge and making a combat drop over the Rhine River area. When the war ended in Europe, Opheim went to Brazil to ferry troops back to the US to prepare for the invasion of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Amos McGinnis. McGinnis was working in a factory when he was drafted into the Army in December, 1942. He trained as a combat engineer and went to England before heading out for Normandy five days after D-Day. McGinnis shares several anecdotes about his experiences building bridges across Europe. He was in Germany when the war ended and was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman R. Shirley. Shirley joined the Marine Corps in Alabama shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion oftraining, Shirley headed for New Zealand aboard the USS Barnett (APA-5) and was assigned to Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. From there, the Barnett took Shirley to Guadalcanal in August, 1942. Shirley describes the scene after the battle at the Tenaru River and encountering Washing Machine Charlie. He also talks about other action he was involved in while fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal. During the campaign, he served as a runner relaying messages. Shirley also describes being in combat and the mud on Cape Gloucester. Shirley had been assigned to telephone communications by this time and served as a linesman. Shirley also served as a telephone operator on Peleliu. Shirley returned to the US for more training after Peleliu and was at Camp Pendleton when the war ended. He was discharged in September, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Gehl. Gehl was born in New Salem, North Dakota. Joining the Navy, he attended boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. He was then sent to the Navy base at Norman, Oklahoma. After a few months at Norman, he went by troop train to San Francisco where he boarded a ship bound for the Philippines. Arriving at Manila he took part in establishing the Philippine Sea Frontier Headquarters. He was discharged soon after returning to the United States in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Louis Justin. Justin volunteered for service in the Army Air Forces in March, 1943 and took the photography course in Denver. He went overseas to Tinian in November, 1944 where he worked in the photo lab developing images. On Tinian, he developed the film from the Enola Gay. After the war, Young returned to the US in January and received his discharge in February. Justin has some help during the interview from his daughter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rocelia Madison. Madison joined the WAVES in December 1943. She received basic training in New York and attended machinist school in Oklahoma. Upon completion, she was assigned to Corpus Christi, where she worked as an aviation machinist’s mate, servicing mostly PBMs and the occasional PBY. She got along well with her crewmates and received equal pay to the men. She married a sailor, Joe Wesley Harmon, and the two were discharged together. They bought their first house and attended school on the GI Bill, and Madison ran her own business for 30 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Christensen. Christensen joined the Marine Corps in June of 1941. He joined Carlson's Raiders and later joined Edson’s Raiders. They trained through early 1942. He participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign beginning in August of 1942, including Carlson’s Long Patrol. He also served in the Battle of Guam in 1944. He traveled through the Solomon Islands and fought in the Bougainville Campaign. Christensen experienced much combat and provides some details of his experiences. He returned to the U.S. from the Pacific in 1946. His wife shares some of his experiences in Japan. He later served in the Vietnam War and retired from the military in 1969.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Scott Medley. Medley joined the Navy around the spring of 1943. In late summer, he deployed to Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. He then served as Seaman First Class aboard USS Crescent City (APA-21), and traveled across the equator, where he shares his pollywog hazing stories. His battle station aboard the ship was loading ammunition in the anti-aircraft and five-inch guns. He shares combat experiences in shuttling Marines aboard a Higgins boat at Guadalcanal and for the invasions of Peleliu and Leyte. Medley shares experiences of kamikaze planes trying to attack the Crescent City. He returned home in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Julius Erdos. Erdos joined the Army Air Forces in April, 1943. After basic, he went to Biloxi to train as an engine mechanic. In January 1944 Erdos went to Tinian to be a B-29 mechanic. He returned to the US in December. Erdos shares several anecdotes about his time in the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Otis Williams. Williams joined the Navy V-6 Program around October of 1944. He was transferred to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Millington, Tennessee, and completed Radio and Radar schools. Williams then transferred to Opa-locka, Florida for Gunnery School and operations training with carrier aircraft. He completed training around February of 1946. Williams was assigned to the 75th Bombing Squadron. He continued his service after the war ended, with his final ranking status of Aviation Radioman Third-Class. Williams was discharged on 29 June 1946.