Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001

Interview with Albert Bouley, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Marines just after Pearl Harbor; his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division; the battle of Guadalcanal; malaria and dysentery; the battle of Cape Gloucester; the use of Pavuvu as a base; the battle of Peleliu; his return to the United States; guard duty at the Brooklyn Naval Yard and his service as an instructor in a heavy weapons school before the end of the war. He joined the Air Force 2 1/2 years later to be able to fly and work on planes, then retire to become a teacher in California, and finally settled in Texas.
Date: June 27, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bouley, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James William Harrison, January 27, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with James William Harrison, January 27, 2005

Interview with James William "Bill" Harrison, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He explains how he joined the navy in San Diego without going to boot camp. He worked on an oil tanker that shipped out to Pearl Harbor a month after the attack there and transported fuel out of San Diego to various ships at sea. He was then transfered to Admiral Nimitz's public relations department. There he and two others wrote stories about the action in the Pacific theater, particularly about the Battle of Midway. They also contributed to a radio show and worked with the national press corps. He then worked at the Naval Air Station in Seattle before traveling to Hilo, Hawaii to meet with soldiers who had returned from Tarawa. In Texas, he attended officer training school and college at Southwestern University. After the war ended, he studied at the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma for law school. He recalls an incident in which his office released a story about a cat that had kittens on board a cruiser; they reported this good news from the Pacific prior to the Battle of Midway. He also met Admirals Nimitz …
Date: January 27, 2005
Creator: Parish, Brainerd & Harrison, James William
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Rufus Johnson, March 27, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Rufus Johnson, March 27, 2005

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rufus Johnson. He begins the interview with a summary of his life. Rufus Winfield Johnson was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1911. He was in the ROTC at Howard University. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1934 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. In 1939 he received his LLB degree from the Howard University School of Law. He shares stories from his time working in the White House as lifeguard and personal butler to Franklin Delano Roosevelt prior to entering the armed forces. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division. He shares an anecdote about receiving a ten thousand dollar reward for shooting a bandit that preyed on American sailors in North Africa. He describes the campaigns of Sicily and North Apennines. He recounts an altercation with General Almond after which he was transferred to the 442nd Infantry Division. He describes his role in rescuing Company K of the 71st Infantry. He also recounts his capture and escape from German soldiers. He discusses the treatment of African American soldiers. He also served during the Korean War. He retired from the Army Reserves …
Date: March 27, 2005
Creator: Johnson, Rufus
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Rufus Johnson, March 27, 2005 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Rufus Johnson, March 27, 2005

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rufus Johnson. He begins the interview with a summary of his life. Rufus Winfield Johnson was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1911. He was in the ROTC at Howard University. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1934 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. In 1939 he received his LLB degree from the Howard University School of Law. He shares stories from his time working in the White House as lifeguard and personal butler to Franklin Delano Roosevelt prior to entering the armed forces. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division. He shares an anecdote about receiving a ten thousand dollar reward for shooting a bandit that preyed on American sailors in North Africa. He describes the campaigns of Sicily and North Apennines. He recounts an altercation with General Almond after which he was transferred to the 442nd Infantry Division. He describes his role in rescuing Company K of the 71st Infantry. He also recounts his capture and escape from German soldiers. He discusses the treatment of African American soldiers. He also served during the Korean War. He retired from the Army Reserves …
Date: March 27, 2005
Creator: Johnson, Rufus
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Keith Westphal, June 27, 2007 transcript

Oral History Interview with Keith Westphal, June 27, 2007

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Keith Westphal. Westphal describes growing up during the Great Depression and how it affected his family. He joined the Navy in May of 1945. He provides some details of his boot camp. He completed signal school, though was assigned to Fire Control in the Gunnery Division where he served as Seaman First Class. In December of 1945 he began work overseeing the antiaircraft guns aboard the USS Pocono (AGC-16), an Adirondack class amphibious force command ship. They remained on the Atlantic coast and did not go out to sea. Westphal describes the ship’s interior and weapons on board. He shares his experiences of transporting Admiral Marc Mitscher, and general duties and life aboard the ship. Westphal was discharged in August of 1946, then enlisted in the Naval Reserves.
Date: June 27, 2007
Creator: Westphal, Keith
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl DuBose, June 27, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Carl DuBose, June 27, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carl DuBose. DuBose joined the Army Air Forces in June of 1942. He served as a B-17 pilot with the 427th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group. He deployed to England, and flew 36 combat missions over Germany, attacking airfields, submarine yards and railroads. DuBose returned to the US in October of 1944. He was assigned to Roswell, New Mexico, flying B-29s. He was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: June 27, 2000
Creator: DuBose, Carl
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frederick Rosen, February 27, 1997 transcript

Oral History Interview with Frederick Rosen, February 27, 1997

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frederick W. Rosen. Rosen was born in Kings County, New York 9 September 1917. Graduating from the University of Georgia in 1939 he entered the US Navy in 1941. In October 1942 he reported for duty at the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Center, Melville, Rhode Island, where he met John F. Kennedy. Upon completion of the limited training he was assigned captain of PT-207 in Squadron 15. He tells of the boats being loaded onto the USS Housatonic (AO-35) and taken to Gibraltar. Rosen relates his experiences while based in Bizerte, Tunisia, Palermo, Sicily and Maddalena, Sardinia. He describes in detail participating in a multi-boat attack on a German convoy which resulted in damage to his boat. In May 1944, Rosen returned to the United States. He was then assigned as gunnery officer on the USS Randolph (CV-15) and he tells of the ship being hit by a kamikaze. His next assignment was to the USS Noble (APA-218), which participated in the invasion of Okinawa. Following the Japanese surrender, the ship was sent to Korea and China to pick up Allied prisoners of war and he relates several …
Date: February 27, 1997
Creator: Rosen, FrederickW.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Louis Imfeld, February 27, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Louis Imfeld, February 27, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Louis Imfeld. Imfeld joined the Marines in January of 1942. He served as a machine gunner on the 30-caliber light machine gun with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. In June he traveled to New Zealand for additional training, and participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of Cape Gloucester and the Battle of Peleliu. In late 1944 he returned to the US and served as a math instructor at the Marine Corps Institute.
Date: February 27, 2003
Creator: Imfeld, Louis
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Hulen Hammock, March 27, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Hulen Hammock, March 27, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hulen Hammock. Born in Bentonville, Texas on 5 November 1917, Hammock graduated from William Adams High School in Alice, Texas in 1932. Upon joining the Army Air Corps in December 1941, he was sent to Shepherd Field, Wichita Falls, Texas for basic training. After basic, Hammock went to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he studied aircraft maintenance for six weeks. He was then sent to Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana where he was assigned to the 319th Bomb Group, 440th Bomb Squadron and began working on B-26A bombers. Later, he was sent to Harding Field, Baton Rouge, Louisiana for advanced training. From there he boarded RMS Queen Mary at New Jersey and recalls an incident in which the ship collided with HMS Curacoa (D41), which was cut in half. Hammock noted that the ship did not slow down or attempt to save survivors. Landing at Gurrock, Scotland he proceeded to Norwich, England. He recalls boarding RMS Mooltan on 27 October 1942 and landing at Algeria. He shares an anecdote involving himself and General Jimmy Doolittle in a B-26. He also tells of servicing a DH98 de Havilland Mosquito aircraft flown by …
Date: March 27, 2003
Creator: Hammock, Hulen
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Hobart Martin, August 27, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Hobart Martin, August 27, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hobart Martin. Martin was drafted into the Army in February of 1943. In early 1944 he completed a college training detachment at Centenary College in Louisiana. From there he was assigned to Company E in the 342nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Infantry Division. They were assigned to La Havre, France in February of 1945 due to the Battle of the Bulge. His regiment was involved in much combat in France until they departed in June of 1945. In September they arrived in the Philippines, where he assisted with clerical work. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and worked in the headquarters company. Martin was discharged in February of 1946.
Date: August 27, 2008
Creator: Martin, Hobart
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph F. Malleske, September 27, 2007 transcript

Oral History Interview with Joseph F. Malleske, September 27, 2007

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Malleske. Malleske enlisted in the Navy in January 1944 at Great Lakes, Illinois and took boot camp there. After boot camp, they sent him down to Norfolk (Camp Bradford) for amphibious training where he got picked up to go to radar school. After that he was formed into a crew for LST duty and sent to Little Creek, Virginia for a two week training cruise on the Chesapeake Bay in a LST. In late May 1944, they sent them to Evansville, Indiana to pick up their LST (number 569), a brand-new one from the shipyard there. In late July 1944, they sailed for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides. From there, they went to Milne Bay, New Guinea, loaded up Seabee troops and then made their way to Tacloban, Leyte, arriving about D+4 (October 24, 1944). After a short stay at Leyte (until the battle was over), they headed back to Hollandia. They made several runs between Hollandia and Leyte and then landed troops on D-Day at Luzon. They also went to the Palawan Islands and Mindanao, landing supplies or troops. After more trips between the Philippines …
Date: September 27, 2007
Creator: Malleske, Joseph F.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph Gunterman, January 27, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Joseph Gunterman, January 27, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Gunterman. Gunterman joined the Navy in November of 1942. He completed Sound School, learning how to operate sound equipment on ships to detect underwater activity. In early 1943 he traveled to New Caledonia. From there he was assigned to the USS Zane (DMS-14), a high-speed mine sweeper. He provides some details of the ship, including weaponry aboard. They traveled to Tulagi, Suva, Fiji, provided escort duty and participated in the Battle of Munda Point in the Solomon Islands. They also participated in the invasions of Saipan, Tinian and Guam, by sweeping mines. The Zane was the model for the stories in The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. Wouk served aboard the Zane with Gunterman. Gunterman was discharged in December of 1945.
Date: January 27, 2009
Creator: Gunterman, Joseph
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Russell Milliken, June 27, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Russell Milliken, June 27, 2005

Transcript of an oral interview with Russell Milliken. He discusses being in the 82nd Airborne, parachuting into Normandy just after D-Day, being treated for frozen feet during the Battle of the Bulge and meeting a doctor he knew from home, serving on General Eisenhower's honor guard in Frankfurt, and coming home through New York and having to stay there for a Victory Parade before being allowed to go back to Texas.
Date: June 27, 2005
Creator: Milliken, Russell
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Voigt, October 27, 2007 transcript

Oral History Interview with Charles Voigt, October 27, 2007

Transcript of an oral interview with Charles Voigt. Mr Voigt graduated from high school in May 1942 and entered the service in December 1942. He went to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana where he spent ninety days in basic engineering training. After some time in California and Arizona with the 369th Engineer Special Service Regiment, he was selected to go to school in Los Angeles City College for a program called Army Specialized Training School (ASTP), which was college work. Voigt didn't finish that because he failed chemistry. As a result, he was sent to a replacement depot in Bend, Oregon. The sergeant there looked at his records and sent him to another engineering school at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He completed that and applied to go into the air corps, was accepted, and went to Carolina for preliminary training. The military decided they had enough pilots so they washed them all out. He decided to stay in the air corps and was subsequently assigned to go to Italy, arriving at Tarantino in May/June 1944. Voigt was assigned to the Forward Intelligence Group which was in Natuna, plotting aerial photographs. The photos were taken by P-38s which flew with two 24-inch focal length …
Date: October 27, 2007
Creator: Voigt, Charles
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Allen Golden, November 27, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Allen Golden, November 27, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Allan Golden. Golden joined the Navy in 1942 and after three weeks of boot training at San Diego, he boarded a ship bound for Noumea, New Caledonia. Upon his arrival he was assigned to the base post office. He was then sent to Fiji to serve as a LCVP driver. He participated in the invasion of Bougainville and describes the procedure of landing troops on the beaches. He returned to the United States in 1944 and was assigned as captain on a tug boat. One of the jobs assigned to his tug was towing targets for F4U fighters to practice strafing.
Date: November 27, 2008
Creator: Golden, Allen
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Wendell Mayes, November 27, 2007 transcript

Oral History Interview with Wendell Mayes, November 27, 2007

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Wendell Mayes. Mayes joined the Navy on 10 December 1942. He was trained as a radio and radar technician. He completed radar school in Corpus Christi, Texas, which included a course on night fighter radar. He was then assigned to a night fighter squadron in Rhode Island. Mayes served in Fighter Squadron 3, Air Group 3, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). He ensured that the radar used on night fighter aircraft was in good working order. They participated in the campaign to retake the Philippines, the Battle for Iwo Jima and the first full-scale air raids on Tokyo by carrier-based planes. He provides details of his experiences traveling aboard the troop trains, and visiting the USO clubs. Mayes was discharged in March of 1946.
Date: November 27, 2007
Creator: Mayes, Wendell
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James J. Joyce, January 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with James J. Joyce, January 27, 2011

Transcript of an oral interview with James "Jim" Joyce. When Joyce finished high school, he joined the Navy in January, 1943. Soon, he was training with a naval construction battalion (Seabees), and was assigned to Banika Island in the Russell Islands in the Solomons where he served in a bakery and as a stevedore. He was attached to the 11th Construction Battalion. Eventually, Joyce headed for Okinawa and was there on D-day (1 April 1945). He escorted Japanese prisoners of war to Saipan and headed back to Okinawa where he continued performing his bakery and stevedore duties. He stayed on Okinawa until November before returning home to the US.
Date: January 27, 2011
Creator: Joyce, James J.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with Dale Nelsen, June 27, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Nelsen. Nelsen joined the Navy in 1940. He was trained as a corpsman and was assigned to LST-347. He took part in the invasion of Sicily and was awarded the Bronze Star for treating wounded soldiers. He was transferred to USS LST-72 and participated in landings at Italy and discusses transporting 90 wounded soldiers to Bizerte. He was part of a landing by British troops behind enemy lines in Burma. Nelsen was also a part of the landings at Normandy and describes some of his experiences. He describes an incident where he witnessed a V-1 bomb land in London and helped treat the wounded. Nelsen remained in the reserves after the war and organized many reunions for his shipmates. He also describes visiting the WWII Memorial.
Date: June 27, 2011
Creator: Nelsen, Dale
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Paul G. Johnson, July 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with Paul G. Johnson, July 27, 2011

Transcript of an oral interview with Paul G. Johnson. Johnson finished high school in 1938 and was working when he joined the US Army Air Corps in early 1942. He qualified for flight training and ultimately trained in Florida on B-17 bombers. He was assigned to the 412th Squadron, 95th Bomb Group i nthe 8th Air Force and sent to the European Theater of Operations. Johnson flew 35 missions and describes his job as a pilot. Toward the end of the war, Johnson was stationed on Guam. He was there when the wasr ended and sailed back to San Francisco.
Date: July 27, 2011
Creator: Johnson, Paul G.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Reed, September 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with James Reed, September 27, 2011

Transcript of an oral interview with James Reed. Reed was drafted and went into the Army 11 Nov 1943. After basic training in Waco, Texas he was sent overseas, landing in England. He was put in a tank destroyer outfit to start with but got separated from them. After a hospital stay, he was put in the 101st Airborne Division, 327th Glider Infantry. He was wounded by shrapnel on 20 Dec 1944 in his right leg during the Battle of the Bulge. He was at Bastogne. Once wounded, he was sent back to France and then to England. He stayed at a hospital in England for nine months and then was shipped home. After a 4-5 month stay at a hospital in the States, he was discharged. He receives disability from the Army for his injuries. Reed was discharged 18 Sep 1945.
Date: September 27, 2011
Creator: Reed, James L.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Matthew Lynch, October 27, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with Matthew Lynch, October 27, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Matthew Lynch. Lynch joined the Navy in September of 1942. He completed advanced electric hydraulic school, concentrating primarily on the 5"/38 caliber gun. Beginning June of 1943, he served as Third-Class Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Conner (DD-582). Lynch participated in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, a pre-invasion attack on the Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands Campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He returned to the US and was discharged in February of 1946.
Date: October 27, 2011
Creator: Lynch, Matthew
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frank Schroeder, January 27, 2012 transcript

Oral History Interview with Frank Schroeder, January 27, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Schroeder. Schroeder joined the Army Air Forces and completed gunnery school and airplane mechanics school. Around 1943, Schroeder served with the 2nd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron as a detached service with the 13th and 7th Air Forces. They traveled over Johnston Island, Eniwetok, the Philippines and Truk Lagoon.
Date: January 27, 2012
Creator: Schroeder, Frank
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Elton Porter, January 27, 2012 transcript

Oral History Interview with Elton Porter, January 27, 2012

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elton Porter. Porter joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Sonar School and Gunnery School, and volunteered for submarine service. Porter served as a Messman and Gunner’s Mate aboard USS Haddo (SS-255) around late 1944. He participated in their eighth and ninth war patrols, traveling through Pearl Harbor, the East China and Yellow seas. Porter received his discharge in late 1945.
Date: January 27, 2012
Creator: Porter, Elton
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alvino Mendoza, May 27, 2010 transcript

Oral History Interview with Alvino Mendoza, May 27, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvino Mendoza. Mendoza joined the Navy in 1944. He trained to be a member of the amphibious forces at Camp Wallace in Galveston, Texas. Mendoza traveled through the Pacific aboard the USS St. George (AV-16). He participated in the Battle of Okinawa in March through June of 1945, where his ship was hit by a kamikaze. Once the war ended, Mendoza was sent to Japan with occupation forces. While there, he came into contact with a Japanese family who insisted he was Japanese. He shares his experiences as a Mexican-American in the war. He was discharged in 1946.
Date: May 27, 2010
Creator: Mendoza, Alvino
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History